compost

EPA acknowledges that Compost may be hazardous to you Health.

EPA Biosolids Technology Fact Sheet -- Use of Composting for Biosolids Management

The first part of EPA's biosolids composting fact sheet makes it sound like the perfect safe fertilizer for lawns, parks,
school yards. However, the last part of the fact sheet is a lot of confusing double talk. But it does tell some of the
truth. Except that Recycled Class A compost sold as an unlabelled fertilizer or soil amendment may have, on
average, 300 ppm of lead in it. EPA Office of Water claims 267 pounds of lead per acre is safe.

AND DISADVANTAGES for public health and the environment According to EPA.

Class A biosolids can be used in home gardens with public contact and no site restrictions.

Odor production at the composting site.

In addition to odors, other bioaerosols, such as pathogens, endotoxins, and various volatile organic
compounds, must also be controlled

Potential environmental impacts may result from both composting operations and use of the compost product

Survival and presence of primary pathogens in the product.

Composting is not a sterilization process and a properly composted product maintains an active population of
beneficial microorganisms that compete against the pathogenic members. Under some conditions ,explosive
regrowth of pathogenic microorganisms is possible.

Dispersion of secondary pathogens such as Aspergillus fumigatus, particulate matter,other airborne
allergens

While healthy individuals may not be affected, immunocompromised individuals may be at risk.

The spores of A. fumigatus counts at composting facilities are high, and-- persons handling composted
biosolids being exposed to these spores is also high (Epstein, 1998).

These organisms can potentially invade a normal, healthy human being and produce illness or debilitation

Lack of consistency in product quality with reference to metals, stability, and maturity.

Dust and airborne particles from a composting operation may affect air quality. The impact to adjacent areas
may need to be mitigated and permitted to protect area ecology and water quality, run-off from application
sites must be controlled. The potential nitrogen and phosphorus rich run-off (or leachate) can cause algal
growth in surface water and render groundwater unfit for human consumption.

Organic dust (such as pollen) is another nuisance that must be controlled at composting operations. These
contaminants are primarily a concern to workers at the composting facilities and are generally not present in
quantities that would cause reactions in most individuals that are not exposed outside of the facilities.

It should be noted that the most plant-available form of nitrogen in biosolids (ammonium ion (NH4 )) is
converted to nitrate (NO3 -) by the composting process.

Improper use of biosolids can result in the contamination of water resources with leached nitrogen, because
nitrate is more mobile than ammonium, and is taken up less easily by plants

http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/combioman.pdf