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EPA RESEARCH PLAN SPLITS APPLICATORS, GENERATORS OF BIOSOLIDS
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Date: July 11, 2003 -
Sectors that generate and use land-applied sewage sludge, known as biosolids,
are divided over EPA's proposal for conducting research on health risks and
other problems associated with the sludge. While a key biosolids application
company is blasting the plan as too expansive, sewage treaters are welcoming it
as a way to resolve lingering concerns about biosolids use.
Environmentalists, meanwhile, are urging EPA to go even further with the
research than the plan proposes, citing the need to update the agency's data
with the most recent science.
In comments submitted in response to EPA's biosolids research agenda on
pathogens, metals and other issues, Synagro Technologies Inc., a leading
application company, says EPA should not conduct studies on odors associated
with land applied-biosolids or conduct new risk assessments.
“We do not believe that EPA needs to do an extensive reevaluation of any portion
of the rules governing the practice because of the documented benefits and
extremely low risks involved -- there are already hundreds of studies confirming
these facts,” the company states. Relevant documents are available on
InsideEPA.com.
EPA is planning new research and evaluations of existing research to determine
both the adequacy of existing regulations for pathogens and other pollutants in
biosolids, and to gauge whether biosolids regulations should incorporate any
additional pollutants.
Their research plans respond in part to a National Research Council (NRC) study
that called on EPA to perform additional scientific work to reduce uncertainty
about the potential for adverse human health effects from exposure to biosolids.
The four specific recommendations from NRC's report are to improve risk
assessment methods to establish better standards for chemicals and pathogens;
conduct a new national survey of chemicals and pathogens in biosolids; establish
a methodology for human health investigations; and increase the resources
devoted to EPA's biosolids program.
Synagro warns the agency not to conduct significant evaluations on alleged odor
problems or new research on the issue, noting, “The bottom line is that if odors
were considered a health problem, the [NRC] report would have certainly said
much more or made strong recommendations. Therefore, any comprehensive
evaluation or study relative to odors must be left to another forum.”
However, an agency source says odor issues surface frequently in discussions of
biosolids issues. “We recognize that odors are a prime source of complaints,”
the source says. “[But] we have not made any final decision on to what extent,
if any, we will be looking at odor issues.”
While EPA's research suggests the agency will consider new risk assessments,
Synagro opposes the idea. “There may not be significant gains in recalculating
risks.”
Elsewhere, the company says EPA should avoid a potential microbial risk
assessment contemplated in the research plan unless “it has developed and
published a peer review guidance document that has [Science Advisory Board]
approval. Anything less would not comply with the Data Quality Act.”
A preliminary EPA analysis has not identified any additional pollutants the
agency plans to regulate under its existing biosolids regulations and expects to
complete the analysis in January. The agency is also expected to make a final
decision about regulating dioxin in sewage sludge in October.
Publicly owned treatment works, which create biosolids as part of their
wastewater treatment process, appear more supportive of EPA's plan. In July 8
comments, the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA) states its
support of “EPA's efforts to reduce persistent uncertainty about the potential
for adverse human health effects from exposure to biosolids.” In its comments,
AMSA also “encourages the agency to support research on odor associated with
biosolids management and ways to mitigate those odors during processing and land
application.”
Meanwhile, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is pushing EPA to go
beyond the research projects the agency proposes and urges EPA to “undertake an
aggressive plan to improve [biosolids] regulation . . . to reflect current
scientific understanding of biosolids land application and its concomitant human
health and ecological effects.”
In its comments on the proposed research plan, NRDC also says EPA should
regulate additional toxic pollutants beyond those currently covered by biosolids
regulations. “In particular,” the comments say, “NRDC urges EPA to sample sewage
sludge for toxic pollutants and to regulate all of those that are found to be
present in sewage sludge in concentrations which may adversely affect public
health or the environment.”
Source: Inside EPA via InsideEPA.com
Date: July 11, 2003
Issue: Vol. 24, No. 28
© Inside Washington Publishers
INSIDEEPA-24-28-12