[Pharmwaste] SF studied compost made from effluent

Tenace, Laurie Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us
Wed Jul 28 10:19:03 EDT 2010


"The PUC's study tested for 127 organic and inorganic toxins and compounds, according to Jue, and all of the products had levels below the state and federal standards."

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/07/28/BAC31EKITQ.DTL

Study: S.F. compost no more toxic than others
Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer

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Compost made from the effluent that San Franciscans flush down their toilets does not contain any more toxins than the soil treatments and animal excrement available in garden stores, according to a San Francisco Public Utilities Commission study released Tuesday.

The $25,000 study found that the biosolid compost that until recently had been given out free to San Francisco residents once a year is not, as critics contend, a stew of toxic excrement. On the contrary, the treated and dried sludge is at least as safe as seven other potting soils, manures and treatments, according to the report.

"The data should comfort people," said Tyrone Jue, the spokesman for the San Francisco PUC. "It shows that just because you pay a lot of money for a product at a store does not mean that it is any better. Our biosolid compost compares favorably to the other products."

San Francisco's program to give away compost to gardeners, school groups and homeowners began in 2007. The product, called Synagro CV Compost, came under attack this year by organic and food-safety activists who claimed the PUC program was essentially slinging feces and other discarded toxins back at the people who flushed them.

The critics insisted that the heating and sterilization process used by the city does not neutralize heavy metals, pesticides or drug residue and that hundreds of chemicals contained in sewage sludge are never tested.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires testing for only nine pollutants, about 1 percent of the hazardous materials that could be found in sewage. Dioxins, flame retardants and PCBs are not among the chemicals tested.

The PUC's study tested for 127 organic and inorganic toxins and compounds, according to Jue, and all of the products had levels below the state and federal standards. Jue said only Kellogg Amend-brand compost contained a level of dioxin - 65.97 parts per trillion - that was significantly higher than the average for natural soil. Soil in cities averages between 7 and 20 parts per trillion of dioxin, he said. The San Francisco compost had 3.75 parts per trillion of dioxin. Gardeners Steer Manure had the lowest level of dioxin, at 0.27 parts per trillion.

Dioxin is a powerful hormone-disrupting chemical generally produced as a result of the burning of organic chemicals and plastics that contain chlorine.

John Mayer, coordinator of the nonprofit Food Rights Network, said he believes the testing is still inadequate because many known sewer toxins were not tested and because there is no way of knowing whether the PUC was testing the same compost given away to residents.

"This study still needs to be analyzed by our science people, but our contention is that there is nothing new here," Mayer said. "We don't think the stuff in the stores that has sludge in it should be used for growing food either."

The report is expected to be presented to San Francisco's utility commissioners next month. A decision could then be made on whether to continue the compost program, which uses about 20 tons of the 82,000 tons of solid material removed from the city's sewer every year and mixes it with green yard waste and other material in a Merced County treatment facility.




Laurie Tenace
Environmental Specialist
Waste Reduction Section
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
2600 Blair Stone Rd., MS 4555
Tallahassee FL 32399-2400
P: 850.245.8759
F: 850.245.8811
Laurie.Tenace at dep.state.fl.us

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