Summary 



New Hampshire sewage sludges were analyzed for several inorganic elements 

 which are necessary for plant growth and others which could be toxic to humans 

 or animals if present in large amounts. About one half of the sludges did contain 

 substantial quantities of the potentially toxic elements. Lead was the element 

 most commonly found, but one sludge contained nearly 10 percent chromium. 

 The remainder of the sludges did not contain any element in quantities that 

 could be considered dangerous if applied to the land in moderate amounts. 

 Generally, the sludges could not be considered as a complete fertilizer material 

 and, at minimum, additional potassium should be added with the sludge. Until 

 further mformation is compiled on rates of element build up in the soil and 

 uptake by plants, sludge usage in any one area should be kept to moderate 

 amounts. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Allaway, W, H. 1968. Agronomic controls over the environmental cycling of trace elements. 

 Adv. Agronomy 20:235-274. 



Allison, L. E. 1965. Organic Carbon in C. A. Black (Ed.-in-Chief) Methods of Soil Analysis. 

 Agronomy 9:1367-1378. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin. 



Berrow, M. L. and J. Webber. 1972. Trace elements in sewage sludges. J. Sci. Food, Agric. 

 23:93-100. 



Bremner, J. M. 1965. Total Nitrogen ;« C. A. Black (Ed.-in-Chief) Methods of Soil Analysis. 

 Agronomy 9:1149-1178. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, Wisconsin. 



Page, A. L. 1974. Fate and effects of trace elements in sewage sludge when applied to 

 agricultural lands: a literature survey. U.S. Environ. Protection Agency Report No. 

 EPA-670/2-74-005. 



Sommers, L. E. and D; W. Nelson. 1974. Variations in the chemical composition of sewage 

 sludges, Agry. Abst. 66: 39. 



17 



