The land application of municipal wastewater treatment sludges is widely practiced both as an economic treatment method for disposal and to provide an economic soil nutrient amendment for agricultural use. Concerns over the general disposal of sludge to land have focused on several adverse impacts from sludge-borne chemical and microbial agents, including phytotoxicity, domestic animal toxicity, and human health. Human health issues primarily emphasize whether these agents enter the food chain via: contamination of drinking water, accumulation in and on edible crops, and accumulation in animals and animal product used for food. The specific goals of the study were (1) to provide a database of 15 trace metals and 121 toxic organic compounds in stabilized sludge products from 26 U.S. cities which are distributed and marketed for various land application uses, and (2) to characterize selected sludge extracts from each city for non-target organic chemicals which might predominate in individual sludges. Results from the study would help determine if certain D&M sludges, based on their chemical content and concentration, should be treated as solid wastes to avoid adverse health risks to the general public.

Caption title. "Jan. 1988." "EPA/600/1-88/001." Includes bibliographical references (p. 3). Microfiche.