Dioxin Regulatory Support to the Sewage Sludge Industry

There are limited options for disposal of sewage sludge, the byproduct of sewage treatment. With ocean dumping banned and environmental and economic costs associated with incineration and land filling rising, land application has been a disposal method of great interest. Because the goal of sewage treatment is to clean the water, many contaminants, including dioxins, are concentrated in the sludge itself. Dioxins are a concern to public health because they are persistent and because they bioaccumulate in the food chain. EPA regulations for land application of sludge (40 CFR Part 503) did not initially contain regulations for dioxin content. Due to concern about dioxin exposure to humans, livestock, and the environment from sludge land application, the EPA is considering revising the Standards for Use and Disposal of Biosolids to include dioxin-like compounds. On April 9, 2003, the EPA announced plans to complete a screening analysis by January 2004 for chemicals that may warrant regulation. While the EPA is still investigating the need for this rule revision, some states, such as Ohio, have already implemented the proposal.

Sludge Lagoon

Analysis of dioxins in sewage sludge can be a difficult task because of the varying interferences found in each waste stream and the high level of biomatter contained in each sample. Battelle provides these analyses to determine dioxin and dioxin-like compounds in sewage sludge. The analytical difficulties have been addressed by tailoring cleanup procedures to the characteristics of the individual samples.

For more information on the biosolids proposal, see www.epa.gov/ost/biosolids/. For more information about Battelle’s analytical support to the sewage sludge industry please contact Karen Tracy at (614) 424-4028, tracyk@battelle.org.