Prof. Murray McBride, Cornell
University
"Agricultural soils are a unique and valuable resource.
Protecting agricultural soils requires anticipating and avoiding potential
harms since once contaminated with persistent pollutants, the damage will
remain for the foreseeable future. Once
contaminated, stopping the application of pollutants such as metals and many
organic chemicals that are in sewage biosolids will not correct the
problem. The contamination will remain
for decades or centuries. It is thus
critical to prevent this essentially permanent degradation"
"Livestock that graze on sludge-amended pastures ingest
biosolids that adhere to the forage plants and also ingest soil directly. Particularly in arid conditions, soil can be
up to 18% dry weight of a grazing animal’s diet. Even where lesser amounts are ingested,
recent research has shown impacts to grazing animals from biosolids additions
to soils. These impacts include an accumulation of toxic metals in edible body
organs, with implications for the human food chain. Additionally, endocrine disruption (reduced
testis size) has been documented, with implications for livestock
reproduction. There is now evidence that
elements in sludge, particularly molybdenum and sulfur, are readily taken up by
forages and can lead to Cu deficiency in livestock. "
"All sewage biosolids contain an array of synthetic
organic chemicals. An array of pharmaceuticals was found in all of the
biosolids tested, regardless of the type of treatment. All biosolids are “highly enriched” in
organic wastewater contaminants. Some
are present in high concentrations in sewage biosolids (up to 1% by dry
weight). Some have demonstrated
toxicity. Pharmaceuticals are designed
to be biologically active at very low concentrations and thus even at trace
levels they may impact plants and animals. There is new information showing
that antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals have an impact on plants grown in
soils containing these chemicals."
"Recent studies have confirmed that the use of
antimicrobials had created a large pool of antibiotic-resistance genes in
bacteria that are detected in sewage sludge and effluent from sewage treatment
plants. Antibiotic resistant bacteria were found in higher numbers downstream
of sludge-treated farmland as compared to upstream"
"The potential for prions that might be present in
wastewater to accumulate in sludges and to persist through treatment is a
concern."
"Soil microorganisms play a critical role in the
functions of soil as a source of plant nutrition and in the cycling of
nutrients. Recent research shows that
sludge application changes the soil microbial community and decreases its
diversity. A number of human-use compounds (such as triclosan found in many
personal care products such as antibacterial soaps) bioconcentrate in earthworms
where soil has been amended with sewage sludges."
Prof. Jordan Peccia- Yale University
"Land application is often accompanied by strong odors,
and biosolids contain heavy metals, hazardous organic chemicals, microbial
pathogens, and antibiotic resistant bacteria."
"Sludge is a record of what society excretes. This
includes any pathogen that is contained in human feces, urine, and vomitus. A
recent study found more than 27 different forms of human viruses in the sewage
sludges of five large U.S. cities, ranging from Adenovirus to Corona virus to
HIV."
"Metals and organic chemicals that resist biological
mineralization can sorb to solid particles and also accumulate in sludge. These
include polybrominated flame retardants, pharmaceuticals like Prozac and Tagamet,
human hormones such as estrogen, antibiotics, narcotics including cocaine, and
the metabolites of these compounds."
Dr. Sierra Rayne
"The science doesn't support the disposal of sewage
sludge across the landscape. The supposed benefits are more than offset by the
risks to human and environmental health. As scientists, we have been watching
the issue with increasing concern.
An unimaginably large number of chemical and biological
contaminants exist in these materials, and they persist in the product up to,
and after, land disposal. Scientific investigations have identified only a tiny
fraction of the total contaminant load. We cannot even say with any degree of
confidence what the true range of contaminant risk is from the sludge ...
Governments are playing Russian roulette with sewage sludge. Over time, there
is a high probability this game will be lost at the public's expense."
Brian Bienkowski, Scientific American
- May 12, 2014
"Sewage sludge used as fertilizer on farms can leave
traces of prescription drugs and household chemicals deep in the soil,
according to a new study by federal scientists. The findings suggest that the
widespread use of biosolids could contaminate groundwater near farms with a
variety of chemicals, including anti-depressants such as Prozac and
hormone-disrupting compounds in antibacterial soaps."
"The researchers looked for 57 “emerging” contaminants
that are increasingly showing up in the environment. Ten were detected in the
soil at depths between 7 and 50 inches 18 months after the treated sludge was
applied. None was in the field’s soil beforehand... Other studies have found
hormones, detergents, fragrances, drugs, disinfectants, and plasticizers in
treated sludge used as fertilizer. But this is the first study to show how they
can persist and move in soil."
Author Lidia Epp (manager of
the Molecular Core Lab in the Biology Department of College of William
and Mary in Williamsburg)
"There is little doubt that there are direct human
health consequences of land application of sludge. Several published public
health reports clearly link the sludge application sites to the overall decline
of health by the surrounding communities.
Czajkowski et al in a publication from 2010 “Application of GIS in
Evaluating the Potential Impacts of Land
application of Biosolids on Human Health” concludes that there is a
statistically significant increase in ill-health symptoms and diseases near the
biosolids permitted fields. Exposed
residents were defined as those living within the one mile radius of filed
applied biosolids, the illnesses included certain respiratory, gastrointestinal
and other diseases."
It is evident that the long term exposure to a host of the
environmental pollutants is the foundation of many chronic conditions that are
now at the epidemic levels. Rather than focusing narrowly on determination of
specific sets of toxins present in biosolids from different sources – the
research needs to shift to the epidemiological studies assessing the overall
impact of complex mix of pollutants present in sludge.
It is true that biosolids contain beneficial elements like
phosphorus, nitrogen, organic matter and trace nutrients. But the benefits
derived from introducing those components to the soil via biosolids are by far
overshadowed by the detrimental effects of toxins and pollutants that comprise
the vast majority of the biosolids content.
Many countries adopted and implemented a new approach
to the disposal of biosolids; methane
production, energy source, recovery of metals and microelements. It is well
past the time when we start to look at those alternatives as the only
sustainable solution to the growing problem – what to do with the sludge our
society produces."
Dr. David Lewis
"What a wastewater treatment plant does is clean up the
water, but it takes all those chemicals, all those priority pollutants we worry
about that are highly neurotoxic - they are carcinogenic, they are mutagenic
(In genetics, a mutagen is a physical or chemical agent that changes the
genetic material, usually DNA, of an organism and thus increases the frequency
of mutations above the natural background level) - all of those are
concentrated at the water treatment plant in sewage sludge. The EPA in 1978
decided that what we should do with this is put it on land. Forget the fact
that sewage sludge now has every known priority pollutant in existence that we
know of, it has every chemical that we don't know of - and no matter how long
we live, we probably will never know the vast majority of chemicals that are
out there that we are being exposed to - they will never be identified. What we
do know is that they are all there in that sewage sludge!"
"So in 1988 Congress bans the ocean dumping of sewage
sludges over health concerns, and the EPA starts promoting land application of
sewage sludges in tons per acre on farms, forests, playgrounds, school athletic
fields, and other public and private lands. (Please note that it was considered
TOO TOXIC to continue with ocean disposal, but illogically, the public is
supposed to believe that land disposal as somehow acceptable?! The toxic sludge
is just the same - the thousands of pollutants now are to be spread on soils
meant to sustain future generations!). EPA says it has nitrogen in it and
phosphorus, so we'll spread it, provide it to farmers to put on their crops,
golf courses, everywhere. Can you imagine this!?" None of the scientists
at the EPA at the time I was working there, could imagine this. Unanimously,
all the scientists working in that office did their best to stop this, but
politics and industry, money, big money … had other ideas"
Dr. Caroline Snyder
"Land-applied
municipal sewage sludge (biosolids) is a highly complex and unpredictable
mixture of biological and chemical pollutants. Biosolids generated in our large
industrialized urban centers is very likely the most pollutant- rich waste
mixture of the 21st century."
Dr. Richard Honour
"Few in any governments appreciate that nearly all
chronic diseases are caused by long-term exposure to low levels of
environmental contaminants and pollutants. We should be trying to minimize this
exposure, not amplifying it. It is time to end land disposal of Toxic Sewer
sludge, and look at cleaner, greener alternatives - gasification /
pyrolysis."
