Howdy folks.

Several of ya'll have recommended Milorganite, and it seems great. Before I start using it, I'd like to hear about its safety. I just found posts at another gardening site about chemical contamination (e.g. triclosan) based on the fact that it's created from treated sewer. The issue isn't heavy metals, but the other chemicals that get flushed down the drain.

Opinions?

jp

I don't know the specifics of the other posts you read, but I'm not overly concerned about it.

http://www.milorganite.com/about/safety.cfm

_________________
Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

Thanks for the response, Alan.

I read the page you refererenced on the Milorganite site, and it is reassuring, but it mostly addresses the issue of heavy metals. What's more interesting are the other chemicals that are flushed and not tested for. I attached a document from the Cornell Waste Management Institute that summarizes the issue. It reads like a hatchet job on Milorganite.

I don't know if that Cornell institute is reputable or if what the author is saying is reasonable. Do any of you know?

Thanks,

jp

I don't see the attached doc as a "hatchet job". All it says that can be perceived negatively is that "pharmaceuticals and many toxic organic chemicals are present in sludges but are not regulated or monitored."

It then says "Milorganite is tested for some organic chemicals including PCBs and dioxins (a group of highly toxic organic chemicals), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs which are a group of chemicals that have properties similar to PCBs), as well as the 114 organic chemicals that fall under the “priority pollutants” designation (a group of industrial water pollutants identifi ed in the 1970s by USEPA). Concentrations of organic chemicals in Milorganite are lower than in many sludges..."

So this document points out that there may be some concerns about some organic compounds, but doesn't state that Milorganite contains them -- just that sludges in general *can* contain them.

To me the question comes down to: do I want to use Milorganite, synthetic lawn fertilizer, manure, or some other expensive organic fertilizer. To me Milorganite has as many or fewer negatives than the other options.

(I'd like to hear what others think on this too.)

_________________
Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

You're right, Alan. "Hatchet job" was too strong. I'm new to all this. But I'm hoping someone here has insight into the issue of chemical contaminants. I first saw this idea in a forum at the following link:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/loa ... 94.html?74

Here's another link that is referenced in the above discussion, along with a quote from the article:

http://www.physorg.com/news120927003.html

While looking at sludge, Hay's research team found high levels of compounds commonly used in detergents such as alkylphenol ethoxylates that "get more toxic as they degrade, becoming persistent compounds that mimic estrogen," says Hay. "The concentrations being reported in the environment are below levels of concern for most humans but are high enough to affect fish populations by changing sex ratios, resulting in fewer males. The question is, what is the long-term effect on populations? We don't really know."
Working with graduate student Abbie Wise Porter, Hay found alkylphenol in sludges from Syracuse, Cortland, Ithaca and Cayuga Heights at levels that were five times higher than most other places that had been studied. This suggested that the sludges had about 15-40 times more estrogen activity than dairy cow manure, which is considered to have high estrogen levels due to lactating cows, says Hay.
In addition, Porter found triclosan, a widely used biocide (used to kill bacteria), in all of the sludges at quite high concentrations. "Triclosan is coming from the antibacterial hand soaps, deodorants, toothpastes and many other personal-care products," says Hay. "There are more and more reports of triclosan in environmental samples ... in fish, and in high concentrations in breast milk. Triclosan is not all that effective in these products, but it is still being marketed to the public to quell their fears about microbes. Unfortunately, triclosan inhibits our ability to eliminate other pollutants from our body so it may be doing more harm than good."

jp

So if that stuff is in the wastewater systems, I expect it's more widespread than just in Milorganite. Unless they're removing it from the water, it's going back into the system.

_________________
Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!