Birmingham, Ala.-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has decided to test the blood of up to 200 residents in Morgan, Lawrence, and Limestone Counties, where biosolids were found containing perfluorinated compounds that can cause serious health problems, including cancer. The blood tests are part of the EPA investigation triggered by concerns about PFCs found in agriculture fields where biosolids were spread as fertilizer, which was received free of charge from Decatur Utilities. The chemicals were also found in two private wells. The well owners were provided with bottled water while they were being hooked up to the public water system. Meanwhile, distribution of the biosolids has been halted to area farmers after EPA singled out the sources of perfluorinated compounds detected last November in samples from the utility’s Dry Creek Plant. Gail Mitchell, deputy director of the water protection division at EPA’s Region 4, said blood testing “is not something we typically do,” but is not unheard of. She said the testing was requested by residents at a meeting in June, and that a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed to handle it. Residents who have potential contact with PFCs in soil or water are eligible to be tested free of charge starting in the spring, with results expected in late summer. The sampling and testing is spread over the three counties in north central Alabama, involving 5,000 acres and approximately 40 farms with various parcels that received the biosolids. At the same time, Decatur Utilities continues to produce biosolids as part of its wastewater treatment plant operations, Mitchell reported, but sends it all to a local landfill for disposal.

Washington-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Dec. 7 that after a thorough examination of scientific evidence and careful consideration of public comments, it has determined that greenhouse gases (GHGs) threaten the public health and welfare of the American people. It also found that GHG emissions from on-road vehicles contribute to the threat. EPA said the findings continue its work towards clean energy reform that will cut GHGs and reduce the dependence on foreign oil. The proposed findings were released in April 2009 and a 60-day public comment period was held, with some 380,000 comments received. The findings are expected to open the door to more broad-ranging government limitations on GHGs.

Washington-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that it expects to have a final decision on an industry request that would allow the use of up to 15 percent of ethanol in gasoline by mid-2010. The current limit is 10 percent. To date, EPA says the results of two tests indicate that engines in newer cars likely can handle an ethanol blend higher than 10 percent. However, EPA is waiting for more testing before making a final decision.

Moscow-Russian fertilizer producer UralChem OJSC reported significant declines in phosphate production for the first nine months of 2009 when compared with the same period in 2008. The company reported DAP production of 38,672 mt for the period, a 77 percent drop from last year’s 169,770 mt. MAP production was pegged at 24,807 mt, down 89 percent from the 235,342 mt reported for the same period in 2008. CEO Dmitry Osipov attributed the phosphate production declines to “ongoing difficulties with supplies of apatite concentrate – our key phosphate fertilizer feedstock.” Phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid production were also down, to 3,280 mt and 58,466 mt, respectively, from last year’s 15,171 mt and 140,456 mt. Osipov said the company was responding by carrying out modernization initiatives and launching production of complex NPK fertilizer at its Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizer facility. UralChem’s ammonia production also saw declines for the period, at 298,101 mt compared with last year’s 389,240 mt. Urea production was up 25 percent, to 390,680 mt from last year’s 312, 529 mt. Total commercial fertilizer output for the company was just over 3.3 million mt for the first nine months of 2009, a 7 percent decline from last year’s 3.55 million mt. “Reduced production levels for some of our fertilizer products were a result of the global financial crisis,” Osipov said. “The mineral fertilizer industry currently finds itself in a difficult situation. Prices are considerably lower than they were last year. For nitrogen fertilizers, prices have decreased by two times, while phosphate fertilizers have fallen by four times in comparison with 2008 peaks. However, we expect to see relative growth starting from February 2010, as the sowing season begins.”