Risk evaluation of five groups of persistent organic contaminants in sewage sludge.

This report is an attempt to prioritise and select five groups of chemicals commonly found in Danish sludge and to assess the potential risk to soil organisms.

The following groups of chemicals have been evaluated: Brominated Flame Retardants, Musk substances, Pharmaceuticals, Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Perfluorinated compounds.

For the first four groups of substances it was concluded that it was very unlikely that the levels found in Danish sludge should pose a significant risk to the soil dwelling. For the perfluorinated substances it could not be excluded that the PFOS levels observed in Danish sludge may pose a long term risk to soil ecosystems. Thus, more information on the fate and effects of PFC is needed.