The land application of human (e.g. biosolids, biosolids-derived compost, etc.) and animal (e.g. Animal Feeding Operations) waste may be important pathways for emerging contaminant uptake by soil fauna (e.g. earthworms, etc.) and ultimately the food chain. An initial experiment to determine the ability of earthworms to accumulate emerging contaminants under controlled conditions was undertaken in 2004. Preliminary results of ongoing research suggests emerging contaminants can accumulate in soils and can subsequently be found in the tissues of earthworms that live in wastewater-irrigated soils. Because earthworms continuously ingest soils they can serve as sentinel species indicative of the biological uptake of emerging contaminants in these impacted environments. Confirmation of these results is pending and will determine future research activities on contaminant uptake by earthworms.

Project Headlines

• Biosolids, Animal Manure, and Earthworms: Is There a Connection?

More Information

• Contaminant Uptake By Earthworms Photo Gallery
• Project contact: Ed Furlong

Publications

Kinney, C.A., Furlong, E.T., Kolpin, D.W., Burkhardt, M.R., Zaugg, S.D., Werner, S.L., Bossio, J.P., and Benotti, M.J., 2008, Bioaccumulation of pharmaceuticals and other anthropogenic waste indicators in earthworms from agricultural soil amended with biosolid or swine manure: Environmental Science and Technology, doi:10.1021/es702304c (Advanced Web release).

Related Emerging Contaminants Investigations

• Land Application of Municipal Biosolids

Related Headlines

• Household Chemicals and Drugs Found in Biosolids from Wastewater Treatment Plants

Related Publications

Kinney, C.A., Furlong, E.T., Werner, S.L., and Cahill, J.D., 2006, Presence and distribution of wastewater-derived pharmaceuticals in soil irrigated with reclaimed water: Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, v. 25, no. 2, p. 317-326, doi:10.1897/05-187R.1.

Kinney, C.A., Furlong, E.T., Zaugg, S.D., Burkhardt, M.R., Werner, S.L., Cahill, J.D., and Jorgensen, G.R., 2006, Survey of organic wastewater contaminants in biosolids destined for land application: Environmental Science and Technology, v. 40, no. 23, p. 7207-7215, doi:10.1021/es0603406.