Arsenic "Fact of the Day" from the RI DEM ruling: Compost

I've finished reading the 185-page RI DEM decision on the Request for Modification on the Beneficial Use Determination (BUD) and because I'm not sure that everyone will have the time to explore the detailed responses that DEM offers to neighborhood concerns, over the next few days, I will post pertinent snippets. This one caught my attention.

Q. Is it safe to grow vegetables in my garden?

A. The Department’s arsenic standard for Class A compost to be sold to consumers for garden use is 41 mg/kg. Therefore, the Department does not feel that allowing soils averaging 20 mg/kg or under, mixed with other soils with much lower levels of arsenic, covered by a cap is cause for an advisory.


Want the facts? Read the whole document.