All News Releases By Date

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TO STUDY SLUDGE

Release Date: 08/03/2000
Contact Information:

FOR RELEASE: THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2000

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES TO STUDY SLUDGE

To ensure that government standards for land applications of sewage sludge are fully protective of human health and the environment, EPA has asked the National Academy of Sciences to review the science and methodology behind the standards and to provide the agency with recommendations that will strengthen the sludge program. The Academy’s definitive review and its recommendations will strengthen existing programs for protecting public health and the environment. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control - National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has agreed to work with EPA and NAS on this review. EPA looks forward to the Academy’s recommendations. Sludge is the residual product produced by sewage treatment plants after wastewater has been cleansed by the plant. In some cases, sludge can be disposed of through applications on land, including use as a fertilizer. Less than one percent of the nation’s agricultural land is fertilized with sludge. However, EPA requires that both the water leaving the plant, as well as the sludge wastes, meet health and environmental standards. The review by the NAS is designed to ensure that such standards are based on the best and most current science possible, and that sludge management policies are responsive to that science.


R-119 ###