RESIDUALS MANAGEMENT

This page is brought to you by the Ohio Water Environment Association's Residuals Management Committee

Important Bio-solids Information

In the spring of 2007, an article was published in the Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health (Vol. 62, No. 1, 2007) authored by Khuder et. al., which reported on research in Wood County, OH, findings which “suggest an increased risk for certain respiratory, gastrointestinal, and other diseases among residents living near farm fields on which the use of biosolids was permitted.”

A technical review of the Khuder study was undertaken and prepared by Nicholas Basta, Professor of Soil and Environmental Chemistry, School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH and by members of the Ohio Water Environment Association (OWEA) Residuals Management Committee.  This review is released by OWEA to fulfill its mission to “educate our members and the public by sharing information.” OWEA urges all interested persons to read the Khuder study and the technical review to become better informed of the claims made in the Khuder study, as well as the significant number of existing studies centered on the risks associated with biosolids land application methods.

Read the OWEA technical review of the study.