01.31.08
Residents, dairy farmers discuss use of fertilizer sludge
The Ithaca Journal - www.theithacajournal.com - Ithaca, NY:
Chemically treated human and municipal waste from the Syracuse metro area containing unregulated heavy metals and PCBs is being spread on fields in Schuyler County by Bergen Farms in a cost-saving move that has local residents alarmed and looking for information.
But the product — sold under the name Earth Blends or N-Viro Soil and manufactured by Waste Stream Environmental, Inc., in Syracuse — may be as much of a mystery to the Bergens as it was to the crowd of concerned citizens who packed the Mecklenburg Fire House on Wednesday night for an informational meeting that the Community Dispute Resolution Center facilitated. …
… N-Viro goes through a number of treatment processes to neutralize E. coli and other pathogens before it becomes the dry product that is spread on crops. But pathogens are a small part of the equation as Murray McBride, director of Cornell’s Waste Management Institute, explained to residents.
Treating the sludge does not eliminate heavy metals, such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, copper and mercury, or man-made chemicals such as PCBs, fire retardants and dioxin, which build up in the soil over time and bio-accumulate in crops and in the bodies of animals that eat those crops. …
… “The last thing we want to do is go around polluting someone’s water source,” said Skip Bergen. But Bergen said he did not have all the answers about what the product contains.
“The problem is the EPA says it’s OK to use this,” said Bergen’s brother Jim. “It shouldn’t be up to us if it has PCBs in it.” He said he knew the product contained some heavy metals but Wednesday’s meeting was the first time he had ever heard the waste contained PCBs. …