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

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1 Identification of health and environmental issues related to the use of fertilisers and growing media Pascale Robineau 9 September 2009

2 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

3 Use in France* In (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 Extensive use by farmers and gardeners * Metropolitan France 3 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

4 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 agriculture 4 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

5 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) 5 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

6 Assessing other risks 2009, September 9 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) 6 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

7 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 7 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

8 About methods for assessing risks «a priori» 2009, September 9 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 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 8 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

9 Theoretical routes of exposure to fertilisers and related products 2009, September 9 Volatile compounds, aerosols, dusts Air volatilisation Product burying, deposit, injection spray drift spraying percolation Crops Soil irrigation, watering irrigation drainage, run-off Surface waters Groundwaters 9 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

10 Theoretical routes of exposure to fertilisers Inhalation, contact, contact, inhalation Air Volatile compounds, aerosols, dusts Product Surface waters Crops Soil contact, Groundwaters 10 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

11 Theoretical routes of exposure to fertilisers Volatile compounds, aerosols, dusts Air deposit Product Surface waters Crops Soil Groundwaters 11 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

dusts Product contact Crops contact contact, Surface

12 Theoretical routes of exposure to fertilisers Inhalation, contact, Air Volatile compounds, aerosols, dusts Product contact Crops contact contact, Surface waters Soil Groundwaters 12 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

13 Theoretical ways of exposure to fertilisers Volatile compounds, aerosols, dusts Air Product Surface waters Crops Soil contact, Groundwaters 13 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

14 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 14 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

15 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 15 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

16 Components : examples of possible hazards 2009, September 9 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 (, bathing) Reduced biodiversity * Afssa / Afsset, Direction du végétal et de l environnement

17 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 17 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

18 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 18 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

19 Biological contaminants Some pathogenic bacteria found in raw material Déportes (1995), Gregersen (1999), Stampi (2000) 2009, September 9 Arizona hinshawii Listeria spp. Aeromonas Mycobacterium pseudotuberculosis Bacillus anthracis Pasteurella pseudotuberculosis Bacillus cereus Proteus spp. Brucella spp. Providencia spp. Campylobacter perfringens Pseudomonas aeruginosa Campylobacter jejuni Salmonella spp. Citobacter spp. Serratia spp. Clostridium botulinum Shigella spp. Clostridium perfringens Staphylococcus aureus Enterobactericea Streptococcus spp. Escherichia coli Vibrio parahaemoliticus Kiebsiella spp. Vibrio cholerae Legionella spp. Yersinia enterocolica Leptospira interrogans Products (Endotoxins from Gram- bacteria, glucans ) 19 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

20 Biological contaminants Some pathogenic viruses found in raw material Adenovirus Astrovirus Calicivirus Coronavirus Coxsachivirus Echovirus Enterovirus Déportes (1995) Hepatitis A virus Hepatitis E virus Mixovirus Norwalk virus Parvovirus Poliovirus Reovirus Rotavirus 20 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

21 Biological contaminants Some pathogenic fungi found in raw material Aspergillus fumigatus Candida spp. Cryptococcus neoformans Epidermophyton spp. Fusarium spp. Geotrichum candidum Microsporum spp. Phialophora richardsii Trichosporon cutaneum Trichophyton spp. From Déportes (1995) Products (Mycotoxins produced by fungi such as Aspergillus spp., Fusarium spp., glucans) 21 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

22 Biological contaminants Some parasite contamination in raw material PROTOZOA Acanthomoeba Balantidium coli Blastocystis hominis Cryptosporidium parvum Diantamoeba fragilis Entamoeba histolityca Giardia intestinalis Isospora belli Naegleria fowleri Sarcocystis spp. Toxoplasma gondii Déportes (1995) HELMINTHS Ankylostoma duodenale Ascaris lumbricoides Echinococcus granulosus Echinococcus multilocularis Enterobium vermicularis Hymenolepsis nana lumbricoides Necator americanus Strongyloides stercoralis Taenia solium Taenia saginata Toxocara cati Toxocara canis Trichuris trichura 22 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

23 Biological contaminants 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. 23 Direction du végétal et de l environnement

Hazards related to biological contaminants. Possible deleterious effects on human health caused by micro-organisms

Hazards related to biological contaminants Possible deleterious effects on human health caused by micro-organisms Infectious diseases (ingestion, cutaneous contact or inhalation) Immunoallergic, inflammatory