San Francisco-The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) says a $25,000 study shows that biosolids provided free to gardeners, school groups, and homeowners are not full of toxins, as activist groups are claiming, but compare favorably with commercial products on the market. According to an SFPUC statement, the comprehensive study was in addition to required federal and state tests prior to each giveaway. The biosolid compost was compared with different brands of soil amendment purchased off the shelf from gardening/hardware stores. All samples were analyzed by laboratories certified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). The test results show that the biosolids compost compares favorably to commercially available products. None of the priority pollutants found in any of the samples approached or exceeded regulatory limits or risk assessment criteria. Spokesperson Tyrone Jue said the tension over the safety of the biosolids escalated in March, when the Organic Consumer Association organized a demonstration at city hall in which protestors showed up at the mayor’s office in hazmat suits and gloves to give the city government back the free product by dumping it on the steps of city hall. The result was that the program was suspended while the compost underwent further analysis. Jue thinks that this info should comfort people. He told the local press, “It goes to show that just because you pay a lot of money for a product at a store does not mean that it is any better.”
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain