Washington State Calls For Stronger Regulation Of Fertilizers

Washington State Department of Ecology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Jan. 8, 1998

98-005

CONTACT: Greg Sorlie, Dept. of Ecology, (360) 407-6702
Carol Jolly, Executive Policy Office, (360) 902-0639
Ron Langley, Dept. of Ecology Public Information, (425) 649-7009

Washington State Calls For Stronger Regulation Of Fertilizers

OLYMPIA, WA -- Proposed new laws and actions already taken by state agencies will make Washington a national leader in fertilizer safety by providing closer scrutiny of heavy metals in fertilizers and more research on dioxins in waste-derived fertilizers.

State health, environment, agriculture and worker safety experts developed the proposed legislation after consulting with a citizen advisory group that represented agriculture, the fertilizer industry, environmentalists and farm workers. If the legislation is passed, Washington will be among the first states in the nation to adopt standards for fertilizers. The proposed legislation would:

Intensify state review of the contents of all fertilizers;
Require fertilizer makers to disclose on the labels of their products the heavy metals content;
Adopt the best available standards for metals levels in fertilizers;
Fund research on plant uptake of heavy metals into food crops.

In addition, the state recently investigated and found dioxins in a small number of fertilizers that contain recycled industrial by-products. In response, the state will consider broader testing of fertilizers for dioxins. While the legislation being introduced does not currently address the presence of dioxins in fertilizers, the agencies plan to work with legislators and an advisory group to determine how the proposed legislation might be modified to deal with this contaminant.

"We have no current evidence that human health is threatened by the fertilizers used on farmland in Washington," said state Department of Health Secretary Bruce Miyahara. "We will continue to push for improved information to ensure that health is not compromised, and we will support efforts to tighten regulation of fertilizers, develop better standards, and improve information through research and analysis."

Last year, state scientists tested 55 fertilizers for heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium and lead. In addition, five industrial waste-derived fertilizers produced in Washington state were subjected to more costly dioxin testing. There are no state or national standards for heavy metals or dioxins in fertilizers, so levels in the tested fertilizers were compared to the most closely related standards available:

For metals, state experts determined the maximum rate at which the 55 tested fertilizers are applied to land, and compared them to standards that biosolids (sewage treatment plant sludges) must meet in order to be used on farmland without restrictions. These standards are based on human-health risk assessments. Wood ash, a by-product of burning wood for electricity or steam generation, was the only waste-derived fertilizer that had concentrations of metals beyond those stringent standards.
Dioxins were found in all five waste-derived fertilizers tested. State scientists assumed the fertilizers would be regularly applied to farmland at their recommended maximum annual rates. At those rates, application of two of the fertilizers would not result in farmland exceeding the EPA estimated average background soil concentration level for North America, which is 8 parts per trillion. Two of the fertilizers would result in minimal increases of .004 and one part per trillion. Soil concentrations for the fifth product are still being researched.

Department of Ecology Director Tom Fitzsimmons said the state will push for cleaner fertilizers to protect both human health and the environment. "Even if the data doesn’t point to a human health threat, the smart thing to do is encourage fertilizer companies to seek out the cleanest sources of raw materials they can find. That’s exactly what we will do," said Fitzsimmons.

"Continued production of quality food products is important to the health of Washington’s citizens and its economy," said state Department of Agriculture Director Jim Jesernig. "We should make sure that our farmers have all the information they need regarding the fertilizers they use."

In addition, the state Department of Labor & Industries is reviewing the data to determine whether dioxins in fertilizer ingredients and final products could affect workers who manufacture or use the products, and will take steps to protect workers, if necessary.

EDITORS NOTE: Additional information about state fertilizer testing for heavy metals and dioxins is available in a fact sheet.