Ecological impacts of land application of biosolids on soil-dwelling organisms

In a long-term experiment run by Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, the fate of pharmaceuticals and other substances contained in biosolids was followed after farm-scale application to agricultural land on an experimental field site in Ottawa. In the context of this experiment, ECT followed the development of nematode and enchytraeid communities over several years after the application of biosolids. In addition, the feeding activity of soil organisms was measured as a functional endpoint by the bait lamina method. The results of this long-term study contribute to a better assessment of the impact of biosolids application on soil organisms, particularly in interrelation with the chemically determined fate of substances contained in the biosolids, also with regard to potential toxic long-term effects.