517 
Crucial is an answer to the question as to what constftutes an unacceptable 
level of external abnormalities. They are in this area apparently related to 
sewer discharges. Perhaps there is a natural incidence of the abnormalities. 
Do these abnormalities affect the survival of any of the species? At the pre- 
sent time, we can only treat this problem in a subjective way. But it is 
illustrative of the types of problems we can encounter in marine discharges. 
But what about the information bases to consider the general problems of 
land or air (through incineration) disposal. Here my expertise is much less, 
but I am more than apprehensive that the available knowledge does not equal that 
for the marine system. In these two types of disposal our goals are to protect 
human health, the communities of plant and animal life and the other amenities 
of our surroundings. 
There is one compelling reason for further and more extensive studies of 
the terrestrial option -- we may be jeopardizing the quality of our groundwaters, 
which provide drinking water for about 40% of our population, by land surface 
waste disposal. Organic contaminants in sewage are difficult to remove and can 
find their way into underground waters. Sewage sludges contain metal contami- 
nants that can work their way into groundwaters if applied to land. Coupled 
with the illegal dumping of toxic wastes, the practice of land disposal has 
lowered the quality of our groundwaters significantly. A recent National Academy 
of Science report indicates that the extent of contamination in many areas is 
unknown, but that reports about polluted waters are increasing. 
But there are further concerns. A recent World Health Organization meeting 
considered the risk to health of microbes in sewage sludge applied to land. The 
participants were made aware that salmonella poisoning was on the rise in 
Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Although the evidence is 
circumstantial, part of this rise is attributed to the path of the micro-organisms 
from sewage sludge to animals and then back to man. Foodof animal origin are 
the most important source of infection in man. In addition there are risks to 
animal health. 
The World Health Organization group recommended that measures must be 
taken to effect a substantial reduction of the pathogens in sewage sludge before 
it is allowed to come into contact with crops or with land-producing feed for 
domesticated animals. Little concern was voiced about the entry of such 
materials into underground waters although this question should have been treated. 
Clearly, we have already raised the level of contaminants in many water 
supplies as is evidenced by the EPA announcement that there are at least 29 toxic 
waste dumps in a condition even more dangerous than the Love Canal Region. But 
in dealing with our groundwaters, the problems are as formidable as those with 
the ocean, if not more so. For a given area we need more analyses. Groundwaters 
often occur in discrete, non-connected units. There are interconnections between 
the various domains of the oceans, but there are fewer scientists involved in 
studying the integrated impacts of waste discharge on land upon the valuable 
potable water resource. 
