Minneapolis – Consumers should choose foods produced without sludge and avoid use of sewage sludge-based fertilizer products in home gardens, concludes a new guide by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

Sewage sludge can contain disease-causing microbes, synthetic chemicals, and heavy metals that can cause acute and chronic disease, finds the “Smart Guide on Sludge Use in Food Production” by IATP’s Marie Kulick. Many of these contaminants can persist in soil for centuries and can enter the food system through crops grown on sludge-treated land, as well as through food animals that graze on sludge-treated land.