WEF Releases Biosolids Fact Sheet

Click to open the new Land Application of Biosolids fact sheet.

Learn about biosolids applied to land in Land Application of Biosolids: Human Health Risk Assessment Related to Microconstituents, a new fact sheet by the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) Residuals Biosolids Committee.

The Sustainable Residuals Use Subcommittee developed the fact sheet to identify uses for biosolids and risks associated with land application. It describes beneficial use of biosolids, microconstituents contained in and released from biosolids, risks associated with exposure to microconstituents, and relative exposure of microconstitutents from biosolids compared to other pathways.

The document concludes that land application of biosolids is not likely to be a major pathway for human exposure. “Less than 0.12% of the nation’s total cropland receives biosolids application,” the fact sheet says. “This leads to the logical conclusion that only a small fraction of the total population consumes biosolids-fertilized crops and resides in the vicinity of biosolids-fertilized farmland.”