Fertilisation of land with processed sewage sludges, which often
contain low levels of pathogens, endotoxins, and trace amounts
of industrial and household chemicals, has become common
practice in Western Europe, the US, and Canada. Local
governments, however, are increasingly restricting or banning
the practice in response to residents reporting adverse health
effects. These self-reported illnesses have not been studied and
methods for assessing exposures of residential communities to
contaminants from processed sewage sludges need to be developed.
To describe and document adverse effects reported by residents,
48 individuals at ten sites in the US and Canada were questioned
about their environmental exposures and symptoms. Information
was obtained on five additional cases where an outbreak of
staphylococcal infections occurred near a land application site
in Robesonia, PA. Medical records were reviewed in cases
involving hospitalisation or other medical treatment. Since most
complaints were associated with