Evaluating Risks and Benefits of Soil Amendments Used in Agriculture
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Author(s): L. Moss, E. Epstein and T. Logan
Publisher: IWA Publishing
ISBN: 1572782072
Format: softback
156pp
Price: £103.00, $165.00, €165
Review Date: 15 April 2003
Review: Concerns have been raised about the use of organic soil amendments to improve land fertility. These amendments, depending on the product, can include the accumulation of phosphorus and metals in soils, plant uptake of land-applied metals, the contamination of groundwater and soil with organic compounds, and the potential health impacts from pathogens and viruses. This is a comparative study of the Water Environment Research Foundation into products that are used to improve soil. It takes into account the products used: biosolids, municipal solid waste and yard waste compost, manures and mineral fertilizers. It looks at the characteristics of the product – its physical, biological and chemical characteristics, nutrient content and availability, metals and metal availability; and odour potential. In particular it studies the product benefits and give the associated environmental health concerns.