fluorescence in situ hybridization, flow cytometry, NanoSIMS, etc.) should provide
valuable information on the sludge and soil microbial communities’ structure,
dynamics, and metabolic activities. These tools combined to statistical methods
may help in establishing correlations of these parameters to the effectiveness of
any soil amendment with sludge or WW irrigation. This way we will be able to
effectively track not only the fate of pathogenic bacteria in irrigated soil or to which
sludge is applied, in terms of survival, leakage, and spread to both groundwater and
surrounding crops, but also the modification of overall soil microbial activity. Novel
chemical analytical methods to detect and quantify organic and mineral
micropollutants such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid
chromatography-mass spectrometry, combined to different ionization modes, total
organic halogen (TOX) analysis, and ion chromatography as well as high-resolution
MS, represent effective tools for measuring trace levels of compounds in complex
environmental matrices. These tools, combined, may eventually lead to the development of reliable qualitative and quantitative microbiological and chemical risk
assessments that are invaluable in the prediction of the potential risks of WW use and
application of sewage sludge [100].
Scientists must move from the reductionism analyses to a more holistic view
of nature to give a realistic view to the public and policy makers in order to help
them to take the right decisions. Governments and environmental agencies should
update their technical standards making use of the above methods for assessing
overall ecological health risks and should further study whether treated sewage
sludge causes health problems for farmers who apply it to their land and for residents
who live nearby. These studies nowadays are affordable through the application of
the above novel molecular analytical approaches and those to come.
The destruction of biodiversity can be very rapid, on a human scale; however, the
resilience goes through processes that are often very long on an ecological scale and
depends on the intrinsic properties of an ecosystem and damage amplitude. The
recovery is usually long and incomplete. Avoiding ecosystems destruction is safer
and less expensive than their rebuilding.
Finally, because of improved understanding of the functions of the complex
systems that are human cells and organs, the practice of medicine had already
begun to move from reactive treatment of patients’ symptoms to proactive and
personalized care, and so we advocate for our environment!
References
1. Balet J-M (2014) Gestion des déchets: aide-mémoire. Dunod, L’Usine nouvelle, Paris
2. Bora AP, Gupta DP, Durbha KS (2020) Sewage sludge to bio-fuel: a review on the sustainable
approach of transforming sewage waste to alternative fuel. Fuel 259:116262
3. European C. & Statistical Office of the European C (2018) Statistics explained: your guide to
European statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/4031688/9384328/KS-06-18063-EN-N.pdf/2628be36-08f3-4c0e-a7bc-8a8d16364b68. Accessed 14 May 2018
Environmental, Economic, and Ethical Assessment of the Treated Wastewater and. . .
73
valuable information on the sludge and soil microbial communities’ structure,
dynamics, and metabolic activities. These tools combined to statistical methods
may help in establishing correlations of these parameters to the effectiveness of
any soil amendment with sludge or WW irrigation. This way we will be able to
effectively track not only the fate of pathogenic bacteria in irrigated soil or to which
sludge is applied, in terms of survival, leakage, and spread to both groundwater and
surrounding crops, but also the modification of overall soil microbial activity. Novel
chemical analytical methods to detect and quantify organic and mineral
micropollutants such as gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid
chromatography-mass spectrometry, combined to different ionization modes, total
organic halogen (TOX) analysis, and ion chromatography as well as high-resolution
MS, represent effective tools for measuring trace levels of compounds in complex
environmental matrices. These tools, combined, may eventually lead to the development of reliable qualitative and quantitative microbiological and chemical risk
assessments that are invaluable in the prediction of the potential risks of WW use and
application of sewage sludge [100].
Scientists must move from the reductionism analyses to a more holistic view
of nature to give a realistic view to the public and policy makers in order to help
them to take the right decisions. Governments and environmental agencies should
update their technical standards making use of the above methods for assessing
overall ecological health risks and should further study whether treated sewage
sludge causes health problems for farmers who apply it to their land and for residents
who live nearby. These studies nowadays are affordable through the application of
the above novel molecular analytical approaches and those to come.
The destruction of biodiversity can be very rapid, on a human scale; however, the
resilience goes through processes that are often very long on an ecological scale and
depends on the intrinsic properties of an ecosystem and damage amplitude. The
recovery is usually long and incomplete. Avoiding ecosystems destruction is safer
and less expensive than their rebuilding.
Finally, because of improved understanding of the functions of the complex
systems that are human cells and organs, the practice of medicine had already
begun to move from reactive treatment of patients’ symptoms to proactive and
personalized care, and so we advocate for our environment!
References
1. Balet J-M (2014) Gestion des déchets: aide-mémoire. Dunod, L’Usine nouvelle, Paris
2. Bora AP, Gupta DP, Durbha KS (2020) Sewage sludge to bio-fuel: a review on the sustainable
approach of transforming sewage waste to alternative fuel. Fuel 259:116262
3. European C. & Statistical Office of the European C (2018) Statistics explained: your guide to
European statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/4031688/9384328/KS-06-18063-EN-N.pdf/2628be36-08f3-4c0e-a7bc-8a8d16364b68. Accessed 14 May 2018
Environmental, Economic, and Ethical Assessment of the Treated Wastewater and. . .
73