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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents thoroughly reviews the science related to the land application of biosolids and possible impact microconstituents have on the environment. The fact sheet identifies a variety of microconstituents and their potential health risks and concludes that at the most, the land application of biosolids may only account for minor exposure to some microconstituents.
Author(s)
Water Environment Federation
Contributing authorsKuldip KumarLakhwinder S. HundalRobert K. BastianBen Davis
SourceFact Sheet of the Water Science and Engineering Center
Project IDWSEC-2017-FS-014
CommitteeRBC
Document typeFact Sheet
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Print publication date Jan 2017
Volume / Issue
Content sourceWater Science and Engineering Center
First / last page(s)1 - 10
Copyright2017
Word count5,019
Subject keywordsBiosolids
Chapter illustrations ()
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Beneficial Use of Biosolids
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Biosolids are generated during wastewater treatment processes and are extensively processed to meet the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA) 40 CFR Part 503 regulations promulgated in 1993, which dictate acceptable pollutant concentrations, pathogen levels, and material stability (as indicated by vector attraction reduction).
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count315
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Microconstituents in Biosolids
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
As a result of our modern lifestyle and widespread use of organic chemicals in many applications, large amounts of chemical residues from industries, agriculture, and homes are being continuously released in the environment, some of which may find their way into municipal wastewater. A few examples of microconstituents that may be found in the environment are pharmaceuticals, personal care and...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count250
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Dissipation of Microconstituents after Biosolids Application to Soils
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Dilution, mineralization, and strong binding with soil matrices are the three pathways which reduce the bioavailability of microconstituents when biosolids are land applied. In general, there is 100 to 200-fold dilutions of biosolids-borne microconstituents in soil when biosolids are applied at an agronomic rate of 5 to 10 t/ac or 10,000 to 20,000 lbs/ac and incorporated in 6-inch surface layer of...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count216
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Exposure to Microconstituents via Food Crops Grown in Biosolids Amended Soils
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
The transpiration of water is the main driving mechanism for uptake and transport of microconstituents in plants with properties of microconstituents playing a vital role in determining their bioaccumulation in edible portions of plants (Kumar and Gupta, 2016). In general, review of published data on plant uptake of microconstituents from manure or other by-products amended soils and the...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count341
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Quantitative Human Health Risk Analysis for Microconstituents
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Recently, the Northwest Biosolids (NW Biosolids 2015) conducted a quantitative exposure assessment for land application of biosolids using the general risk assessment methodology outlined by the USEPA. The following scenarios of exposure to microconstituents in biosolids from dermal contact and incidental ingestion were evaluated:
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count239
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Relative Exposure of Microconstituents from Biosolids and from Other Direct Exposure Pathways
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Most microconstituents found in the biosolids and terrestrial environment can be divided into six categories: (i) Pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, hormones, steroids and other drugs) and personal care products, (ii) Pesticides/fungicides/herbicides, (iii) Brominated flame retardants, (iv) Surfactants, (v) Plasticizers, and (vi) Perfluorochemicals.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count52
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Antibiotics and Drugs: It may take thousands of years of exposure to some antibiotics and over the counter drugs from land applied biosolids for the equivalent daily single dose of these compounds taken orally. Research from many studies show that exposure or hazard of this category of microconstituents is minimum from land applied biosolids or composted biosolids and entails minimum risk...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count712
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Pesticides/Fungicides/Herbicides
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Toxic and persistent chemicals are present in pesticides/fungicides/herbicides commonly used in and around the house, and are frequently detected in high concentrations in indoor air and house dust (Hundal et al, 2011). Trace levels of these chemicals are also frequently detected in agricultural soils and in municipal biosolids. Although land application of biosolids may potentially add trace...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count143
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Brominated Flame Retardants
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Polybrominated flame retardants (PBDEs) are widely used to retard the flammability of many consumer and industrial products. PBDEs are primarily indoor pollutants and are generally found at high levels in dust and air in the homes and at the workplace. Concentrations of PBDEs detected in house dust are much higher than the levels generally reported in biosolids. In addition to routine domestic...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count294
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Surfactants
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Surfactants, like alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEs), are added as emulsifiers in PCCPs. Some APEs, especially nonoxynol-9, have spermicidal properties and are used in contraceptives. APEs are also used as antioxidants in the polymer and food industries. These contaminants are ubiquitous in the environment and their levels in the surface waters are increasing. APEs and their degradation products have...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count240
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Plasticizers
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Phthalates: Phthalates are synthetic chemicals of increasing concern because of their endocrine disruption effects. Phthalates are commonly added to plastics to increase their flexibility and transparency. They are used to soften polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Most widely used phthalates are di(2-ethylhylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), diethyl phthalate (DEP) and...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count751
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Perfluorochemicals
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Perfluorochemicals (PFCs)(more commonly being referred to as Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFASs)), especially perfluorooctane sulfonates (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), have been used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s. PFOA is also used in the production of Teflon and Gore-Tex. PFCs can be released into the environment from the manufacture of fluorinated...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count329
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Conclusions
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Conclusions Diet, lifestyle, ingestion of house dust and inhalation of indoor air are the major sources of microconstituent exposure to humans (Hundal et al., 2011). Land application of biosolids may only account for minor exposure to some microconstituents at the most. On an average, 7.2 million dry tons of biosolids are produced in the U.S. annually and only 55 percent are land applied. Less...
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count400
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Further Reading
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Biedermann, S., P. Tschudin, and K. Grob. 2010. Transfer of bisphenol A from thermal printer paper to the skin. Anal. Bioanal. Chem., 398:571-576.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count589
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Additional Notations:
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
This paper does not include a thorough assessment of impacts to other species.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count15
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Authors
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Kuldip Kumar, Ph.D., Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count28
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Acknowledgements
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Thank you to Rick Stevens, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the WEF Residuals and Biosolids Committee, Sustainable Residuals Use Subcommittee, and the WEF Disinfection Committee for review and guidance.
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count39
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Description: Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to...
Contact
Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
Water Environment Federation
PublisherWater Environment Federation
Copyright2017
Word count12
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Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents
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