FATE AND TRANSPORT OF EMERGING CONTAMINANTS TO SHALLOW GROUNDWATER RESULTING FROM HUMAN AND ANIMAL WASTE PRODUCTS APPLIED TO LAND

Animal waste and municipal biosolids are commonly applied to land as a source of fertilizer. Contaminants in these products can degrade surface and groundwater quality under certain conditions. Some of these contaminants, which are considered ‘emerging’, include pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), hormones, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and perfluorinated chemicals. The degree of water pollution imposed by these and other emerging contaminants are regulated by land application approach, the physical/chemical nature of the product, soil properties, and weather. This talk will overview several studies led by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada observing and modeling the fate and transport of emerging contaminants resulting from land application of organic waste products in soil, shallow groundwater, and tile drain systems. Consideration will also be placed on evaluation of beneficial management practices to reduce water pollution burdens, perspective on the impact to humans, as well as some future research directions.