LODOTOX

Project coordinated by CREAF-IQS (Chemical Institute of Sarrià), designed to evaluate the toxicity of nonylphenols present in urban treatment-plant sludges, in order to determine the environmentalrisks associated with their subsequent application to soil as a fertilizer.

 

There is sufficient evidence to show that high concentrations of exothylated nonylphenols are present in in the majority of treatment-plant sludges in Spain and exceed the 50 mg/kg limit proposed in the draft of the new EC Directive on application of sludge to soils. Nonylphenols are toxic, acting as endocrine disruptors which impair reproduction in aquatic organisms, although their effects on the fauna and microorganisms present in the soil are less well known.

 

This project aims to generate knowledge about the toxicity of nonylphenols in organisms in the soil, which may be of use in the decision-making process concerning the maximum admissible concentrations of these pollutants in receptor soils, treatment-plant sludges and compounds.