Sewage sludge (also known as ‘biosolids’) refers to the semi-solids left over from municipal waste water treatment. It contains highly variable mixtures of household and industrial pollutants. These include radioactive material, pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals, antibiotics, and heavy metals, excess nutrients (e.g. N and P), and human pathogens. Its safe disposal has been problematic for municipalities and EPA since the inception of modern large-scale water treatment facilities (1).
Despite its documented harmful impacts, the U.S. EPA and others vigorously promote land application of sewage sludge — to farmers and ranchers as a fertilizer and to households as organic compost.
Many scientific experts argue that the risks of land application are not adequately addressed by EPA’s current 503 sludge rule. They believe the short and long term health of the public as well as the environment are at risk. The Bioscience Resource Project has just added Sewage Sludge (Biosolids) — land application, health risks, and regulatory failure to its resource pages. This page summarizes and links to key scientific papers that provide an overview of the current health, environmental, and political issues around land application of sludges. Included are suggestions for reformulating the problem to ensure clean water without toxic sludge production.
To access the new page see: Sewage Sludge (Biosolids) — land application, health risks, and regulatory failure.
(1) For an illuminating non-technical introduction to the origins of sewerage systems and the creation and disposal of toxic sludge see: Civilization & Sludge: Notes on the History of the Management of Human Excreta by Abby A. Rockefeller.
To whom it may concern:
Please read the following important book:
Science For Sale: How the US Government uses powerful corporations and leading universities to support government policies, silence top scientists, jeopardize our health, and protect corporate profits. http://www.amazon.com/Science-Sale-Government-Corporations-Universities-ebook/dp/B00J75IUCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403016252&sr=8-1&keywords=David+Lewis+science.
ALSO
Federal and State Agencies need to pull together to research how to conquer Climate change.
Medical Alert: Antibiotic resistant bacteria and their antibiotic resistant genes are not only due to medical and veterinarian over-prescribing!
Since penicillin was first discovered in 1929, antibiotics have been critical in the fight against infectious diseases. During WWII, penicillin was widely used to treat bacterial infections. Soon after, antibiotics contributed to vast improvements in Public Health. Unfortunately, over time, scientists are now beginning to realize that antibiotic resistant pathogens are developing and passing their antibiotic resistant genes between strains and even between species.
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (ARB) are a simple evolutionary adaptation to environmental hazards. Their genes can be passed on in three ways. First, direct lateral gene transfer can occur via cell-to-cell contact within wastewater treatment plants and even elsewhere in the environment. Second, a bacteriophage can introduce new DNA into a bacteria during a viral infection. Lastly, a disruption of bacterial cell walls may cause the uptake of naked or free floating DNA.
Pathogenic strains that survive antibiotics can pass the genes on to other generation of bacteria. Pathogenic strains can even convert benign bacteria into potential pathogens. The reproductive capacity of resistant bacteria (living in animal and human intestines) is constantly increasing making it difficult for antibiotics to eliminate bacteria. About 70% of the bacteria that cause infections in hospitals are resistant to several of the most commonly used medications.
Initially, concern about ARB centered on clinical settings. Over prescription of antibiotics, inadequate cleaning of hands, and improper disposal of antibiotics have accelerated the spread of ARB. Physicians and other health care professionals have taken some important measures to reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics and ensure appropriate disposal of unused drugs.
However, now, scientists are startled to find ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes that control the antibiotic resistance are in rivers, streams, and even other water resources. A 1999-2000 study in 30 states by the United States Geological Service identified antibiotics in 111 of 139 streams. Healthcare professionals must address this potential threat to Public Health. What factors are causing the widespread presence of ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes?
One explanation for their presence in water sources is that sewage treatment inadvertently produces antibiotic resistant pathogens and their genes that control the antibiotic resistance. Little attention has been paid by physicians and other health care professionals to the discharge of “treated”sewage into the nation’s lakes and rivers. All three byproducts of wastewater treatment plants (effluent, recycled water, and biosolids) are contaminated with antibiotic resistant bacteria and their antibiotic resistant genes. Water treatment stations often blend effluent with treated sewage so that it passes (per volume) hazard tests and thus can legally be deposited to oceans and other surface waters. In addition, the recycled water is commonly used on municipal grass including school grounds and other playing fields . Biosolids are used as an agricultural and grazing land fertilizer amendment. Although this byproduct is not intended for direct human consumption, we may be eating contaminated crops and meat.
As the supply of potable water decreases, there is increasing public pressure to identify alternative ways to use recycled water converted to drinking water. Without more preventative precautions, such a conversion may be rendering water unsafe to drink.
Currently, none of the three byproducts are tested for ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes. As bacteria become more and more antibiotic resistant, additional testing at the end of the purple pipes and additional cleansing of recycled water may well be necessary to prevent a much greater serious threat to Public Health.
Designed to remove the solids, harmful bacteria, chemicals, and known pollutants from municipal sewage, wastewater treatment plants should much better protect Public Health from dangerous bacteria and their antibiotic resistant genes. It should be of great concern to health care professionals that these treatment plants properly protect our Public Health.
DO WE NEED POLICY ADJUSTMENTS?
Regulations for wastewater treatment do not presently require checking ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes. The Federal Clean Water Act is the principle law covering how sewer plants operate. State and municipal governments are free to sell all 3 products.
To stop the spread of ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes in order to protect Public Health, the current Federal, State and Municipal regulatory processes regarding recycled water utilization need to be re-examined regarding the safety of the ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes in all three byproducts. If the testing of recycled water is not considered safe, then the regulatory process at the Federal level should not allow recycled water to be reconverted to potable water nor allow its use by fire departments in fighting fires, etc.
Additionally, State agencies should develop methods to quantify ARB and their resistant antibiotic genes in the environment in order to better understand the fate of antibiotics and then to develop more appropriate treatment for ARB and their antibiotic resistant genes within wastewater treatment facilities.
PLUS
Chronology of References Regarding The Byproducts of Wastewater Treatment Facilities: Environmental and Public Health Impacts
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To sum up and get some perspective on this, please note the following statement by WHO’s chief of Communicable Disease, David Heymann, before the US Senate hearing on The Spread of Communicable Disease, 2001: “Some microbes have accumulated resistant genes to virtually all currently available drugs. Thus, these have the potential to cause untreatable infections. Accordingly, such diseases may have no effective cures over the next 10 years unless there is some uncharacteristic breakthrough in drug therapy. Therefore, if current trends continue, many important medical and surgical procedures, including cancer therapy, bone marrow and organ transplant, hip and knee replacement, and coronary bypass surgery could no longer be undertaken without undue risk of unstoppable infection.”
IN ADDITION
The wastewater treatment plants are inadvertently adding to Climate change by depositing 60% of their byproduct called biosolids as a “fertilizer amendment” onto agricultural and grazing lands. The biosolids lying on the lands release huge amounts (2-4,000 cubic feet of methane) from each ton of biosolids. Once in the atmosphere, the methane is converted from each cubic foot of methane into 21 cubic feet of CO2. EPA Federally and at the State level, by law, should, instead, burn the biosolids that are in suspension in the wastewater before the wastewater enters the wastewater treatment plants. During the burning of the biosolids, methane would also be released and could be captured and then used as energy to run machinery, etc. The energy captured can not only run equipment (and therefore dramatically drop their overhead operating expenses) but also drop the square footage of the wastewater treatment plants which would provide other pertinent advantages.
Respectfully,
John M. Ackerman, M.D.
Lt. Commander (1968-1970)
USPHS (Indian Health Service)
Alaska
Retired