By Cookson Beecher
The Capital Press Staff Writer
OLYMPIA, Wash. - As promised, Washington state is moving forward to make sure fertilizers don't contain industrial byproducts that could be harmful to human health or to the environment.
Responding to public outcry over the use of these byproducts in fertilizers - some of them officially classified as solid waste or hazardous waste - the state has come up with an action plan designed to increase its oversight of these products.
Currently, there are no federal or state standards regulating the level of contaminants such as heavy metals or organic dioxins in fertilizer products.
Key strategy points in the plan, which was recently developed by the departments of Agriculture, Ecology and Health, call for additional sampling of fertilizers for metals; comparative field studies to determine concentrations of metals within the root zones; labeling of all non-nutrient ingredients; the establishment of safety levels of industrial by-products based on human health and environmental criteria; and a push for national standards.
According to a letter released to the public by the directors of the three state departments involved in this project, additional information will be gathered to determine whether there is a potential public health problem associated with the use of recycled waste products in fertilizers. In doing this research, the departments hope to provide farmers and the public with specific information about what is in the fertilizers being used on Washington state fields.
"Growers have the right to know what they use is beneficial to crops, safe for the consumer and the environment," said Agriculture Director Jim Jesernig.
Despite the widespread attention this issue has attracted and the concerns it has sparked, the department heads are united in the belief that the products currently being used in the state are for the most part safe - in contrast to news stories that focused on the potential risks associated with their use.
"The data we have a this time does not support that conclusion," says the letter.
State Department of Health Secretary Bruce Miyahara said that though the information the officials have seen so far indicates there is no reason to worry about the food supply, more information about recycled waste products in fertilizer is needed.
"This is a strong, well-balanced approach said Tom Fitzsimmons, director of the State Department of Ecology, which regulates hazardous waste in the state. "We'll look to people in agriculture, health and environmental fields to help us put this plan to work.
But reacting angrily to what they refer to as "government attempts to downplay the threats to health posed by industrial wastes in fertilizers," members of the Washington Toxics Coalition are taking a different tack: they want the governor to ban the use of toxic wastes in fertilizers. "Government claims that adding dangerous waste in fertilizers might not be dangerous are inherently illogical," said Carol Dansereau of the Coalition. "Wastes are classified as dangerous based on extensive scientific evidence and can only be put on land under highly controlled circumstances. Now state officials have the gall to say that uncontrolled direct application of dangerous waste on lands used to grow food might be just fine."
Reaction from the fertilizer industry to the state officials' recent recommendations was tentatively optimistic. "We're not against this," said Scott McKinnie, executive director of FAR WEST Fertilizer and AgriChemical Association, an industry group with members from Washington, Oregon and Idaho, referring to increased regulatory control, "but we need to make sure it's workable. The entire process is a good opportunity for increased dialog and communication among concerned parties."
He laments the public perception that fertilizers are "loading the soil with heavy metals." And he points to soil testing done by Soil Test Lab in Moses Lake that showed otherwise. When samples were taken of loam and sandy soils in the Columbia Basin - from areas where there had been no agriculture and from other areas where fertilizers had been used - the results showed little difference between them.
"By and large you have a flat line on virgin and tilled land," he said. "There were some differences, but they weren't statistically significant." He's pleased that the proposed action plan calls for the formation of an advisory group representing a broad spectrum of interests. "That way we can answer questions and examine the issues from a variety of viewpoints," he said. "It will help increase public confidence."
Although the official push for this state action plan was a directive by Gov. Gary Locke, the original drive came from a small group of Quincy-area farmers, who in their research to determine what had led to their own crop failures and health problems, discovered the gap that exists in regulating what goes into fertilizers.
News stories in the Seattle Times highlighted this gap and put the spotlight on the need to create standards so that farmers would know what they were spreading on their land.
Currently the Department of Agriculture tests fertilizers, but only to verify that the nutrient levels as listed on the labels are accurate.
Back to top or Back to home page
Here is a synopsis, provided by Washington State University, of the key recommendations included in the action plan,
øOngoing sampling to monitor fertilizers for cadmium, lead, arsenic and other heavy metals. Both random and targeted samples would be taken each year. In addition, Ecology will complete an ongoing study of dioxin sources and determine if dioxins are appearing in fertilizers.
øSampling of fields in the Columbia Basin to evaluate concentrations of metals in the soil. Crops grown on the fertilized fields may also be sampled.
øEstablishing an advisory work group, whose tasks would include working out details on labeling and issues surrounding proposed legislation. Representatives from a cross-section of interest groups will be invited to participate.
øLabeling of all fertilizer products for non-nutrient ingredients will be required by the Department of Agriculture after review by the advisory group.
øProposing legislation to enable the Department of Agriculture to adopt standards for heavy metal content for all fertilizer products. The department will also seek legislative authority to adopt the Canadian standards for all fertilizers on an interim basis.
øProposing legislation granting the Department of Ecology authority to approve or reject industrial by-products used as fertilizers or soil improvements. Decisions will be based on available human health and environmental criteria.
øFormally requesting the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking them to take the lead on development of national standards for fertilizers.
øInforming fertilizer manufacturers of Washington's hazardous waste restrictions to ensure that out-of-state manufactures comply with state requirements.
øCarrying out a comprehensive field and crop study that analyzes plant uptake of metals and compares absorption rates with existing and proposed standards. This is a long-term strategy within the plan.
The three agency directors say that development work on this plan will begin immediately.
Back to top or Back to home page
The governor and the agencies will work with members of the Legislature to assess different sources of funding for these recommendations. The ongoing product sampling for metals by the Agriculture Department and potential sampling for organics by Ecology is expected to cost approximately $50,000 per biennium. The most significant budget item will be the comprehensive field and crop study.