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EPA cannot assure the public that current land application practices are protective of human health and the environment.”
The Waste Management Institute of Cornell University has studied the land application of sewage sludge for many years and has published an report in the International Journal of Environment and Pollution, which concludes the EPA sludge rules do not protect human health and the environment.
A report published in the Journal of Agromedicine for November 2000 details the harm to human health from sludge odors, odorants, bioaerosols and airborne particulates including “... eye, nose, and throat irritation, headache, nausea, diarrhea, hoarseness, sore throat, cough, chest tightness, nasal congestion, palpitations, shortness of breath, stress, drowsiness, and alterations in mood” and “... exposure to increased levels of particulates is associated with increased mortality risk, especially among the elderly and individuals with preexisting cardiopulmonary diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, and chronic heart disease.”
As the struggle over sludge escalates in Rappahannock County, the Board of Supervisors will have to balance these health risks against pressure from the sewage industry to dump its byproduct, the desire of some farmers for a cheap fertilizer, and the legal limitations imposed by the ^Virginia Supreme Court’s decisipn.
Jt’s clear that the days of the ban are numbered, but what comes next is not clear at all.
Scott Handshy is a Rappahannock County resident who has done extensive research on sludge. This article was prepared with assistance from Helane Shields and James P. Gannon.
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