Water Environment Federation Responds to USDA ...
Twittman (Twittman@aol.com)
Mon, 18 May 1998 09:59:09 EDT
Headline: Water Environment Federation Responds to USDA ...
>>> Wire Service: PR (PR Newswire)
>>> Date: Wed, May 13, 1998
>>>
>>> Water Environment Federation Responds to USDA
>>> National Organic Program Rule (62 FR 65850) Decision
>>>
>>> 40 Years of Research Demonstrate That Biosolids Recycling Benefits
>>> Agriculture
>>>
>>> ALEXANDRIA, Va., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Following the USDA's
>>> recent
>>> exclusion of biosolids (treated sewage sludge) from its National
>>> Organic
>>> Program Rule, the Water Environment Federation (WEF) issued a
>>> statement
>>> today declaring biosolids among the safest and most complete organic
>>> fertilizers currently available.
>>> WEF President C. Dale Jacobson stated that the National Organic
>>> Program
>>> Rule -- which attempts to establish standards for "organic" crop
>>> production
>>> and certification mechanisms -- is based on marketing, not science.
>>> "Unfortunately, the rule is not based on specific, measurable
>>> criteria.
>>> The basis for the exclusion of biosolids amounts to no more than a
>>> 'beauty
>>> contest' due to the lack of scientific justification. Unlike animal
>>> manure, which is unregulated, untreated, and yet deemed OK to use in
>>> organic food production, biosolids have been extensively studied and
>>> regulated according to strict criteria."
>>> Whether or not biosolids are defined as organic under the rule,
>>> biosolids recycling is scientifically proven to be safe and beneficial
>>> to
>>> the environment. "Over 40 years of research on the land application
>>> of
>>> properly treated and managed wastewater solids (biosolids) have
>>> demonstrated only positive effects such as increased crop production
>>> and
>>> improved soil fertility, and the current U.S. Environmental Protection
>>> Agency (EPA) regulations are the most comprehensive to date and based
>>> on
>>> thorough scientific health and environmental risk assessment," said
>>> Albert
>>> C. Gray, WEF deputy executive director of technical programs.
>>> "Application
>>> on farmland is just one way that this valuable natural resource can be
>>> used
>>> to improve the environment."
>>> The EPA, the Food and Drug Administration, the National Research
>>> Council (NRC), and the USDA itself have all declared that the use of
>>> biosolids is safe and appropriate in the production of fruits and
>>> vegetables. (Land Application of Municipal Sewer Sludge for the
>>> Production
>>> of Fruits and Vegetables: A Statement of Federal Policy and Guidance,
>>> Joint Policy Statement SW-905, EPA, FDA, USDA, 1981, and Use of
>>> Reclaimed
>>> Water and Sludge in Food Crop Production, NRC, 1996)
>>> Even if all biosolids in the United States were to be recycled for
>>> farming, they would only supply 1% of agricultural fertilizer needs.
>>> Founded in 1928, the Water Environment Federation is a
>>> not-for-profit
>>> technical and educational organization. Its goal is to preserve and
>>> enhance the global water environment. Federation members number more
>>> than
>>> 41,000 water quality professionals and specialists from around the
>>> world,
>>> including engineers, scientists, government officials, utility and
>>> industrial managers and operators, academics, educators and students,
>>> equipment manufacturers and distributors, and other environmental
>>> specialists.
>>>
>>> SOURCE Water Environment Federation
>>> -0- 05/13/98
>>> /CONTACT: Nancy Blatt or Barry Eisenberg, both of Water
>>> Environment
>>> Federation, 703-684-2400/
>>>
>>> CO: Water Environment Federation; United States Department of
>>> Agriculture
>>> ST: District of Columbia, Virginia IN: AGR ENV SU: EXE
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Copyright 1998 PR Newswire. All rights reserved
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