Where are all my antibacterials?

Ever since hearing of research from Virginia Tech, I have been suspect of antimicrobials in use. In addition to creating persistent toxic chemicals, they share many of the same problems of pesticides and antibiotics: the target of the chemical can mutate.

A recent article points to recent research on the fate of antimicrobials (such as triclosan in soap).

50 percent of triclosan and 76 percent of triclocarban remain unchanged by aerobic and anaerobic digestion in a typical wastewater facility, according to a pair of recent reports. This large intact fraction isn't going out with the treated water—the old estimates are correct in that respect. Rather, it is trapped in the sludge at the bottom of the treatment tanks. Most of that sludge gets spread on the ground to fertilize pasture, forests and human food crops.

Heres the rub:

But in terms of sludge composition, the EPA only set limits for metals and certain pathogenic bacteria. There is no oversight of organic chemicals and no categorical prohibition of the use of biosolids on food crops. Current rules do govern the types of food that can be grown with biosolids fertilizer, the amount of time between application and harvest, and other practical details. But the EPA's official stance is that the practice of growing food in dewatered municipal sludge is acceptable.

I don't mean to be down on using treated sludge, but I think our romance with endocrine disrupting chemicals in our daily lives may need to be taken down a notch.