Recommended maximum contents of persistent organic pollutants in sewage sludge for application on agricultural soils

The recommended maximum contents of the substances from the group of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in sludge for the application on agricultural soils were proposed. The list of the substances follows Czech legislative norms for soil protection (Directive of the Ministry of Environment No. 13/1994 Sb.). The list includes the groups of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (MAHs), the amount of six congeners of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB6), DDT and residues, polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofuranes (PCDDs/Fs). Recommended maximum contents were proposed on the basis of the determination of background values of POPs in the set of 45 sludge samples from the wastewater factories in the territory of the Czech Republic. The results of vegetation experiments focused on the POPs in soil and plants after sludge application were used and the proposal of EU legislation Working Document on Sludge was investigated.