identification of health and environmental issues related ... · identification of health and...

Identification of health and environmental issues related to the use of fertilisers and growing media

Pascale Robineau

9 September 2009

2009, September 9

Types of products• The Fertiliser family

– Nutrient providers, usually called « fertilisers »– Soil improvers– Others

• Growing media• Made of mineral, synthetic, organic compounds• Origin of organic products, notably :

– Manure, slurries, guano or animal by-products– Residuals such as food processing wastes, municipal

wastes, sewage sludge (biosolids)…– Peat, seaweed– Garden green waste(after appropriate processes)

2 Direction du végétal et de l’environnement

2009, September 9

Use in France*

In 2007-2008 (estimates) :• Mineral and organo-mineral fertilisers : 10,5 Mt• Organic fertilisers : 0,5 Mt• Mineral soil improvers : 1,8 Mt• Organic soil improvers : 3 – 3,5 Mt• Growing media : 4,4 Mt• Urban and industrial sludges : 2,5 Mt• Manure and slurries : around 300 Mt


* Metropolitan France

Extensive use by farmers and gardeners

2009, September 9

Benefits of fertilisers

• Benefits for agriculture– To plants

• Release of nutrients– To soils

• Modification of chemical properties• Improvement of physical properties• Stimulation of soil life (arthropods, worms, micro-organisms)

– Need for proofs of efficacy in the conditions of use requested

• Additional benefits– Use of various wastes and by-products, which otherwise

would be incinerated or stored– Should be considered only if proven benefits for

agriculture4 Direction du végétal et de l’environnement

2009, September 9

Assessing risks for human health• For whom?

– Users (farmers, gardeners), bystanders, workers– Neighbours– Consumers (with special questions regarding vegetarians,

anglers, hunters ?)– Susceptible populations ?

• Children• Pregnant women• Allergic and atopic patients, immunocompromised, renal

impaired…• The elderly

• For how long?– 10 years? Lifetime?– Future uses of the land, future inhabitants (INERIS study)


2009, September 9

Assessing other risks• For domestic animal health

– Neighbours and animal « consumers »• For the environment

– Fate in soil, air, groundwaters and surface waters– Predicted concentrations in those compartments after X

years– Impact on wild animal populations – Impact on vegetals (crops, following crops on the treated

area, non target plants outside)– Biodiversity in soil and surface water

• Continuum up to human activities and human health (ex: eutrophication, contacts between wild animals and cattle, families of anglers)


2009, September 9

Methods for assessing risks « a priori »

• Risk results from the exposure to a hazard• In order to assess risks, it is necessary to :

– Characterise all hazards linked to the product applied– Estimate the possible exposure


2009, September 9

About methods for assessing risks « a priori »

• Uncertainties – Hazards : identification (exhaustive list of a large variety

of hazards), dose-effect relationships, thresholds, extrapolation

– Exposure : • experimental data (ex : half-life of substances in a type of soil,

survival of pathogens under specific conditions)• models based on data and hypotheses (ex : time spent by

farmers on land, soil ingestion by children, Bioconcentration Factors of substances in crops)

– Use of uncertainty factors• In absence of available realistic data to « refine » it,

risk assessment generally is based on « worst case » scenarios


2009, September 9

Theoretical routes of exposure to fertilisers and related products

Product

Air

Soil

Surface waters

Groundwaters

percolation

drainage, run-off

Volatile compounds,aerosols, dusts

spray drift

irrigation, watering

irrigationburying,deposit, injection


Cropsspraying

volatilisation

2009, September 9

Theoretical routes of exposure to fertilisers


Product

Air

Soil

Surface waters

Groundwaters

Volatile compounds, aerosols, dusts

contact, ingestioninhalation

Inhalation, contact, ingestion

Cropscontact, ingestion

2009, September 9



Product

Air

Soil

Surface waters

Groundwaters


Crops

deposit

ingestion

ingestion

ingestion

ingestion

2009, September 9



Product

Air

Soil

Surface waters

Groundwaters


Cropscontact

ingestion

ingestion

Inhalation, contact, ingestion

ingestion contact

ingestion

contact, ingestion

2009, September 9

Theoretical ways of exposure to fertilisers


Product

Air

Soil

Surface waters

Groundwaters


Cropscontact, ingestion

2009, September 9

Sources of possible hazards

• Components• Manufacturing bi-products• Transformation, degradation products• Biological contaminants • Products of biological contaminants (toxins…)• Chemical contaminants• Physical contaminants (plastic, metal, glass…)• Radioactive contaminants

To be determined on a case-by-case basis


2009, September 9

Sources of possible hazards

• Components• Manufacturing bi-products• Transformation, degradation products• Biological contaminants

– Products of biological contaminants (toxins…)• Chemical contaminants• Physical contaminants (plastic, metal, glass…)• Radioactive contaminants

To be determined on a case-by-case basis


2009, September 9

Components : examples of possible hazards

• N, P– Excess of nutrients, eutrophication, toxicity to

susceptible plants (N)– Need to demonstrate that the rates recommended are

the lowest effective ones in the conditions of application• Ex : cyanobacteria*

– Proliferation in water when P and N in excess and under favourable climatic conditions

– Producing hepatotoxins and neurotoxins– Caused mortality in fish, shellfish, cattle, dog– Gastro-intestinal disorders in human (ingestion, bathing)– Reduced biodiversity


* Afssa / Afsset, 2006

2009, September 9

Examples of other components

• Liming materials : Irritant by contact• Polymer-type synthetic components

– Polymer coatings (PVDC, polyolefins, polyesters etc…), in some cases up to 500 kg/ha

– Composition must be determined – Possible issues in toxicity, e-fate and ecotoxicity

• Other co-formulants (preservatives, acidifying agents…)– Possible issues in toxicity, e-fate and ecotoxicity


2009, September 9

Biological contaminants

• Raw material for organic fertilizers can contain a great number of agents pathogenic for human, animal health or plant health

• Presence and load depending on the origin– Urban sludge– Guano, manure and slurries– Food industry (meat, milk, alcohol, vegetables-fruits)– Paper industry– Pharmacy-chemistry– Textile industry– Leather industry– …


2009, September 9

Biological contaminants• Some pathogenic bacteria found in raw material

Déportes (1995), Gregersen (1999), Stampi (2000)

Arizona hinshawii Listeria spp.Aeromonas Mycobacterium pseudotuberculosisBacillus anthracis Pasteurella pseudotuberculosisBacillus cereus Proteus spp.Brucella spp. Providencia spp.Campylobacter perfringens Pseudomonas aeruginosaCampylobacter jejuni Salmonella spp.Citobacter spp. Serratia spp.Clostridium botulinum Shigella spp.Clostridium perfringens Staphylococcus aureusEnterobactericea Streptococcus spp.Escherichia coli Vibrio parahaemoliticusKiebsiella spp. Vibrio choleraeLegionella spp. Yersinia enterocolicaLeptospira interrogans


• Products (Endotoxins from Gram- bacteria, glucans …)

2009, September 9


• Some pathogenic viruses found in raw materialAdenovirus Hepatitis A virusAstrovirus Hepatitis E virusCalicivirus MixovirusCoronavirus Norwalk virusCoxsachivirus ParvovirusEchovirus PoliovirusEnterovirus Reovirus

RotavirusDéportes (1995)


2009, September 9


• Some pathogenic fungi found in raw materialAspergillus fumigatusCandida spp.Cryptococcus neoformansEpidermophyton spp.Fusarium spp.Geotrichum candidumMicrosporum spp.Phialophora richardsiiTrichosporon cutaneumTrichophyton spp.

From Déportes (1995)


• Products (Mycotoxins produced by fungi such as Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp. …, glucans)

2009, September 9


• Some parasite contamination in raw materialPROTOZOA HELMINTHS

Acanthomoeba Ankylostoma duodenaleBalantidium coli Ascaris lumbricoidesBlastocystis hominis Echinococcus granulosusCryptosporidium parvum Echinococcus multilocularisDiantamoeba fragilis Enterobium vermicularisEntamoeba histolityca Hymenolepsis nana lumbricoidesGiardia intestinalis Necator americanusIsospora belli Strongyloides stercoralisNaegleria fowleri Taenia soliumSarcocystis spp. Taenia saginataToxoplasma gondii Toxocara cati

Toxocara canis Trichuris trichura

Déportes (1995)


2009, September 9


• Only what is looked for can be found (very few data on BSE and prion risk)

• Some species barely found because difficult to grow (Campylobacter spp.)

• Relevant analysis methods necessary for each type of product (compost…)

• Frequent occurrence for some pathogens– Urban sludges : contamination by Salmonella spp.,

Enteroviruses and parasite eggs (Taenia, Ascaris) almost always

– Sludges from Meat and Milk industries : frequent contamination by Pseudomonas spp., Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria spp.


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