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A study to assess the health risks to workers at biosolids composting facilities is discussed. The study in Longmont, CO, found that operational changes cut cut levels of endotoxin, dust and Aspergillus fumigatus by 90%.

A number of air dispersion models are available for analyzing the impact of composting-related smells. The most widely used model is the EPA ISTSC3 industrial source short-term model.

Compost facility sites must be situated in a suitable location to avoid difficulties associated with odor. The site planning process can be greatly improved by the use of models designed to take emission rates and meteorological conditions into account. The atmospheric dispersion modeling method to establish approximate odor concentrations is described. The ISCST3 model described uses meteorological data from the National Climatic Data Centre.

Abstract Background Biomonitoring studies can provide information about individual and population-wide exposure. However they must be designed in a way that protects the rights and welfare of participants. This descriptive qualitative study was conducted as a follow-up to a breastmilk biomonitoring study. The primary objectives were to assess participants' experiences in the study, including the report-back of individual body burden results, and to determine if participation in the study negatively affected breastfeeding rates or duration. Methods Participants of the Greater Boston PBDE Breastmilk Biomonitoring Study were contacted and asked about their experiences in the study: the impact of study recruitment materials on attitudes towards breastfeeding; if participants had wanted individual biomonitoring results; if the protocol by which individual results were distributed met participants' needs; and the impact of individual results on attitudes towards breastfeeding. Results No participants reported reducing the duration of breastfeeding because of the biomonitoring study, but some responses suggested that breastmilk biomonitoring studies have the potential to raise anxieties about breastfeeding. Almost all participants wished to obtain individual results. Although several reported some concern about individual body burden, none reported reducing the duration of breastfeeding because of biomonitoring results. The study literature and report-back method were found to mitigate potential negative impacts. Conclusion Biomonitoring study design, including clear communication about the benefits of breastfeeding and the manner in which individual results are distributed, can prevent negative impacts of biomonitoring on breastfeeding. Adoption of more specific standards for biomonitoring studies and continued study of risk communication issues related to biomonitoring will help protect participants from harm.

The US Environmental Protection Agency's Pathogen Equivalency Committee has linked with E&A Environmental Consultants Inc to produce a new revision of the publication 'Environmental Regulations and Technology: Control of Pathogens and Vector Attraction in Sewage Sludge Under 40 CFR Part 503,' first issued in 1989. This revision presents more detail in its explanation of public health and operational matters. Its aim is to give regulators and biosolids management professionals improved understanding of the pathogen and vector attraction issues connected with biosolids reuse.

El Salvadoran coffee manufacturer ProCafe, in conjunction with USAID, launched a study to evaluate composting as a method for turning coffee pulp into usable waste. The method was applied to different pulp piles to determine the level of management necessary for composting to be effective. Piles that were mixed with manure and placed on top of windrows were more active, had higher temperatures, were less odorous and changed into pulp faster than those with a passive aeration system.