organic micropollutants in sewage sludge --possible hazardous impact on environment & human health

["Susan K. Snow" <sksnow@1stnet.com>]

Some time back, there was a posting on the dioxin-l regarding spreading 
sewage sludge on farm land.  There may be dangerous chemicals including 
dioxins, PCBs, pthalates, pesticides in sewage sludge, as seen in this 
article posted on the web page for the University of Agricultural Sciences at 
Vienna, Austria.  Check out this list of organic micropollutants.
at:   http://iwgf-sig.boku.ac.at/listmic1.htm

The authors say the list should **neither be overblown or played down.** The 
pollutants can be a real hazard to health and the environment.

**Chemicals listed in various international lists of micropollutants were 
compiled in a cataloge of substances. These chemicals can have possible 
hazardous impact on the environment or can pose a threat for human health. 
Also substances, which occure in high concentrations in the sludge e.g. 
polyelectrolytes, phthalates, detergents, phosphonates etc. were considered 
beside those mentioned in the lists. 

These substances where sorted in groups like PAH, PCB, PCDD/F, phthalats, 
polyelectrolytes, pesticides, halogenated compounds, coloring matters, 
mineraloil compounds, contraceptives and also in groups with
different properties e.g. volatile or degradable.**