Microbiological Risk Assessment For Land Application Of Municipal Sludge PDF Download

Each major option for the disposal/reuse of municipal sludges poses potential risks to human health or the environment because of the microbial contaminants in sludge. Therefore, risk assessment methodology appropriate for pathogen risk evaluation for land application and distribution and marketing (D&M) options was developed. A computer model was designed to aid in sludge management by comparing the risks of alternatives as sludge is applied to cropland and grazed pasture as a fertilizer and/or soil conditioner. The model integrates microbial dose-response information with the number of pathogens likely to be present in exposure pathways. Interpretations from risk assessment model outputs were made.