Infections linked to use of sewage sludge as fertilizer


The following posting to the Sludge Watch list serv is from CBC News, August 1, 2002 ...

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Infections linked to use of sewage sludge as fertilizer

PORT HOPE, ONT. - Anecdotal evidence suggests spreading sewage sludge as fertilizer increases the risk of illness in people who live nearby.

Scientists in Georgia interviewed 53 Americans and Canadians who live next to fields fertilized with sewage sludge. The residents reported health problems including burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and infections.

About 25 per cent of the people surveyed had Staphylococcus aureus infections, a condition commonly accompanying diaper rash. Medical records showed two people died of septicaemia or pneumonia.

The limited study lacked a control group, but microbiologist David Lewis of the University of Georgia stands by his research, which appears in the July issue of the British medical journal BMC Public Health.

"Our study shows there are potential health risks with exposure to sewage sludge, either by breathing the dust blowing off the fields or by directly contacting sludge-treated fields," said Lewis.

Even though the study has flaws, Dr. Coleman Rotstein of the Canadian Infectious Diseases Society said it raises questions about the safety of sewage sludge.

"I think there should be a moratorium on it until we know a lot better, (and) have more information on the risks," said Rotstein.

Spreading sewage sludge legal in Canada

The City of Toronto has been spreading sewage for years, and says sludge is safe. The practice is considered beneficial because it supplies farmers with free fertilizer and solves a waste disposal problem at the same time.

"There hasn't been one documented case where an adverse environmental impact of human health or the environment has been shown," said Kiyoshi Oka of the City of Toronto.

Some people in Port Hope, Ontario, are fighting to keep sewage sludge out of their back yards. "It's a huge concern because there hasn't been enough scientific research done to prove to us beyond a reasonable doubt that it's safe," said resident Marlene Hungerford.

The sewage treatment process destroys most of dangerous bacteria and viruses but some survive. Sludge also contains heavy metals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals that have been flushed down the toilet.

Canada lacks a national policy on spreading sewage sludge but both British Columbia and Ontario are reconsidering their rules.

Written by CBC News Online staff

BC Lawsuit - Sewage Treatment Plant Worker Ill from Toxic Exposures

http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/news/story.html?id=ed33e70c-701b-4036-a1a9-a4cc7e71d227&k=67697
................................



Former CRD worker sues over sewage plant fumes



Times-Colonist
Victoria , British Columbia
Wednesday, August 23, 2006

A former worker at the sewage plant operated by the Capital Regional District on the Saanich Peninsula is suing, contending exposure to fumes and toxins have made him ill.

According to the statement of claim filed with the B.C. Supreme Court this week, Robert Bruce is a carpenter now living on Saturna Island who worked at the Saanich Peninsula Wastewater Treatment Plant on Bazan Bay Road from 2000 to 2005.

Bruce alleges in his statement of claim that he now suffers from a number of health complaints as a result of exposure to hazards at the plant.
Bruce’s lawyer, Rory Morahan, said he isadvising his client not to make any comments at this time.
No statement of defence has been filed yet with the court.

Kelly Daniels, CRD chief administrative officer, said the CRD is consulting with its own lawyer and there is no other comment

Infections linked to use of sewage sludge as fertilizer


The following posting to the Sludge Watch list serv is from CBC News, August 1, 2002 ...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Infections linked to use of sewage sludge as fertilizer

PORT HOPE, ONT. - Anecdotal evidence suggests spreading sewage sludge as fertilizer increases the risk of illness in people who live nearby.

Scientists in Georgia interviewed 53 Americans and Canadians who live next to fields fertilized with sewage sludge. The residents reported health problems including burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and infections.

About 25 per cent of the people surveyed had Staphylococcus aureus infections, a condition commonly accompanying diaper rash. Medical records showed two people died of septicaemia or pneumonia.

The limited study lacked a control group, but microbiologist David Lewis of the University of Georgia stands by his research, which appears in the July issue of the British medical journal BMC Public Health.

"Our study shows there are potential health risks with exposure to sewage sludge, either by breathing the dust blowing off the fields or by directly contacting sludge-treated fields," said Lewis.

Even though the study has flaws, Dr. Coleman Rotstein of the Canadian Infectious Diseases Society said it raises questions about the safety of sewage sludge.

"I think there should be a moratorium on it until we know a lot better, (and) have more information on the risks," said Rotstein.

Spreading sewage sludge legal in Canada

The City of Toronto has been spreading sewage for years, and says sludge is safe. The practice is considered beneficial because it supplies farmers with free fertilizer and solves a waste disposal problem at the same time.

"There hasn't been one documented case where an adverse environmental impact of human health or the environment has been shown," said Kiyoshi Oka of the City of Toronto.

Some people in Port Hope, Ontario, are fighting to keep sewage sludge out of their back yards. "It's a huge concern because there hasn't been enough scientific research done to prove to us beyond a reasonable doubt that it's safe," said resident Marlene Hungerford.

The sewage treatment process destroys most of dangerous bacteria and viruses but some survive. Sludge also contains heavy metals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals that have been flushed down the toilet.

Canada lacks a national policy on spreading sewage sludge but both British Columbia and Ontario are reconsidering their rules.

Written by CBC News Online staff

S. Aureus - antibiotic resistance


It has been suggested that people exposed to land applied sewage sludge
may be at increased risk of infection by S. Aureus. Here is a news
story about antibiotic resistance and S. Aureus.



VRSA: The Worst Has Finally Happened

Charles Stratton, MD Disclosures


San Diego, Friday, September 27, 2002 -- The first day of the 42nd
ICAAC was highlighted by several reports of new mechanisms of
resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. These newly described
mechanisms are likely to be of great importance to the practicing
physician because of the importance of S aureus as a human
pathogen.[1,2] In the late-breaker slide session, D.M. Sievert and
colleagues[3] from the Michigan Department of Community Health,
Lansing, Michigan and the Centers for Diseases Control and
Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia, reported the details of the first
case of vancomycin-resistant S aureus (VRSA) infection. The CDC
briefly reported on this strain in July.[4] In the following
presentation,
J.M. Mohammed and associates[5] from the CDC characterized this
strain. The development of vancomycin resistance in this organism, the
worst fear of infectious diseases practitioners, finally has occurred.
Moreover, in an ICAAC Program Committee Award Presentation, J.
Huang and colleagues[6] from GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville,
Pennsylvania, reported the identification of a novel multidrug
resistance system (MdeA) from S aureus.

What do these reports mean to the practicing physician? Let us first
briefly review the history of antimicrobial resistance in this common
pathogen.

S aureus was first recognized in the late 1800s as a common cause of
infection. In the preantimicrobial era, it carried a bacteremia
mortality
rate of 82%.[1,2,7] The use of penicillin, one of the first
antimicrobial
agents developed in the 1940s, markedly reduced this high mortality
rate.[8] However, the occurrence of staphylococcal strains producing
penicillinase was seen almost simultaneously with the introduction of
penicillin.[9] Prior to 1940, 90% of all S aureus isolates were
susceptible to penicillin. By 1952, 75% of isolates displayed
beta-lactamase-mediated resistance.[10] The antimicrobial therapy of
staphylococcal infections has remained a problem due to the rapid
emergence of multiple mechanisms of resistance.[11-13] Similarly,
rapid emergence of resistance to penicillin derivatives that were
designed to be resistant to staphylococcal beta-lactamase, such as
methicillin, was seen in the 1970s.[14] Shortly after the introduction
of
fluoroquinolones in the 1980s, rapid emergence of resistance to these
agents was seen due to altered topoisomerases as well as efflux
mechanisms.[15,16]

Throughout this evolution of multidrug-resistant strains of S aureus,
vancomycin has remained the mainstay of antimicrobial therapy for
resistant strains ever since its introduction in the mid-1950s.[17]
Indeed, clinical experience has suggested that the development of
resistance to vancomycin by S aureus was difficult, despite the
occasional reports of low-level resistance.[18,19] The laboratory in
vitro
demonstration in 1992 that the van resistance genes from enterococci
could be transferred to S aureus and expressed, thus producing
vancomycin resistance,[20] was of great concern, but to date such a
transfer had not been reported in wild strains. But with these reports,
the unthinkable has happened.

This newly reported VRSA was isolated from the catheter tip of a renal
dialysis patient in Michigan. The isolate contained both the mecA gene
for methicillin resistance and the vanA gene for vancomycin resistance.
MICs were 1024 mcg/mL to vancomycin and 32 mcg/mL to teicoplanin,
consistent with the vanA phenotype of enterococcus.[21] The presence
of the vanA gene was confirmed by PCR and was located on a 60-kb
plasmid. The DNA sequence of the VRSA vanA gene was identical to
that of a vancomycin-resistant strain of Enterococcus faecalis
recovered from the same catheter tip culture. The isolate was, however,
susceptible to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, minocycline, linezolid,
and quinupristin/dalfopristin. This VRSA is, thus, the first likely
transfer
in vivo of high-level vancomycin resistance from E faecalis to S aureus.

Should this plasmid, or another one like it, be transferred from one S
aureus strain to another as rapidly as was the plasmid containing the
beta-lactamase gene,[10] this report may herald the demise of
vancomycin as a clinically useful agent.

The importance of the newly characterized efflux mechanism is not that
it confers resistance against any particular antimicrobial agent. In
fact,
this efflux pump resistance mechanism was not very impressive in the
type of resistance it conferred. However, this is the second of an
estimated 12-15 efflux pump resistance mechanisms that S aureus
strains are thought to have. One of these efflux mechanisms in the
future could mutate so that it conferred resistance to drugs such as
minocycline, linezolid, and quinupristin/dalfopristin.

Once again, S aureus has demonstrated its propensity to become
resistant despite attempts to develop new antistaphylococcal agents.
The future for the therapy of serious staphylococcal infections looks
bleak, indeed.

References


Musher DM, McKinzie SO. Infections due to Staphylococcus aureus.
Medicine. 1977; 56:383-409. Abstract
Sheagren JN. Staphylococcus aureus: the persistent pathogen. N Engl
J Med. 1984; 310:1437-1442. Abstract
Sievert DM, Chang S, Hageman J, Fridkin SK, VRSA Investigation
Team. Investigation of a vanA-positive vancomycin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus infection. Abstract LB-6. Program and abstracts
of the 42nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and
Chemotherapy; September 27-30, 2002; San Diego, California.
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus resistant to vancomycin -- United States, 2002.
MMWR. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2002;51:565-567.
Full text: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/438138
Mohammed JM, Weigel L, Clark N, et al. High-level vancomycin
resistance in a clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus. Abstract
LB-7.
Program and abstracts of the 42nd Interscience Conference on
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; September 27-30, 2002; San
Diego, California. Abstract
Huang J, O'Toole PW, Shen W, et al. Identification of a novel multidrug
resistance efflux system (MdeA) from Staphylococcus aureus. Abstract
C1-147. Program and abstracts of the 42nd Interscience Conference
on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy; September 27-30, 2002;
San Diego, California. Abstract
Skinner D, Keefer CS. Significance of bacteremia caused by
Staphylococcus aureus: a study of one hundred and twenty-two cases
and a review of the literature concerned with experimental infection in
animals. Arch Intern Med. 1941;68:851-865.
Chain E, Duthie ES. Bactericidal and bacteriolytic action of penicillin
on
the staphylococcus. Lancet. 1945;i:652-657.
Rammelkamp CH, Maxon T. Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to
the action of penicillin. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1942;51:386-389.
Finland M. Changing patterns of resistance of certain common
pathogenic bacteria to antimicrobial agents. N Engl J Med.
1955;25:570-580.
Spink WW. Staphylococcal infections and problem of
antibiotic-resistant staphylococci. Arch Intern Med. 1954;94:167-196.
Maranan MC, Moreira B, Boyle-Vavra S, et al. Antimicrobial resistance
in staphylococci: epidemiology, molecular mechanisms and clinical
relevance. Infect Dis Clin North Am. 1997;11:813-849. Abstract
Smith TL, Jarvis WR. Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus
aureus. Microbes Infect. 1999;1:795-805. Abstract
Sabath LD, Wheeler N, Laverdiere M, et al. A new type of penicillin
resistance of Staphylococcus aureus. Lancet. 1977;i:443-447. Abstract
Kaatz GW, Seo SM, Ruble CA. Mechanisms of fluoroquinolone
resistance is Staphylococcus aureus. J Infect Dis. 1991;163:1080-1086.
Abstract
Kaatz GW, Seo SM, Ruble CA. Efflux-mediated fluoroquinolone
resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother.
1993;37:1086-1094. Abstract
Fairbrother RW, Williams BL. Two new antibiotics: antibacterial activity

of novobiocin and vancomycin. Lancet. 1956;i:177-178.
Srinivasan A, Dick JD, Perl TM. Vancomycin resistance in
staphylococci. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2002;15:430-438. Abstract
Walsh TR, Howe RA. The prevalence and mechanisms of vancomycin
resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Ann Rev Microbiol.
2002;56:657-675. Abstract
Noble WC, Virani Z, Cree RG. Cotransfer of vancomycin and other
resistance genes from Enterococcus faecalin NCTC 12201 to
Staphylococcus aureus. FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1992;72:195-198.
Abstract
Gold HS. Vancomycin-resistant enterococci: mechanisms and clinical
observations. Clin Infect Dis. 2001;33:210-219. Abstract
Section 1 of 1

Copyright © 2002 Medscape

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184161394/6/7001/7001/7002/7002/7001/-1

University of Georgia Researchers Link Increased Risk of Illness to Sewage Sludge



University of Georgia Researchers Link Increased Risk of Illness to Sewage Sludge Used as Fertilizer
Monday, July 29, 2002

ATHENS, GA. - Burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and other symptoms of illness have been found in a study of residents living near land fertilized with Class B biosolids, a byproduct of the human waste treatment process.

This study is the first linking adverse health effects in humans to the land application of Class B biosolids to be published in a medical journal. It was co-authored by David Lewis, a UGA research microbiologist also affiliated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s National Exposure Research Laboratory; David Gattie, assistant professor of agricultural engineering at the University of Georgia's College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Marc Novak, a research technician at UGA's School of Marine Sciences; Susan Sanchez, assistant professor of veterinary medicine at UGA; and Charles Pumphrey, a physician from Prime Care of Sun City in Menifee, Calif. The article appeared this month in the British medical journal, BMC Public Health.

Researchers found that affected residents lived within approximately one kilometer (0.6 miles) of land application sites and generally complained of irritation after exposure to winds blowing from treated fields. A prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus infections, a condition commonly accompanying diaper rash, was found in the skin and respiratory tracts of some individuals. Approximately 25 percent of the individuals surveyed were infected, and two died. The 54 individuals surveyed lived near 10 land application sites in Alabama, California, Florida, New Hampshire, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania and Texas. S. aureus is commonly found in the lower human colon and tends to invade irritated or inflamed tissue.

"The EPA did not consider S. aureus to be a significant public health risk even though it is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections and is commonly found in sewage," said Lewis. "When approving sludge for use as a fertilizer, EPA looked at chemical and pathogen risks separately without considering that certain chemicals could increase the risk of infection."

Chemicals such as lime, which is added during sludge processing, can irritate the skin and respiratory tract and make people more susceptible to infection, according to Lewis. The American Chemical Society recently published another article on pathogen risks from sludge by Lewis and Gattie in their journal Environmental Science & Technology. Though modern treatment can eliminate more than 95 percent of the pathogens, enough remain in the concentrated Class B sludge leaving treatment plants to pose a health risk, according to Lewis and Gattie.

On July 2, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) concluded that there may be public health risks from using processed sewage sludge as a commercial fertilizer. Approximately 60 percent of an estimated 5.6 million tons of dry sludge is used or disposed of annually in the United States.

The NAS report entitled "Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices" cites growing allegations that exposure to Class B sludge, the most common form, is causing illnesses and sporadic deaths among residents. The report concludes that certain types of exposure, such as inhalation of sludge particles, "were not adequately evaluated" previously and no work has been done on risks from mixtures of pathogens and chemicals found in sludge. In 1989, an EPA study found 25 groups of pathogens in sludge, including bacteria such as E. coli and salmonella; viruses, including hepatitis A; intestinal worms; harmful protozoa; and fungus.

Sludge also includes traces of household chemicals poured down drains, detergents from washing machines, heavy metals from industry, synthetic hormones from birth control pills, pesticides, and dioxins, a group of compounds that have been linked to cancer.

Fertilization of land with processed sewage sludge, or "biosolids," has become common practice in Western Europe, the United States and Canada. Local governments, however, are increasingly restricting or banning the practice in response to residents reporting adverse health effects.

"Most people are not aware this is going on in the U.S.," said Gattie. "Most people don't realize that a concentrated sludge of waste products is being processed into a cheap commercial fertilizer and applied to fields near our homes. 'Biosolids' does not connote 'sewage' to most people." He notes this practice has become more common after ocean dumping of sewage was prohibited.


NOTE TO NEWS MEDIA:

The articles referenced above can be found at the following links:

"Interactions of pathogens and irritant chemicals in land-applied sewage sludges (biosolids)" (6-28-02) can be accessed the BMC-Public Health web site:
www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/2/11

"Pathogen Risks from Applying Sewage Sludge to Land," (7-1-02) can be accessed from the American Chemical Society's web site:
http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/index_magazine.html

National Academy of Sciences Report: "Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices" (7-2-02) can be accessed at the National Academy Press website:
www.nap.edu/books/0309084865/html/

Downloadable photos are also available from UGA by calling Rick O'Quinn at 706/542-8085.

For more information, contact:
Kimberly Osborne National Media Coordinator University of Georgia
706-583-0913 kosborne at uga.edu Web site: http://www.uga.edu/news/

Mysterious Infections Linked to Sewage Sludge Disposal Practices


The National Whistleblower Center
3238 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007

Contact: Stephen M. Kohn 202 342 6980
Mary Jane Wilmoth 202 342 1902

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mysterious Infections Linked to Sewage Sludge Disposal Practices

Article published in British medical journal blames mixtures of toxic chemicals and pathogens in processed sewage sludge for unusual infections among residents living in rural areas follows National Academy of Sciences Report warning that chemical/pathogen mixtures may have unexpected effects on public health

WASHINGTON, DC July 8, 2002

In a study of residents living near agricultural areas throughout the U.S. and Canada where sewage sludge is used as a cheap fertilizer, EPA microbiologist David Lewis found unexplained infections among families complaining of burning eyes, burning lungs, skin rashes and other symptoms of chemical irritation.

The study is the first to document sludge-related illnesses among residents. It was published by the British medical journal (BMC-Public Health) and will be available to physicians online this week through PubMed. The study was co-authored by researchers at the University of Georgia and a pediatrician treating sludge-exposed children in Menifee, California.

"Families complaining of skin and respiratory irritation from exposure to sewage sludge are often plagued with infections," according to Lewis, lead author of the study.

"Most of the infections we studied were caused by Staphylococcus aureus, a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. But some infections couldnt be identified by standard tests."

In Menifee, CA, for example, Tina Childers has lived next to sludged fields for two years and suffers from recurrent S. aureus infections inside her nose and mouth. Earlier this year, her husband Billy was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to deal with a different type of staph (Staphylococcus epidermitis) that developed two days after a minor surgical incision was contaminated with soil blowing from the sludge field.

The Childers' 5-yr-old daughter Autumn hasnt been so fortunate. She spends much of her time getting respiratory therapy and antibiotics for infections that doctors haven't yet been able to identify. Everything from tonsillectomy and removal of her adenoids, to injections of the powerful antibiotic rocephrine, have failed to stop the infections. The only time the family seems to get over their bouts of infections is when is they get away from the area. Her doctor, a co-author of the study, has urged the Childers to move.

Two Pennsylvania children included in the first-of-its-kind study died of Staph aureus infections. One was 11-yr-old Tony Behun, who rode his bike through freshly applied sludge and the other, Danny Pennock, was a 16-yr-old who often hunted on sludge-treated fields.

"EPA didnt consider Staph aureus to be a significant public health risk even though its a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections and is commonly found in sewage," Lewis said.

"When approving the sludge rule, EPA looked at chemical and pathogen risks separately without considering that certain chemicals could increase risks of infection." Chemicals such as lime, Lewis says, added during processing sludge, can irritate the skin and respiratory tract and make people more susceptible to infection. The American Chemical Society published a second article by Lewis on pathogen risks from sludge in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Last week, the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that the EPA failed to properly address public health risks from using processed sewage sludge, known as biosolids, as a commercial fertilizer. Approximately 60% of an estimated 5.6 million tons of dry sludge are used or disposed of annually in the United States.

The NAS report entitled "Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices" cites growing allegations that exposure to Class B sludge, the most common form, is causing illnesses and sporadic deaths among residents. The report concludes that EPA has failed to properly respond to concerns about pathogens raised in an earlier NAS report published in 1996. Certain types of exposure, such as inhalation of sludge particles, "were not adequately evaluated by the EPA" and no work has been done on risks from mixtures of pathogens and chemicals found in sludge, the NAS study states.

"The EPA misled the public on sewage sludge safety and now private industry is very vulnerable to toxic tort lawsuits," said Stephen M. Kohn, NWC Chairman of the Board and attorney for David Lewis. "In order to protect small property owners who accept sewage sludge from inadvertently harming the public, EPA should immediately suspend all dumping permits for Class B sludge until the agency conducts the necessary research and ensures that a revised rule is safe," Kohn added.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Dr. Lewiss research article on illnesses and deaths among residents exposed to sewage sludge, which is the first to document such cases in the medical literature, can be accessed from the BMC-Public Health web site: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/2/11/qc

Dr. Lewiss July 1, 2002 feature article, "Pathogen Risks from Applying Sewage Sludge to Land," can be accessed from the American Chemical Societys web site:
http://pubs.acs.org/journals/esthag/index_magazine.html

High-resolution color photographs from Dr. Lewiss research on sludge can be downloaded for free from the University of Georgia web site as follows:
Go to http://photo.alumni.uga.edu/photohome.htm Search for "David Lewis" Enter user "NEWS" and password "UGAPHOTO"
National Academy of Sciences Report: Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing Standards and Practices (7-2-02)http://www.nap.edu/books/0309084865/html/

Additional contacts: Billy and Tina Childers (Suffering from staph infections, daughter Autumn has unexplained infections that dont respond well to antibiotics)
909 679 1582 Tinas cell phone: 909 816 1055

Russell & Antoinette Pennock (son Danny died of Staph aureus infection, seven other individuals living in or regularly visiting household developed staph infections)
Tele. 610 589 5152

Joe Behun (Father of Tony Behun, who died of staph infection after riding bike though fields of sludge)
Tele. (814) 378 5123

Ellen Harrison (Director of Cornell Waste Management Institute, member of NAS sludge panel)
Tele. 607 255 8576

Ten-Month-Old Child Made Sick From Sewage-Sludge Spreading
NEWS RELEASE

Ten-Month-Old Child Made Sick From Sewage-Sludge Spreading

Report From Medical Officer of Health Connects Application of Sludge on Farmland with
Adverse Health Effect

May 16, 2002 (Toronto, Ontario) - Rural residents have long expressed concern over
the potential for negative health impacts from the
controversial practice of applying municipal sewage sludge on farmland. Now a report
from Dr. A. Hukowich, Medical Officer of Health for Ontario's Haliburton, Kawartha &
Pine Ridge District confirms that a 10-month-old child suffered an adverse health
effect from nearby sewage-sludge spreading.

The report is available online at the Web site of industry trade magazine Solid Waste
Recycling (Look under "Posted Documents" link at www.solidwastemag.com).

Also available online at the site are related articles such as:
a.. "What's In It? A solid approach to control the content of sludge" (April/May
edition) identifies major weaknesses in the system and
suggests alternatives. Also see sidebar, "Will the U.S. EPA Clean Up its Sludge
Policy?"
b.. "Sludge Fight" (Dec./Jan. edition) explores the need to reconsider the guidelines
and safety standards that govern this practice.
c.. "Right to Harm" (Oct./Nov. edition) reveals the greatly unpublicized risks posed to human health and the environment.
Call Guy Crittenden (416) 442-2202

www.solidwastemag.com