Sludge prompts disease fears

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WATERFORD, Va. -- Residents from Loudoun and Frederick counties say they will demonstrate at a state meeting tomorrow because Board of Health officials have ignored complaints that sludge used to fertilize neighboring farms has made them nauseated and caused other flulike symptoms.

Linda J. Messick, of Winchester, Va., is among the120 residents who say they developed allergic, viral and bacterial illnesses after as many as 15 Loudoun County farms were fertilized with sewage sludge from 1999 to 2003.

Mrs. Messick said she nearly died from two allergic reactions caused by the sludge -- including one in November 2001 that started when she stood in a wind that swept across a nearby farm.

"I developed flulike symptoms overnight," said Mrs. Messick, who had hives covering her body.

State officials say they have investigated the complaints in Loudoun County and have concluded the findings are anecdotal and lack scientific merit.

"It's hard to engage in a rational discussion with some of these people," said Cal Sawyer, director of Virginia's division of wastewater engineering. "Some people believe everything is a conspiracy and there are no honest officials or businesses. They think their opinions are the only truths and everything else is a lie."

However, the residents, who call themselves Loudoun Neighbors Against Toxic Sludge, now have the support of Dr. David M. Mathis, a Leesburg, Va., physician.

"As a farm kid from Michigan, I knew about manure being spread on farmland," he said. "The bio-solids used in Loudoun County that are trucked in from outside sources are different because they have a much higher likelihood for health contamination."

Such complaints are common across much of rural America. Farmers use the sludge -- either in spray or pellet form -- because it is inexpensive and rich in nutrients.

The state Board of Health meeting tomorrow will be held at the Place in Innsbrook, a Richmond conference center.

"We're protesting because the board has refused to hear our complaints for the past 2 years and now refuses to watch a video we've prepared to document our experience with sludge," said Barbara Rubin, 57, of Waterford.

The protest group is composed mostly of retired business professionals but includes former Frederick County Supervisor Sidney A. Reyes, whose term expired in December.

"Bio-solids are a blessing for farmers, because they provide free fertilizer," Mr. Reyes said. "But we need to do more research to determine whether sludge is harmful to human beings."

Meanwhile, Mrs. Messick says her allergist has given her a supply of needles that she can plunge into her skin in the event of another attack. She also says her allergist has prohibited her from exposing herself to the fields again.

"He is trying to find out what bugs are found in the sludge," Mrs. Messick said. "It's somewhere to start."