Earthworms eating contaminated soil

Reston, Va. -- Chemicals from household products and manure are entering the food chain through earthworms that live in farm fields, U.S. scientists said Friday.

Earthworms continuously ingest soils for nourishment and can accumulate the chemicals present in the soil, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a release.

USGS scientists and a colleague from Colorado State University at Pueblo collected earthworms from a soybean field fertilized with biosolids and manure. Biosolids are made from the sludge generated by the treatment of sewage at wastewater treatment plants.

The researchers found a number of chemicals, including a range of active ingredients in common household products such as detergents, antibacterial soaps, fragrances and pharmaceuticals.

The findings are published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.

Several compounds were detected in earthworms collected from the biosolids- and manure-applied fields, including phenol, tributylphosphate, benzophenone, trimethoprim, galaxolide and tonalide. Detergent metabolites and the disinfectant triclosan were found in earthworms from the biosolids-applied field but not the manure-applied field.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.