The land application of digested sewage sludge (biosolids) is widely employed in the United States and regulated by the US EPA to dispose of sewage sludge and/or to improve soil properties. Recent studies show that biosolids land applied in the US contain significant amounts of inorganic and organic materials, including trace metals, as well as several contaminants of emerging concern, including antibiotics, antimicrobials, pharmaceuticals, plastics, and flame retardants. With the wide range of pollutants commonly found in biosolids (e.g., heavy metals, pharmaceuticals, emerging pollutants, and nanomaterials) the potential risks associated with long-term land application operations are clear. In a study of agricultural fields following more than 20 years of biosolids application plus irrigation using treated wastewater from a municipal wastewater treatment plant, soils were collected and characterized for perfluorinated compounds. Perfluorinated compounds (12 homologs analyzed) were detected in every soil sampled in the 0-1 ft depth below ground surface. Measured concentrations of PFOA and PFOS in the soil profile (0-1 ft, 1-2 ft, 2-3 ft) shows these contaminants migrated through to 0-3 ft soil profile. Average measured concentrations of perfluorinated compounds in these soils shows the soil burden PFOS&gt;PFDA&gt;PFOA for all agricultural field plots sampled. Furthermore, soil concentrations of eight of the PFC homologs analyzed were measured at concentrations estimated based on loading rates of biosolids at the field site. The US EPA program needs to be reevaluated to address the impact of these contaminants in land applied biosolids.

Perfluorinated compounds in agricultural soils following years of biosolids applications

2019 Fall National Meeting

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