Trace Organic Contaminants in Biosolids: Recent Survey, Risk Analysis and Communication Tools

Scientific literature and individual sampling efforts inform us that wastewater contains trace amounts of organic chemical contaminants from pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), however, biosolids treatment processes are generally not designed to remove these chemicals. Agencies and citizens want to know which contaminants are present and at what concentrations, in their own biosolids or typical biosolids products. Agencies, however, often do not have the ability to analyze for these contaminants in their routine monitoring. Moreover, they want to understand the risk of these compounds to human health. To help answer these questions, member agencies of Northwest Biosolids recently conducted three projects: 1) a voluntary survey of organic contaminants in biosolids products, 2) a risk analysis of those contaminants as they relate to human health effects, and 3) printed communications tools to explain the results, potential effects, and relative exposure to compared to a typical daily intake or therapeutic dose.