SOUTHGATE PIRG - ONTARIO, CANADA – APRIL 2007
Research and Perspectives from the Southgate Public Interest Research Group, ONTARIO, CANADA – APRIL 2007
Ottawa-area lawyer Donald Good has spoken with agricultural organizations about some of the risks to farmers. A
specialist in agriculture, food and environmental law, Good has warned that farmers take on uncertain risk when they
permit their land to be spread with biosolids. At issue is the question: who carries the blame if something goes wrong
with the spreading? In the U.S., for example, a young boy died after riding his minibike through a field which was
recently spread. In another well publicized case, a sludge hauler was found responsible for the death of a
herd of dairy cattle. Yet farmers continue to be assured that the practice is safe. And the biosolids industry continues
to produce evidence supporting the benefits and safety of the materials and the process. But sludge opponents
point out that the studies are often financed by those with a vested interest in persuading farmers to
accept biosolids.
Many sludge critics point to the work being conducted at the highly regarded Waste Management Institute at Cornell
University. Researchers at Cornell continue to challenge the powerful biosolids lobby. One of their more disturbing
studies looks at reported incidents of illness associated with the land application of sludge. It’s a stomach-
turning list which includes e.coli poisoning, facial infection, throat blisters, fungus in lungs, tumors, nerve
damage, kidney loss, cancer clusters, and birth defects as well as the more common burning eyes and
throat, headaches, nausea,skin rashes, vomiting and lesions.
PIRG President Al Seminowicz points out that the issue of pathogens was a key issue when Councillor Jim
Frew tried (unsuccessfully) to pass a sludge bylaw in Southgate last year. As Canadians line up for their flu shots each
year – and health officials warn of the possibility of a pandemic– the concern about pathogen survival l in our sludge
takes on a new urgency. At best, we take a gamble when we spread sludge on our fields.
As worrisome as the pathogen issue is, it is the emerging data on the pharmaceuticals in sludge that have
been the latest cause for alarm. We know that substances like ibuprofen, Prozac, contraceptives,
antibiotics and cleaners end up in the water and soil from human waste. What does it mean? One leading
expert, Dr. Kang Xia, Research Director for Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory, is especially worried about the
organic compound 4-nonylphenol, which is found in everyday products like shampoos and detergents. Male fish
exposed to very minute amounts are converted to female fish. The finding is worrisome for both humans
and for fish, and the studies have caught the attention of ecological researchers too.
Southgate Sludge Map shows spreading plans This winter, PIRG researchers spent $71 and several hours to prepare
a detailed map of the Township showing the approved locations for all current Certificates of Approval for sludge-
spreading in Southgate. It’s a quick glance guide to where the sludge is expected to be spread over the next several
months. A copy of the map is available free to PIRG members.
The sludge debate rages on. Few dispute the fertilizer value of the sludge, but pathogens, heavy metals
and pharmaceuticals continue to worry both citizens and independent researchers. So what progress has
this industry made since Terratec was charged with improper spreading in Cedarville in 2001 – an incident
which brought the hamlet to national attention on the public affairs program W5? Our researchers find that
the battle lines are still drawn between government officials looking for a place to put the waste, and a
growing group of challengers. Hopefully, sharing information will help open lines of dialogue in our own
community