Assessing Health Risk of Applying Municipal Sewage Sludge to the Farmland
Date Issued
2004
Date
2004
Author(s)
Hsin, Chang-Chih
DOI
zh-TW
Abstract
Sewage sludge is the solid, semisolid, or liquid residue generated during treatment of domestic sewage. It has been promoted recycling of sewage sludge on land application because of its stable productivity and abundant nutrients. However, the toxic metals and other trace elements in the sludge might be a concern because they do not degrade and remain in the soil indefinitely.
The aim of this research was to build up a multimedia and multiple-pathway exposure system to assess the risk of using the sewage sludge on the farmland expecting that would provide the information to help the policy makers make the regulation in the future. To amend the defects of the American federal biosolids rule (40 CFR Part 503), uncertainty and sensitivity analysis were applied in the process and the local parameters were collected and used in the system. The objects of this research were five of watersheds in Taiwan and target metals were As, Cr, Ni, Cu, and Cd.
The findings indicate that the risk for the dry season in Tsengwen River is the highest because the water flows into the reservoirs in the upper stream which reduces the ability of diluting the concentration of contaminants.
As to the risk rate of contribution routes, drinking water, skin contact and inhalation of dust are the main pathways for the As, Cr, and Ni. The ingestion of fish is the highest one for Cd due to its higher bioaccumulation factors (BAFs). On the other hand, the BAFs of fish for Cu is zero which makes the risk of ingestion of fish zero.
Subjects
蒙地卡羅模擬
重金屬
風險評估
再利用
敏感度分析
污水污泥
risk assessment
Monte Carlo
uncertainty and sensitivity analysis
Sewage sludge
reuse
farmland irrigation
Type
thesis