Landbank security issues in the United States: PRESENTATION ONLY
Pepper, I., Water & Energy Sustainable Technology (WEST) Center, The University of Arizona, USA
(free)
Land application of biosolids in the United States is controlled by the Code of Federal Regulations: 40 CFR Part 503, that were originally implemented in 1993. Despite the fact that these regulations were designed to protect human health, land application of biosolids in the U.S. has long since been the subject of strict scrutiny and criticism by various activist groups nationally. In this presentation, the major allegations against land application will be presented as well as the studies that investigated these allegations, and the peer review publications that documented the actual relevant facts. In addition, recent US Environmental Protection Agency activities have also challenged land application. First, the EPA Health Advisory Levels for PFOA and PFOS in drinking water were lowered in November 2016, to a combined 70 ppt (for PFOA & PFOS), an action that now threatens land application in the northeastern parts of the US. Secondly, in November 2018, the EPA Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued a report (No. 19-P-0002) entitled “EPA Unable to Assess the Impact of Hundreds of Unregulated Pollutants in Land Applied Biosolids on Human Health and the Environment.” Here we document the EPA concerns and the national response to the OIG Report.
