Sludge Watch ==> More on the Milwaukee PCB Milorganite in Schools

[Maureen Reilly]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=637714

MPS closes 25 athletic fields
Possibly toxic fertilizer leads to the precaution
By DON BEHM and JESSE GARZA
dbehm at journalsentinel.com
Posted: July 24, 2007

As many as 16,000 youths and adults in summer softball, soccer and kickball 
leagues in the city lost a place to play for an undetermined length of time 
when Milwaukee Public Schools abruptly closed 25 recreational fields on 
Tuesday.
86761PCBs
These Fields
Are Closed

Potentially tainted fertilizer was applied at the following MPS recreational 
areas. Some activities may move:
Pulaski High School: soccer and practice fields
South Division High School: practice field
Rogers Field: playgrounds
Burnham Field: playgrounds and wading pool lawn
Lincoln Field: softball diamond
Emigh Field: softball field
Lewis Field: softball field
Bay View High School: practice field
Hamilton High School: football and baseball fields
Wick Field: 7 softball diamonds
Dyer Field: football field, baseball diamond and 2 softball diamonds
Metcalf School: football field
Kosciuszko School (South Stadium): football field
Washington High School Complex: football field
Custer High School: practice field and football field
Custer Stadium: football field
Riverside High School: practice field
Marshall High School: practice field
Madison High School: practice field
Carmen Play Field: grassy area
Rufus King High School: practice field
Roosevelt Middle School: front lawn
Vincent High School: soccer field, main football field and 2 practice areas
Juneau Play Field: football field
Juneau High School: football field.
Activities May
Be Moved
MPS is attempting to reschedule recreational activities at other locations, 
according to MPS spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin. For information on new 
locations, call the MPS Recreation Division staff at (414) 475-8410.
To Find Out More
For questions on health effects of exposure to PCBs, call the Milwaukee 
Health Department at (414) 286-3616.
Recent Coverage
7/25/07: Editorial: PCB contamination: A good response so far
7/23/07: EPA to collect park samples
7/20/07: Chemicals in fertilizer shut parts of parks
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Fall football practice for several high schools, middle schools and 
community youth teams also could be disrupted should football practice 
fields remain closed through August, said Molly Barrett, assistant director 
of MPS's recreation division.

Tuesday's closing of the recreational areas will immediately affect league 
play at Burnham, Dyer, Emigh, Lincoln, Rogers, Wick and Vincent fields. Most 
summer leagues are coming to the end of their schedules.

MPS closed the 25 recreational areas as a precaution to prevent children 
from being exposed to possibly harmful levels of toxic chemicals that might 
have been present in sewage-sludge fertilizer applied on those fields this 
month, district officials said.

Warning signs were to be posted at all of the sites today.

The closings were announced Tuesday immediately after federal and state 
environmental officials and the Milwaukee Health Department jointly 
recommended testing soils at all fields where the fertilizer was used, MPS 
spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin said.

The soil tests will be done even though initial testing of the fertilizer by 
the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District found low amounts of 2.2 parts 
per million of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows use of sewage sludge as a 
fertilizer if PCBs are below 10 ppm.

On July 3, about 28 tons of bulk sewage-sludge fertilizer that did not 
contain adequate nitrogen to be sold as Milorganite was given to MPS, 
according to MMSD officials. The fertilizer was spread at the MPS sites 
between July 9 and 19.

The MPS closings follow the closing last week of recreational areas at five 
Milwaukee County parks where fertilizer with higher amounts of PCBs, 85 ppm, 
was applied this month. Signs and fences were erected at portions of the 
county parks - Sheridan, Madison, Grant, Kulwicki and the Root River 
Parkway-South - on Friday and Saturday.

The MPS fields were not closed last week because tests of the fertilizer 
given to MPS found much lower levels than the fertilizer used by the county, 
St. Aubin said at the time. Closings were announced Tuesday after 
environmental and health officials said the MPS recreational areas should be 
tested to confirm whether there is a public health risk.

EPA officials from the Chicago regional office will oversee collection of 
soil samples at a dozen or more recreational areas today and at the 
remaining sites on Thursday.

EPA officials at a Tuesday news conference also pledged quick turnaround on 
tests of the soil so that any recreational areas found to be free of 
health-threatening concentrations of the chemicals could be reopened.

MMSD will conduct a more intensive search for the pollutants at county parks 
and the MPS recreational areas by collecting a greater number of soil 
samples from the recreational areas, spokesman Bill Graffin said.

"The EPA wants us to begin collecting samples as soon as possible," Graffin 
said. "We're scrambling to find environmental contractors who can do the 
work for us in that time frame."

Levels of PCBs in fertilizer applied at the parks and schools is considered 
low and a person's exposure likely would not cause health problems, the 
Milwaukee Health Department said in a written statement. Short-term health 
effects of exposure to much higher concentrations of PCBs can include skin 
irritation and rashes.

The public is being warned to stay out of the recreational areas to limit 
unnecessary exposure to the chemicals, said Paul Biedrzycki, the 
department's manager of disease control and prevention.

PCBs have not been produced in the United States since 1977. Before then, 
they had been mixed in industrial coolants and lubricants and used in 
electrical equipment.

MMSD and the state Department of Natural Resources are investigating illegal 
dumping of the chemicals into sewers as a possible source of PCBs in the 
sewage-sludge fertilizer.