I see no evidence that the cited report was suppressed. Either way, the UK water sector’s Chemical Investigation Programme (CIP) gives transparent, open-source analysis of all these substances in #biosolids. It is an infinitely more reliable and representative resource ukwir.org/sign-up-and-...

Again, in fairness, it requires expertise in this area to fully unpick these caveats. Other studies have shown the opposite & that #microplastics from applied #biosolids can be blown away by wind (not great of course, but shows the complexity of this topic) www.acs.org/pressroom/pr...

This study is based on frozen samples of soils & liquid #SewageSludge from trial plots in the mid-90’s. App rates & #biosolids incorportation depth are not representative of modern 🇬🇧 #biosolids use. The #Sludge itself was intentionally modified to exceed regulated contaminant levels…

Its true that this study says this. However, its likely that the parameters of the risk assessment are unreflective of the #biosolids application rates used in 🇬🇧 #agriculture & likely to substantially overstate the level of risk. In fairness, this requires a level of expertise to unpick…

I don’t know who ‘we’ refers to but the idea that this is some kind of dodgy secret is misleading. The treatment of trade effluent arriving by sewer is regulated under the Water Industry Act. The treatment of commercial waste arriving by tanker is a fully permitted activity…

This is claim is baseless. The transfer of commercial tankered waste and statutory requirements on all involved is covered under Duty of Care regulations and is a fully permitted activity…

This claim isn’t evidenced but is almost certainly untrue. Official gov stats show that, on average, just 1.6% of British farmland recieves #biosolids each year www.gov.uk/government/s... …

This almost certainly isn’t a photo of #SewageSludge or #biosolids. #Biosolids in 🇬🇧 are almost exclusively applied as a solid known as ‘cake’ (tasty), not fired over fences using a rain gun…

Also, please please please find an accompanying image that actually depicts #biosolids being spread - not slurry being fired over a fence!!

If we couple this fact to our knowledge that about only 1.6% of 🇬🇧 farmland recieves #biosolids per year, the alarmism begins to feel quite unjustified and frankly undermines the legitimate concerns over the possible risks of #biosolids use in #agriculture

Taking the best available data for 🇬🇧 #biosolids (CIP3 data), and assuming app rates based on regulated metals, zinc would limit #biosolids app rate to c.80 t/ha (of dry solids, based on median result for zinc). But this is about 16x a typical app rate based on typical #biosolids N content…

The main issue is the assumed application rate. The ‘Smart form’ assumes app rates based on the regulated limits for metals in the #biosolids. But this isn’t what actually sets the legal app rate limit in practice. This is instead set by the Nitrogen (N) content of #biosolids…

Before digging down further - two things as asides: 1) the comment about impact on soil health isn’t supported by any evidence here, 2) it is very unlikely that #biosolids would ever be spread on the same field over 20 sequential annual applications…but neither of these are the fundemental issue…

First, here is the section indicating that soil samples only need to be tested for metals every 20 years (true) and that, on this basis, annual applications over 20 years could impact the soil’s ability to support crop growth…

The government research cited here indeed suggests possible issues with the support of crop growth resulting from ‘pollutants’ in #biosolids. However, the research outcomes in this instance are basically nonsense and here’s why…

The soil & water is dominated by #PFPrA, an ultrashort chain #PFAS that isn’t reported as detected in the #biosolids. Typically, longer chain #PFAS like #PFOS are most common to #biosolids. Based on this, it feels like #biosolids isn’t the whole story here imho

Unsure how this story has developed as its behind a paywall. But from the data I’ve seen, the profile of #PFAS chemicals found in the water & soil isn’t well aligned to the #biosolids in question peer.org/wp-content/u...