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Wastewater Sludge and Fertilizer

WHEN YOU WASH YOUR HANDS WITH ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP, IT’S RINSED DOWN THE DRAIN - OUT OF SIGHT AND OUT OF MIND.  BUT LET’S EXPLORE WHERE IT GOES NEXT ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

MOST WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS WEREN’T DESIGNED TO REMOVE ANTI-MICROBIAL AGENTS SUCH AS TRICLOSAN.  AND WHEN THESE COMPOUNDS PERSIST IN LIQUID EFFLUENT, THEY CAN ENTER STREAMS AND DISRUPT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS.  BUT EFFLUENT ISN’T THE ONLY CONCERN.

FURLONG: MOST OF THE TRICLOSAN THAT IS MOVING THROUGH WASTEWATER TREATMENT IS ENDING UP IN SEWAGE SLUDGE WHICH IS THEN TREATED AND PROCESSED INTO A PRODUCT CALLED BIOSOLIDS WHICH ARE COMMONLY LAND-APPLIED IN THE UNITED STATES.

THAT’S ED FURLONG OF THE U-S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.  HE SAYS THAT WHEN BIOSOLIDS ARE USED AS A FERTILIZER, COMPOUNDS SUCH AS TRICLOSAN MAY ENTER THE SOIL AND BUILD UP IN PLANTS AND ANIMALS.  SO MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE WHERE THE CHAIN ENDS.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

Read more from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.