Ac. Chang et al., DEVELOPING HUMAN HEALTH-RELATED CHEMICAL GUIDELINES FOR RECLAIMED WASTE-WATER IRRIGATION, Water science and technology, 33(10-11), 1996, pp. 463-472
Citations number
20
Categorie Soggetti
Water Resources","Environmental Sciences","Engineering, Civil
We examined the methodology of developing globally applicable human he
alth-related chemical guidelines of using wastewater for crop irrigati
on. Two approaches may be used to develop pollutant loading guidelines
: (a) preventing pollutant accumulation in waste receiving soil and (b
) maximizing soil's capacity to assimilate, attenuate, and detoxify ha
rmful chemicals. Pollutant loading rates based on the first approach a
re in agreement with the fundamental principle of maintaining ecologic
al balances in soil. But numerical limits usually are very stringent a
nd it is difficult for communities to meet these requirements. Recomme
ndations derived with the second approach represent the maximum permis
sible loadings beyond which pollutant levels in the soil may be harmfu
l to the exposed population. A method employing the second approach wa
s evaluated. Preliminary pollutant loading limits for land application
of wastewater are derived by considering the food chain transfer of p
ollutants via intake of grain, vegetable, root/tuber, and fruit grown
on wastewater-affected soils. Copyright (C) 1996 IAWQ Published by Els
evier Science Ltd.