Jefferson City, Mo.-A comprehensive analysis by state investigators of sludge used as fertilizer on farm fields from a northwest Missouri tanner has found no health threat to farmers working the fields or to residents living nearby, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reached much the same conclusion earlier from a cooperative investigation undertaken because a limited number of farm soil samples showed levels of hexavalent chromium. Tannery wastewater sludge had been applied as a fertilizer to some farm fields in a four-county area for 26 years, investigators pointed out, and both agencies undertook the sample program and reviews after concerns arose in 2009 and were punctuated by a number of court suits. One of the latest was filed on behalf of 24 landowners alleging that they were misled about the safety of the sludge from Prime Tanning, which is now owned by National Beef Leathers. Other suits have been filed by residents claiming the fertilizer from the tanner is the cause of brain tumors and other cancers. In 2009 and 2010, the Missouri DNR collected nearly 600 soil and water samples from northwest Missouri farm fields, residential yards, and drinking water wells in Andrew, Buchanan, Clinton, and DeKalb Counties to determine whether hexavalent chromium levels increased in the soil and water following the tannery sludge application. However, none of the samples exceeded the health-based screening level of 86 parts per million set by EPA and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. The highest level detected in the fields was 5 parts per million, well below the threshold of concern.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain