[USCC] Compost Digest Vol 29, #1, relative to discussion between Al Rubin, Rufus Chaney and Edo McGowan.

[The Rubins]

To the USCC list serve Administrator (Jim McNelly)

Please go ahead and post this.  This appears to be Edo's and Caroline 
Snyder's "best shot" at attempting to discredit Dr. Rufus Chaney and myself 
for our years at USDA and USEPA, respectively, in working on biosolids and 
biosolids composting to develop standards and technologies based on peer 
reviewed research and actual field data.  Edo and Snyder may be reacting to 
my recent response to Edo's posting on "pathogen resistant organisms" in 
biosolids and composted biosolids.   In that posting, I invited members of 
this list serve to "weigh in" with their own opinions.  I am confident that 
the members of the list serve can read Dr. Snyder's opinion (below) and 
judge them for credibility.

And by all means, if indeed Snyder has been banished from this list serve, 
please let her back in.  I am sure that all of us enjoy reading and 
responding to Dr. Snyders comments on biosolids and biosolids composting. 
After all, we are all entitled to our opinions and this list serve should be 
used for an open and frank discussion of these issues that vitally impact 
biosolids and biosolids composting.

Here's to a free exchange of ideas and Cheers

Alan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Edo McGowan" <edomcgowan at earthlink.net>
To: <compost at composter.com>
Sent: Tuesday, July 04, 2006 3:36 AM
Subject: [USCC] Compost Digest Vol 29, #1, relative to discussion between Al 
Rubin, Rufus Chaney and Edo McGowan.


> U.S. COMPOSTING COUNCIL 15th ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND TRADESHOW
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> the composting and organics recycling industry
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>
>
>
> To: List-serve Compost at composter.com
>
> Fm: Edo McGowan
>
> Re: Pass-through of important information. Compost Digest Vol 29, #1, 
> relative to discussion between Al Rubin, Rufus Chaney and Edo McGowan.
>
> Caroline Snyder, whose privilege to post appears to have been revoked, 
> brought this to my attention. It seems critical to the current thought 
> sequence; thus I request that it be posted.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Former EPA scientist, Dr. Al Rubin and Dr. Rufus Chaney, a soil
> scientist with the US Department of Agriculture,  were the primary
> authors of the 503 sludge rule. Here are excerpts from a recent peer
> reviewed paper published in the International Journal of Occupational
> and Environmental Health describing their role in trying to silence
> scientists who did not agree with their theories:
>
> "EPA's Office of Research and Development  scientific peer review
> severely criticized the 503 rule.  EPA's Office of Water [where Rubin
> worked] claimed that numerous studies demonstrated that heavy metals,
> organic chemicals, and pathogens in processed sludge posed no
> significant risk to human health or the environment.  Rubin, however,
> could provide only a few laboratory studies and no relevant field
> studies. In 2000, a former EPA research director stated under oath: 'We
> did not think the rule passed scientific muster.  If the 503 rule were
> put to the test today, it would miserably fail EPA's own scientific peer
> review process.'"
>
> " Problems with the rule developed almost immediately after its
> promulgation.  In 1994 and 1995 three deaths occurred that were linked
> to land-applied sludge.  In response to mounting public concerns, those
> at EPA responsible for land-application policies allied themselves more
> closely with sludge management companies who knew how to deal with
> public opposition."
>
> When the Cornell Waste Management Institute released a paper criticizing
> the 503 rule, Dr. Rubin and Dr. Chaney corresponded repeatedly with  New
> York State regulators, EPA, and the US Department of Agriculture,
> because "the publication of the Cornell paper will have a negative
> impact on the use of biosolids."  Subsequently a group of
> sludge-friendly scientists were paid to attack the paper."
>
> After one of EPA's internationally known senior research scientists,
> David Lewis,  " began investigating reported cases of illnesses and
> death among sludge-exposed individuals . . .  EPA managers in Washington
> DC and at Research Triangel Park NC, responded by ending all of his
> research funding and instructed his local supervisors  in Georgia not to
> let him collaborate with other EPA scientists or let him have access to
> agency resources." [ page 417-418]
>
> The IJOEH paper is posted on www.sludgefacts.org
>
>
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