FEATURED ISSUE
Sewage sludge fertilizing your food?
Your city probably has a water treatment facility where wastewater and sewage are processed to produce clean water. The resulting solid material, or sewage sludge, is treated with lime to eliminate objectional odors and then designated “biosolids to be recycled.” About 50 percent of biosolids are used as fertilizer by farmers and gardeners, with the rest incinerated or buried in landfill. Might what you flush down your toilet end up in the food you eat?

A November 2018 government report brought to light that biosolids used as fertilizer for much of our national food supply contain many toxic materials, including pharmaceuticals, hormones, cleaning products, heavy metals, flame retardants, dioxins, plastics, and disease-causing pathogens. Interesting that there appears to be universal acknowledgement that there are toxic materials in biosolids. The varying levels of concern relate to whether or not this is a threat to human health. The EPA cites science from 2002 stating there is no danger, and while it agrees there is a need to address the “uncertainty of potential risk,” it also states that it is wrong to characterize uncertainties or hazards “as known risks or threats.” Groups with high levels of concern point out that the EPA is monitoring only nine of over 350 known chemicals found in biosolids; that the EPA does not have scientific risk data for evaluating most of the pollutants in biosolids, so is not in a position to assure us of its safety; that biosolid fertilizer packaging can have “nutrient-rich”, “organic”, and “eco friendly” in large print, then a list of toxic ingredients and potential dangers in the fine print.

Reviews of arguments presented by all groups offers you some thought-provoking things to consider.

ISSUE: Could biosolid fertilizers be a threat to your health?

AHHA strives to maintain a neutral position on issues and viewsknowledge as power. For those interested in learning more about this month’s issue, the following related articles serve as a foundation for becoming better informed about this matter.

Frequent Questions about Biosolids
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
[Answers the more frequently asked questions about sewage sludge and biosolids.]

A Plain English Guide to the EPA Part 503 Biosolids Rule
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
[The federal biosolids rule for the use or disposal of sewage sludge is contained in 40 CFR Part 503.]

EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of Unregulated Pollutants in Land-Applied Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment (11/15/18)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Inspector General
[The EPA’s controls overthe land application of sewage sludge (biosolids) were incomplete or had weaknesses and may not fully protect human health and the environment.]

EPA Inspector General Report Calls Into Question Safety of Biosolids Program: NACWA to Respond (11/20/18)
National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA)
[NACWA views the OIG’s report as not uncovering any evidence of actual harm to human health or the environment.]

Household Chemicals and Drugs Found in Biosolids from Wastewater Treatment Plants (6/27/18)
U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
[USGS indicates that it is not known at present what the potential ecological effects of biosolids are when applied to agricultural fields, garden plots, and landscaped plants and shrubs.]

EPA Watchdog Questions Safety of Sewage Used as Fertilizer (11/15/18)
by Jennifer A Dlouhy
Bloomberg
[The EPA lacks the data or tools needed to determine the safety of hundreds of other pollutants found in the material.]

The EPA’s Biosolids Scam Threatens Us All (2/23/19)
Dr. Joseph Mercola
Mercola
[Scientific papers clearly confirm the dangers of biosolids from their persistence in the soil to their ability to enter the very crops you eat.Includes link to videoBiosludged.]

We encourage you to go to our blog at https://ahha.org/blog and post your comments. You are invited to share additional resources you have found relating to this issue.

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