POSTED: April, 2003

Perelandra Health Watch 3B
SEWAGE SLUDGE/'BIOSOLIDS'
A Health and Environmental Crisis and Scandal

Part Two — Sludge Eradication Technology & What We Can Do
About the Growing Sludge Problem

by Machaelle Small Wright
Perelandra, Center for Nature Research

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Early on in our investigation about the sewage sludge/'biosolids' issue I was contacted by Loraine Green, the head of VisionQuest Enterprises, a local company that assists companies and industries in commercializing better environmental methods and technologies as well as alternative healthcare. She has spent years researching and working with scientists in the U.S. who are developing alternative technologies for safely processing sewage sludge. I asked Loraine to write a short article giving the overview of the alternatives that presently exist and that could be an alternative answer to the current sludge problem. The following is what she wrote.

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SLUDGE ERADICATION TECHNOLOGY
by Loraine Green

The most frequently asked question we field regarding the sludge issue is, 'If it [sewage sludge] isn't utilized as fertilizer, then what can be done to dispose of it?'

There are technologies that already exist to safely eliminate sludge altogether. These technologies not only apply to the elimination of sludge, but virtually every kind of solid and hazardous waste man generates. These technologies fall into two categories.

1) Waste-to-energy through thermal destruction: This means of waste disposal has been under development since the 1970s. At that time, there were many technical obstacles to the commercialization of 'thermolysis' because materials and componentry that are available today did not exist then and due to numerous failures, projects languished. Most of the patents on these technologies expired in the mid-nineties and inspired a renewed effort for their development, in light of technical advances. Several companies are now poised to commercialize their versions of thermal destruction. There are three versions of thermal processes: pyrolysis, gasification and plasma energy pyrolysis. Pyrolysis essentially 'bakes' the waste at carefully controlled temperatures resulting in little or no emissions, a nontoxic residue, as well as generating a medium BTU gas that can be utilized by industrial facilities or to generate electricity. Gasification still employs oxidative combustion, similar to incineration, but because of technological advances, emissions are reduced by either combining with pyrolysis or utilizing filtration systems. And finally, plasma energy involves the creation of a super high temperature energy arc through which waste is passed and virtually disintegrated. Each of these versions have advantages and disadvantages depending upon which type of waste they are being applied to. Every county in this country should have these types of disposal facilities to handle wastewater sludge, industrial sludge, municipal solid waste and hazardous waste. Sludge is abundant and noxious and can be used for our benefit! We need you to start demanding these alternatives from your local, state and federal government. They can also significantly answer our energy needs and reduce dependence upon fossil fuels now.

2) Anaerobic or biological waste treatment: Involves the use of bacteria or enzymes that are capable of digesting sludge and even hazardous waste such as PCBs and petroleum-based chemicals. Heavy metals are utilized as food by these bacteria and converted to other substances rendering them harmless. When necessary, the bacteria or enzymes are contained and neutralized when they have completed the clean-up process. In addition to the provision of much needed alternative energy sources, the treatment of sludge also renders an increasingly precious resource—clean water. Sludge can be centrifuged before it is thermally processed to reduce the water content. That water can then be treated with ozone and other, safer filtration/treatment processes resulting in clean water that can be given back to the community.

For more information on these technologies, search the internet under: pyrolysis, thermal destruction of municipal solid waste, waste treatment technologies, Department of Energy, etc.

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One of the primary reasons these better technologies have not replaced the present sewage sludge/industrial waste treatment that produces class A and class B sludge is that there has not been enough pressure from the public to change the technology. Basically, we have a 'toilet mentality' when it comes to the sewage sludge issue: once we flush that toilet, we don't think about what we just flushed. It's out of sight and out of mind. We 'civilians' need to get out of the 'toilet mentality.' Even though sludge is out of our sight, we have to keep it in mind and we have to demand change. The industry and the scientists who support the industry have no reason to change their technology. Everything is working in their favor right now and dumping class B sludge on land is a cheap, yet lucrative solution to the sewage sludge problem. Another point: Without our demand, governments have no reason or interest in changing their rules and regulations around sludge. If the regulations aren't changed, the present 'biosolids' industry will continue business as usual and continue saying they are following the regulations (which is actually debatable) and doing nothing illegal or wrong, no matter how much evidence mounts around the hazards of sewage sludge to health and the environment. In short, without pressure from us, governments will have no reason to change regulations and the 'biosolids' industry will continue its current practices—until a catastrophic health and/or environmental disaster hits us in a very public, horrific way and forces everyone to suddenly jump on a bandwagon of change.

We don't have to wait for some disaster to explode onto the public stage before changing how we treat and use sewage sludge. We 'civilians' have the power already in our hands to force the change. By educating as many people as possible about the serious health and environmental concerns, we can send a fast and effective message to the industry and governments that the current solution to the sewage sludge problem is unacceptable to us. How can we do this?

1. Sludge can't be spread on land without the landowner's permission. If we educate those who own land about the serious health and environmental problems for them, their family, their land value and their neighbors, caused by land-applied sludge, they will not give permission to the industry to use their land. The farmers in our area who had already used or were considering using sludge and who have read the paper I wrote in the fall of 2002, Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids': A Health and Environmental Crisis and Scandal, have said they hadn't known about the hazards. They responded by saying they appreciate having the information and plan to rethink using sludge on their land. And this is the problem: The industry is not giving anyone the full information about sewage sludge, and without it we are not able to make an informed decision. All it takes is education. Give people the information and the vast majority will care enough to make a more informed and responsible decision by not using sludge.
   
   
2. When getting the information out, we cannot forget the people who purchase bags of class A sewage sludge fertilizer to use in their vegetable and flower gardens—or with their potted house plants. These people have to know about the hazards, as well. They need to know about the questions to ask before buying any bagged fertilizer. Those who live in suburban neighborhoods need to get the information in Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids': A Health and Environmental Crisis and Scandal to everyone in their neighborhood. Their health, their family's and neighbors' health and the environmental well-being of the neighborhood all depend on one thing: knowledge.
   
   
3. And then there's the food we eat. Just recently, the government's new guidelines for food classification came out. According to these new guidelines, a food cannot be classified as 'organic' if it has been grown in soil fertilized with 'biosolids'/sewage sludge. This is good news in two ways: (A) If you want to avoid eating foods that were fertilized with sewage sludge containing industrial waste known as class B sludge or 'biosolids,' your best bet is to eat the foods that are classified 'organic.' But be careful. The food label cannot have any kind of qualification. If it says 'organic ingredients included' or 'natural' or 'nearly natural' or anything of this nature, it is not 'organic' and may have been grown in soil fertilized with class B sludge. It must say 'organic' or 'certified organic.' (B) If you want to force pressure on farmers and agribusinesses to stop using class B sludge, increase the amount of organic foods and decrease the amount of conventional foods you purchase. It's that simple.
   
   Don't underestimate the power of money and how we, the public, can make that power work for us. It's not just a power that big business has. We 'civilians' have it as well. If an industry has a sudden and dramatic decrease in sales, we now have their attention. They are in business to make money. If offering more food products that are classified organic or bagging fertilizers that do not include sewage sludge brings in the sales, that's what they will put out on the market. But, again, in order for this to occur, the public needs information. And they need enough information to give them the reasons and encouragement to change their present purchasing patterns. Knowing what toxins and industrial waste could be included in the sewage sludge used to fertilize their land and gardens or the conventional foods they eat could get people to rethink their food buying habits very quickly.
   
   
4. There's another area where the power of money speaks loudly, and this has to do with land value. In my paper, Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids,' I said that in our research into the sludge issue, we talked to several local realtors about the effect sludge applications had on land value and if selling that land would be a problem. Each realtor said that when land has had 'biosolids' applied, the land value decreases. As for selling the land, the realtors said it's more difficult to sell. For one thing, they felt ethically bound to tell potential buyers that 'biosolids' or sludge had been applied to that land. One realtor even said he would recommend to a potential buyer that they have the water tested before buying. Since Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids' has been out, others have checked with their local realtors and been told similar things about sludged land. This is a serious money issue that would surely get the attention of landowners and farmers. And it leads to another key group of people who need to know about the hazards of land-applied sewage sludge: realtors.

I feel the fastest and most efficient way we can turn the land-applied sludge issue around is to get the information out about the hazards. Education is power, and in this situation, education is the key. Nothing will convince the sludge industry, government and sludge scientists to move to solve the sewage sludge problem in ways that are harmless to the population and environment than we civilians standing up and saying 'no.' 'No' to requests by the industry to spread sludge on our land, 'no' to the food products that have been grown in sludged land, and 'no' to using class A sewage sludge fertilizers that are sold at garden centers on our lawns, flower beds, vegetable and herb gardens.

Another point: Although it is definitely helpful to get your local media looking at the sludge problem, it's also important to remember that one individual talking to people who know him or her will be more successful in getting those people to actually read and consider the sludge information. Often people will dismiss information that comes through the media, but they will not dismiss it when it comes from someone they know—even someone they know just a little. Now a personal element has been added that can make all the difference when encouraging others to listen to and read about something of concern.

To help with this education program, please feel free to make copies of Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids': A Health and Environmental Crisis and Scandal and this paper, Sludge Eradication Technology & What We Can Do from our web site. If you don't have access to the internet or don't wish to take the time to make copies of these papers on your own, you may purchase them from us at Perelandra by calling 1-800-960-8806. We sell them at cost. Hand them out to family, friends and neighbors. If you know anyone who owns land, talk to them about the problem and give them a copy of both papers. It's particularly important to move on this now (April) because a lot of people are thinking about spring and what fertilizers they want to use on their land and in their gardens. It's easier and less hazardous to all to give them the information they need now to make decisions that don't include sludge options rather than waiting until after they have used it and then scaring and depressing them with the information on the potential problems they've unleashed on themselves and the people around them. (However, it's vital that you get the sludge information out no matter what time of year you are reading this paper!)

Health Watch 3A
Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids': A Health and Environmental Crises and Scandal

Health Watch 3B
Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids': Sludge Eradication Technology & What We Can Do

Health Watch 3C
Sewage Sludge/'Biosolids': Potential and Current Exposure, and Sickness