—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, September 1,1979
132
Cadmium limits determined for sewage
UNIVERSITY PARK -
Excessive cadmium in
sewage sludge, a potentially
dangerous metal in the food
chain, is the key factor
hindering development of a
sludge-fertilizer industry in
Pennsylvania, soil chemists
at Penn State commented
recently.
“A worthwhile goal is to
develop such a fertilizer
industry from sludge con
taining low amounts of
cadmium, no more than 20 to
Youth help
NEWARK, Del. - Don’t
criticize modern youth
within earshot of the
members of the Newark
Senior Center-unless you’re
looking for an argument.
The Newark Seniors think to
day’s teens are terrific.
that’s because the
teenagers they know are
members of the New Castle
county 4-H organization.
Karen and Kim Garland,
Holly Schutz, and Lynn Pat
terson, all of Newark, are
spending their summer help
ing the senior center
members however they can.
To request 4-H assistance,
any Newark Semor Center
member may contact Kim
Wipf, Extension community
research developer for New
Castle county. She coor
dinates the program and ac
companies the 4-H members
have a
nice weekend...
MEET SOMEBODY
COMPLETE
FARM PAINTING
We Use Quality
PAINT
AERIAL LADDER
EQUIPMENT
• Modern and Efficient
Method
• Reasonable Prices
• Spray On and Brush-In
Method
• Sandblasting If
Necessary
FOR FREE ESTIMATES
WRITE
ESH SPRAY
PAINTING
(DanwlS Eih C Ralph Miller)
SPRAY-ON AND
BRUSH-IN PAINTER
Box 350 A
Ronks, PA 17572
or call this number
717-687-9155
or 717-687-8262
INDUSTRIAL
COMMERCIAL
RESIDENTIAL
50 parts per million of
Cadmium in sludge,”
declared Dr. Dale E. Baker,
professor of soil chemistry
at University Park. He
described 50 parts per
million of cadmium as equal
to 50 pounds in 500 tons.
Where sludge is applied,
soil tests should be used to
monitor the level of cad
mium in the soil, he advised.
Cadmium additions to the
soil must not exceed three
pounds per acre, based on
Pennsylvania guidelines.
senior center members
as they mend, scrub or mow
-all free of charge.
According to Wipf, men
ding is the most frequently
requested service. It’s light
work for the 4-H’ers, many
‘Ov
Aim M. Wolf, graduate
assistant in agronomy,
stated that cadmium in soil
must be kept at very low
levels since it remains
within the plow layer and
increases the plant and food
chain concentrations of
cadmium. Sewage sludge
applied to Penn State test
plots at 10 dry tons per acre
for seven years increased
soil test levels of cadmium
from less than one-half
pound per acre to five
of whom learned to sew
through the 4-H program,
yet it’s a formidable task for
people whose hands and eyes
have lost some of then
usefulness over the year.
pounds per acre, an ex
cessive level.
On properly limed soils,
farmers can apply up to 3(1
tons per acre of low cad
mium sludge without in
creasing levels of cadmium
above three pounds per acre,
Dr. Baker pointed out. From
this 30 tons per acre, farm
crops will take on valuable
nutrients, especially
mtrogen and phosphorus.
Feeding studies at Penn
State showed that diets
containing one to three parts
per million of cadmium
could increase significantly
the level of this element m
livers and kidneys of
laboratory animals.
However, cadmium did not
increase greatly the muscle
or eggs. The experiments
were carried out with field
mice, baby chicks, and
laying hens.
The Penn State soil
chemists stated that
scientists do not agree on
what are safe dietary levels
for cadmium in human food.
Currently, the major sources
of health-threatening ac
cumulations of cadmium m
the human body are food and
cigarettes. The conclusions
are featured m the Spring
issue of “Science in
Agriculture,” the quarterly
magazine of the Agricultural
Experiment Station at Penn
State.
For land application of
sewage sludge, a
municipality or hauler must
obtain a permit from the
Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Resources, it
was pointed out. Growers, m
addition, should not accept
or apply sewage sludge on
crops without a complete
sludge
chemical analysis of the
sludge. Levels of cadmium
and other substances in
sludge can be determined
directly by the Penn State
Soil and Environmental
Chemistry Laboratory, 106
Agricultural Administration
Building, University Park,
Pa. 16802.
Information on the
procedure is also available
from county offices of the
Cooperative Extension
Service.
The Spring issue ot
“Science in Agriculture”
features this study of cad
mium and other research
within the Agricultural
Experiment Station at Penn
State. To get on the free®
mailing list for each issue,
one can write to 229
Agricultural Administration
Building, University Park,
Pa. 16802.
t