Biosolids 'proven' safe

Alfred Goossens’ opinion (column) on Dec. 15, 2011 was a gross misrepresentation of the facts about the land application of biosolids. Unfortunately, (space limitations) severely limit the length of my response, so I can only address some of Goossens’ misstatements. More information is available at www.virginiabiosolids.com.

Long-term scientific studies consistently demonstrate that biosolids recycling through land application is safe. Decades of experience and scientific research have yet to document any link between biosolids and adverse effects on human health. The scientific evidence is also clear that biosolids are far less susceptible to runoff than commercial fertilizers and are not the source of stream impairment.

The only specific case cited by Goossens as evidence of harm from biosolids is clearly refuted by the evidence. This past summer, cantaloupes grown in Colorado were contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Goossens claimed the contamination was caused by biosolids. However, the official report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, available on the Internet, made it clear that biosolids had nothing to do with the contamination.

Goossens’ claims fit the pattern of so many other claims about harm from biosolids. Just a little fact checking with reliable scientific authorities proves that the claims are unfounded.

The Virginia General Assembly commissioned such a review of the facts in 2007. An expert panel on biosolids, which included physicians, public health officials, academics, water treatment professionals and citizens, among others, concluded that it had “… uncovered no evidence or literature verifying a causal link between biosolids and illness.”

Goossens’ claim that biosolids hurt the value of farmland is false. Farmers in Virginia have been using biosolids for decades and the evidence is that biosolids actually increase the value of farmland by improving soil quality and boosting crop productivity.

Finally, the claim that Virginia’s regulation of biosolids is “dangerously antiquated” is clearly refuted by the evidence. Virginia has recently completed four-year review and revision of the Commonwealth’s biosolids regulations, which are vigorously enforced by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).

Twenty-five full-time DEQ personnel monitor the land application of biosolids in Virginia and in 2010 inspected 93 percent of farms that received biosolids. The full cost of this program is paid from fees collected from the land application companies through the permit process.

(Guest columnist Barry Dunkley is director of Water and Wastewater Treatment for the city of Danville. He is currently the president of The Virginia Biosolids Council, which includes municipal wastewater treatment facilities that produce biosolids, companies that produce compost, companies that apply biosolids to farms and forests and the landowners who benefit from this nutrient-rich soil conditioner. The organization’s Web site is at www.virginiabiosolids.com. Dunkley can be contacted via chooks@virginiabiosolids.com)