August 2011 Biocycle Article Abstract: Due to widespread use of TOrCs in manufacturing of personal care and consumer products, research finds that the greatest human exposure is in the household environment and not via land application of biosolids. [aka fertilizing farms with treated sewage sludge or using composted sludge biosolids in home gardens] http://www.jgpress.com/archives/_free/002402.html L.S. Hundal, K. Kumar, N. Basta and A.E. Cox
[Note this article ground-truths Sally Brown's recent article in BioCycle that discussed the importance of focusing on the real and significant climate change benefits of biosolids use (carbon sequestration) rather than the insignificant risks associated with minute levels of contaminents in biosolids.]
- TOrCs = Trace Organic Chemicals
- consumer and manufacturer responsibility
- pathways
- household exposure is greatest
- lowest risk from biosolids, would need direct ingestion for any quantifiable risk
- review of modern literature
- biosolids-derived TOrCs have low bioavailability and are not very mobile in the soil profile.
- Lipophilic TOrCs like PBDEs are not taken up by the plants.
- Less lipophilic TOrCs tend to accumulate in vegetative parts of the plant and are generally not detected in grains, which further limit their translocation into the food chain.
- These arguments strongly suggest that land application of biosolids could not be a major pathway for human exposure to TOrCs.
BioCycle August 2011, Vol. 52, No. 8, p. 31
BioCycle Web Extra
Complete References available at end of this article
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