FERTILIER
APPLICATOR
HEALTH
RISK
EVALUATION
FOR
NON­
NUTRITIVE
ELEMENTS
IN
INORGANIC
FERTILIZERS:
RISK­
BASED
CONCENTRATIONS
(
RBCs)
COMPARED
TO
MEASURED
LEVELS
OF
NON­
NUTRITIVE
ELEMENTS
IN
PRODUCTS
Prepared
for
THE
FERTILIZER
INSTITUTE
Washington,
D.
C.

February
24,
1999
THE
WEINBERG
GROUP
INC.

WASHINGTON,
D.
C.
NEW
YORK
BRUSSELS
PARIS
SAN
FRANCISCO
1220
Nineteenth
St,
NW,
Suite
300
Washington,
DC
20036­
2400
e­
mail
science@
weinberggroup.
com
i
TABLE
OF
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
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1
DEVELOPMENT
OF
THE
RISK
BASED
CONCENTRATIONS
(
RBCs)
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1
INORGANIC
FERTILIZER
DATABASE
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2
SCREENING:
COMPARISON
OF
RBCS
WITH
METAL
OF
POTENTIAL
CONCERN
(
MOPC)
CONCENTRATION
IN
PRODUCT
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2
SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSIONS
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4
REFERENCES
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5
SOURCES
OF
MONITORING
DATA
FOR
NON­
NUTRIENT
ELEMENTS
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5
TABLES
(
presented
at
the
end
of
this
document)

Table
1
Risk
Based
Concentrations
(
RBCs)
for
Screening
Table
2
Example
Health
Risk
Evaluation
for
Non­
Nutritive
Elements
in
Phosphate
Fertilizers:
Compare
Risk
Based
Concentrations
(
RBCs)
to
Level
of
Metal
of
Potential
Concern
(
MOPC)
in
Product
Table
3
Example
Health
Risk
Evaluation
for
Non­
Nutritive
Elements
in
Micronutrient
Fertilizers:
Compare
Risk
Based
Concentrations
(
RBCs)
to
Level
of
Metal
of
Potential
Concern
(
MOPC)
in
Product
Table
4
Comparison
of
Fraction­
of­
Nutrient­
Adjusted
RBCs
to
Metal
of
Potential
Concern
(
MOPC)
Concentrations
for
Individual
Micronutrient
Products
1
INTRODUCTION
The
following
is
a
screening­
level,
health
risk
evaluation
for
fertilizer
applicators
exposed
to
non­
nutritive
elements
in
inorganic
commercial
fertilizers.
The
assessment
is
for
four
nonnutritive
elements
(
arsenic,
cadmium,
lead,
and
mercury,
referred
to
as
metals
of
potential
concern
[
MOPC])
that
are
components
of
phosphate
fertilizers
and
micronutrient
fertilizers.
The
basis
for
selecting
the
four
non­
nutritive
elements
and
the
two
classes
of
fertilizers
is
that
these
metals
and
fertilizers
are
generally
considered
to
represent
the
greatest
potential
health
concern.
A
more
detailed
justification
is
presented
in
The
Weinberg
Group
(
1999)
report
on
RBCs.
The
purpose
of
this
screening
level
evaluation
is
to
determine
if
the
levels
of
the
non­
nutritive
elements
typically
found
in
inorganic
fertilizers
could
pose
a
health
risk
to
fertilizer
applicators
during
application.
The
applicators
would
include
home
owners,
farmers,
nursery
workers,
golf
course
applicators
and
lawn
care
professionals.

DEVELOPMENT
OF
THE
RISK
BASED
CONCENTRATIONS
(
RBCs)

Risk
Based
Concentrations
(
RBCs)
were
derived
in
The
Weinberg
Group
(
1999)
report
for
phosphate
and
micronutrient
fertilizers.
RBCs
are
the
amount
or
concentration
of
a
non­
nutrient
element
in
a
fertilizer
that
is
considered
health
protective
at
a
given
level
and
a
particular
type
of
exposure.
RBCs
were
developed
for
two
fertilizer
applicator
scenarios.
The
first
is
a
lawn
care
professional
who
is
considered
to
have
the
highest
exposure
potential
among
all
applicators.
The
second
is
a
farm
worker
who
is
considered
to
be
representative
of
applicators,
including
nursery
workers,
golf
course
workers
and
home
applicators,
whose
overall
exposure
is
significantly
less
than
the
lawn
care
professional.
In
general,
the
RBCs
were
derived
using
standard
USEPA
guidance
and
equations,
and
exposure
parameters
that
would
yield
high
end
estimates.
The
standard
direct
pathways
of
exposure
included
incidental
ingestion,
dermal
contact,
and
inhalation.
Acceptable
target
cancer
risks
of
1
in
100,000
(
or
1
X10­
5)
for
occupational
setting
and
an
acceptable
non­
cancer
hazard
index
of
1
were
used
to
develop
the
RBCs.
Therefore,
the
RBCs
are
considered
to
be
conservatively
derived
to
ensure
that
health
risks
are
not
underestimated,
and
provide
some
degree
of
initial
flexibility
in
evaluating
products
that
are
used
only
in
lawn
or
in
crop
applications.
The
RBCs
are
presented
in
Table
1.

In
addition,
as
described
in
The
Weinberg
Group
(
1999),
the
MOPC
concentration
in
a
blended
fertilizer
correlates
primarily
with
the
phosphate
or
micronutrient
fraction
of
the
fertilizer.
While
the
fraction
of
the
fertilizer
that
is
phosphate
or
micronutrient
varies
among
products,
for
the
purpose
of
calculating
conservative,
screening
level
RBCs,
the
assumption
was
made
that
the
fertilizer
product
being
applied
is
100%
phosphate
or
100%
micronutrient.
2
INORGANIC
FERTILIZER
DATABASE
Numerous
sources
were
used
to
gather
measurements
of
the
four
non­
nutritive
elements
in
phosphate
and
micronutrient
fertilizers.
These
sources
included
industry
databases,
published
literature,
monitoring
programs
underway
in
individual
states,
and
data
summaries
reported
by
the
USEPA.
The
data
are
reported
as
milligrams
of
metal
per
kilogram
of
fertilizer
product
(
mg/
kg);
this
equates
to
part
per
million
(
ppm)
concentrations.
The
current
database
contains
approximately
3,200
total
analyses
for
arsenic,
cadmium,
lead
and
mercury
(
see
column
"
sample
size"
in
Table
2).
The
industry
and
the
states
continue
to
monitor
fertilizer
products
and
therefore
the
database
will
change
with
time.

SCREENING:
COMPARISON
OF
RBCS
WITH
MOPC
CONCENTRATION
IN
PRODUCT
An
initial
step
in
the
screening­
level
evaluation
of
potential
health
risks
to
fertilizer
applicators
is
made
by
comparing
the
lawn
care
professional
RBCs,
for
a
particular
MOPC,
to
the
measured
concentration
of
the
particular
MOPC
in
fertilizers.
The
comparison
can
be
made
on
a
single
product
sample
or
by
product
categories.
When
evaluating
a
product
category,
a
representative
high
end
MOPC
concentration
is
used
as
the
screening
concentration.
In
this
evaluation,
the
products
were
evaluated
by
category
and
the
maximum
detected
MOPC
concentration
was
compared
with
the
RBC.
If
the
MOPC
screening
concentration
is
less
than
the
RBC,
there
is
no
health
risk
to
applicators
from
exposure
during
application
of
that
product
or
product
category.
If
the
MOPC
concentration
is
greater
than
the
RBC
value,
a
further,
more
refined,
comparison
may
be
desirable.

Specifically,
further
refinement
on
the
assumptions
that
go
into
deriving
the
screening­
level
RBC
values
and/
or
MOPC
concentrations
would
include:


adjustment
of
the
RBC
to
reflect
the
actual
fraction
of
the
nutrient
in
the
fertilizer
(
or
product).
As
indicated
above,
the
screening­
level
RBCs
are
based
on
the
assumption
that
the
MOPC
is
100%
of
the
fertilizer,
when
in
fact,
the
MOPC
is
associated
with
a
fraction
of
the
fertilizer.
For
macronutrient
fertilizers,
the
MOPC
is
associated
with
the
phosphate
portion
of
the
fertilizer.
If
the
product
is
a
5­
15­
15
blend
(
i.
e.,
N­
P­
K),
then
the
phosphate
is
only
15
%
of
the
product.
The
screening­
level
RBC
value
is
divided
by
0.15
to
derive
a
product
specific
RBC.
The
same
adjustment
can
be
done
for
micronutrient
fertilizers
using
the
actual
percent
nutrient
in
the
product
in
place
of
the
assumed
100%
nutrient
(
e.
g.,
Zn)
content.


adjustment
of
the
RBC
to
reflect
the
actual
conditions
surrounding
the
use
of
the
product
such
as
the
intended
vegetation,
application
frequency,
and
likely
exposure
conditions
for
a
specific
product.
RBC
values
assume
high
end
use
scenarios,
application
frequencies,
and
exposure
conditions
that
may
overestimate
those
of
the
actual
products.
3
<
The
initial
screening
is
based
on
the
lawn
care
professional
scenario;
however,
the
fertilizer
may
be
intended
for
crops
not
grass.
In
this
case,
the
farm
worker
RBCs
would
be
more
appropriate
RBCs
for
screening.

<
Both
sets
of
RBCs
are
based
on
high
end
exposure
parameters,
which
may
be
changed
to
be
more
reflective
of
the
actual
scenario
(
e.
g.,
the
number
of
days
the
fertilizer
is
applied
may
be
less,
the
applicators
may
ware
gloves
during
application,
thereby,
decreasing
the
exposed
skin
surface
area).


adjustment
of
the
MOPC
concentration
to
account
for
the
range
of
measured
levels
in
a
specific
product
category
rather
than
the
maximum
reported
concentration
for
that
product
in
the
available
database,
which
is
compiled
from
across
the
United
States
(
US).
The
maximum
detected
concentration
may
not
be
applicable
to
a
particular
use
or
geographic
scenario.
A
closer
analysis
of
the
MOPC
concentrations
may
indicate
the
presence
of
"
outliers".

Results
This
section
presents
and
summarizes
the
results
of
the
screening­
level
comparison
separately
for
phosphate
fertilizers
and
micronutrient
fertilizers.
As
noted
above,
the
lawn
care
professional
RBCs
were
used
for
the
initial
screening
and
are
the
RBCs
presented
in
the
comparison
tables.
In
the
instance
where
an
exceedence
of
the
RBC
occurs
in
the
initial
screening,
some
further
refinement
was
conducted
and
is
described
in
the
following
paragraphs
and
in
Table
4.


Phosphate
Fertilizers
(
Table
2)

Arsenic
­­­­­­­­­­­
There
is
one
exceedence
of
the
RBC
for
arsenic.
This
exceedence
is
the
maximum
concentration
out
of
104
samples
labeled
"
Ag
Blend".
In
addition,
the
exceedence
is
marginal,
75
ppm
compared
to
the
RBC
of
72
ppm.
If
the
RBC
is
adjusted
to
account
for
the
percent
of
phosphate
that
is
actually
in
this
particular
product,
(
unknown,
but
not
likely
above
30­
50%)
the
RBC
value
will
increase,
and
there
will
no
longer
be
any
exceedences
among
the
phosphate
fertilizer
samples
for
arsenic.

Cadmium
­­­­­­­­­
There
are
no
exceedences
of
the
RBC
for
cadmium
in
any
products.

Mercury
­­­­­­­­­­
There
are
no
exceedences
of
the
RBC
for
mercury
in
any
products.

Lead
­­­­­­­­­­
There
are
two
exceedences
of
the
RBC
for
lead.
Both
are
the
maximum
measured
concentration,
one
among
100
samples
labeled
"
Ag
Blend"
and
the
other
among
189
samples
of
"
triplesuperphosphate
(
TSP)".
Both
exceedences
are
less
than
a
factor
of
two
higher
than
the
4
RBC.
Therefore,
an
adjustment
of
the
RBC
using
the
actual
percent
of
phosphate
in
the
product
(
i.
e.,
44%
for
TSP
and
unknown
for
Ag
Blend
but
not
likely
above
30­
50%)
will
eliminate
the
exceedences.
Also,
the
1860
ppm
maximum
value
for
TSP
is
ten
times
higher
than
the
next
highest
measured
level
of
lead
in
the
remaining
188
TSP
samples,
calling
into
question
the
accuracy
of
the
1860
ppm
measurement.


Micronutrient
Fertilizers
(
Table
3)

Arsenic
­­­­­­­­­­
Two
micronutrient
product
categories
have
exceedences
including:
2
of
8
boron
fertilizer
samples
and
11
of
33
iron
fertilizer
samples.
A
further
evaluation
of
these
exceedences
is
presented
in
Table
4.
The
RBC
values
are
adjusted
by
the
actual
percentage
of
micronutrient
that
is
in
each
specific
product.
There
remain
some
exceedences
in
iron
fertilizer
samples.
More
information
than
is
available
in
the
data
base
is
needed
to
further
adjust
the
RBCs
to
better
reflect
the
actual
intended
use
of
the
products.

Cadmium
­­­­­­­­­
There
are
no
exceedences
of
the
RBC
for
cadmium
in
any
products.

Mercury
­­­­­­­­­
There
are
no
exceedences
of
the
RBC
for
mercury
in
any
products.

Lead
­­­­­­­­­­
There
are
exceedences
in
15
of
64
zinc
fertilizer
samples,
in
4
of
32
iron
fertilizer
samples
and
in
4
of
25
samples
labeled
"
micronutrient".
A
further
evaluation
of
these
exceedences
is
presented
in
Table
4.
The
RBC
values
are
adjusted
by
the
actual
percentage
of
micronutrient
that
is
in
each
specific
product.
All
of
the
exceedences
for
the
four
samples
labeled
"
micronutrient"
and
for
three
of
the
four
iron
samples
are
eliminated.
One
half
of
the
zinc
sample
exceedences
are
eliminated.
More
information
on
the
remaining
zinc
samples,
than
is
currently
available,
is
needed
to
further
adjust
the
RBC
values
to
better
reflect
the
actual
intended
use
of
the
products.

SUMMARY
AND
CONCLUSIONS
Of
the
approximately
2600
phosphate
fertilizer
samples
(
the
current
data
base)
for
which
there
are
measured
concentrations
of
arsenic,
cadmium,
lead
or
mercury,
there
are
no
exceedences
of
fraction­
of­
nutrient­
adjusted
RBC
values
for
lawn
care
applicators.
Because
(
1)
the
lawn
care
applicators
are
expected
to
have
the
highest
potential
exposures
(
more
so
than
farm
workers,
golf
course
applicators
nursery
workers
or
home
resident
applicators),
(
2)
phosphate
fertilizers
contain
higher
levels
of
the
non­
nutrient
elements
than
other
NPK
fertilizers,
and
(
3)
the
four
metals
evaluated
in
this
assessment
pose
the
highest
potential
health
risks,
the
current
data
support
the
conclusion
that
NPK
fertilizers
do
not
pose
a
health
risk
to
applicators
from
exposure
to
its
non­
nutrient
elements.

Of
the
approximately
600
micronutrient
fertilizer
samples
(
the
current
data
base)
for
which
there
5
are
measured
concentrations
of
arsenic,
cadmium,
lead
or
mercury,
there
are
15
exceedences
of
fraction­
of­
nutrient­
adjusted
RBC
values
for
lawn
care
applicators.
There
are
exceedences
only
for
iron
and
zinc
products,
and
the
exceedences
are
"
marginal"
(
less
than
a
factor
of
2)
for
all
but
2
of
the
15
samples.
Because
the
RBCs
are
derived
using
very
conservative
assumptions,
no
health
risks
are
associated
with
99.7
percent
of
the
samples
in
the
data
base.
More
detailed
information
than
is
in
the
data
bases,
regarding
product
use,
would
be
needed
to
do
conduct
a
further
refinement
for
these
two
remaining
iron
samples.
Because
the
RBC
values
for
other
applicators
(
i.
e.,
farm
workers,
golf
course
workers,
nursery
workers
and
home
residents)
are
considerably
above
the
RBCs
for
lawn
care
applicators
(
see
Table
1),
there
are
no
exceedences
and
no
health
risks
expected
for
these
applicator
groups.

This
evaluation
can
be
updated
as
additional
monitoring
data
become
available
on
concentrations
of
MOPCs
in
phosphate
and
micronutrient
products.

REFERENCES
The
Weinberg
Group.
1999.
Health
risk
based
concentrations
for
fertilizer
products
and
fertilizer
applicators.
Prepared
for
The
Fertilizer
Institute.
February
23,
1999.

SOURCES
OF
MONITORING
DATA
FOR
NON­
NUTRIENT
ELEMENTS
The
Weinberg
Group.
1998.
Industry
and
literature
survey
of
nutritive
and
non­
nutritive
elements
in
inorganic
fertilizer
materials.
Prepared
for
The
Fertilizer
Institute.
December
16,
1998.

Monitoring
Data
(
generally
1996­
1998)
from
California,
Florida,
Minnesota,
New
Hampshire,
Pennsylvania,
Texas,
and
Washington
TFI
Member
Companies
reporting
data
for
their
blended
and
micronutrient
products
in
1998.
Risk
Based
Concentration
Farm
Worker
Lawn
Care
Professional
Metal
of
Potential
Concern
(
MOPC)
Micronutrient
Fertilizer
Phosphate
Fertilizer
Micronutrient
Fertilizer
Phosphate
Fertilizer
Arsenic
3,200
1,600
140
72
Cadmium
140,000
69,000
6,100
3,000
Lead
71,000
35,000
3,200
1,600
Mercury
7,300
3,700
320
160
(
a)
All
RBCs
expressed
as
mg
MOPC/
kg
fertilizer.

(
b)
Developed
in
The
Weinberg
Group
(
1999).
Health
risk
based
concentrations
for
fertilizer
products
and
fertilizer
applicators.
(
Table
7)

TABLE
1
RISK
BASED
CONCENTRATIONS
(
RBCs)
FOR
SCREENING
(
RBC)
(
a)
(
b)
Fertlizer
Category
Sample
Size
Average
(
ppm)
Minimum
(
ppm)
Maximum
(
ppm)
RBC
(
ppm)
(
a)
Exceed
RBC?
Number
of
Samples
that
Exceed
RBC
Ag
Blend
104
5.4
0.15
75.2
72
Yes
1
Phosphate
Rock
50
13
4
40
72
No
0
Superphosphoric
Acid
9
12
0.2
31
72
No
0
Monoammonium
Phosphate
62
12
0.05
25
72
No
0
Phosphate
5
9.2
0.2
24.5
72
No
0
Triple
Superphosphate
56
12
0.05
21
72
No
0
Superphosphate
4
12
7
21
72
No
0
Orthophosphate
2
20.5
20.5
20.5
72
No
0
Diammonium
Phosphate
76
11.1
0.05
20.5
72
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
7
12
0.6
20.5
72
No
0
Phosphoric
Acid
12
11
0.5
19
72
No
0
Urea
­
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
­
KCl
4
6.8
5.2
7.8
72
No
0
Prilled
Blend
1
7.5
7.5
7.5
72
No
0
Nitrophosphate
5
6.2
3.6
7.4
72
No
0
Urea­
Diammonium
Phosphate
­
KCl
2
4.8
4.7
4.9
72
No
0
Ammonium
Phosphate
Sulfate
2
4.2
4.1
4.2
72
No
0
Ammonium
Sulfate
­
Ammonium
Phosphate
­
KCl
1
4.1
4.1
4.1
72
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
­
Potash
Mix
1
2.13
2.13
2.13
72
No
0
Suspension
Phosphate
1
1.5
(
1)
1.5
(
1)
1.5
(
1)
72
No
0
Liquid
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
1.5
(
1)
1.5
(
1)
1.5
(
1)
72
No
0
Urea­
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
1
1
1
72
No
0
Monoammonium
Phosphate
211
9.3
0.15
205
3000
No
0
Diammonium
Phosphate
311
8.0
0.25
188
3000
No
0
Triple
Superphosphate
191
12
1.8
180
3000
No
0
Phosphoric
Acid
8
92
0.15
163
3000
No
0
Superphosphoric
Acid
9
85
0.5
160
3000
No
0
Ag
Blend
105
10
0.01
160
3000
No
0
Ammonium
Phosphate
Sulfate
2
148
145
151
3000
No
0
Phosphate
Rock
90
27
2.4
122
3000
No
0
Urea­
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
106
106
106
3000
No
0
Phosphate
4
23
3
69
3000
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
11
19
4
56
3000
No
0
Urea
­
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
­
KCl
5
7.2
1.6
24.35
3000
No
0
Orthophosphate
2
19.5
19.5
19.5
3000
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
­
Potash
Mix
1
7.7
7.7
7.7
3000
No
0
Superphosphate
4
4
2
4.88
3000
No
0
Nitrophosphate
5
3.3
2.6
4.3
3000
No
0
Urea
phosphate
1
3.9
3.9
3.9
3000
No
0
Urea­
Diammonium
Phosphate
­
KCl
2
2.1
2
2.1
3000
No
0
Ammonium
Sulfate
­
Ammonium
Phosphate
­
KCl
1
1.8
1.8
1.8
3000
No
0
Suspension
Phosphate
1
1.6
1.6
1.6
3000
No
0
Prilled
Blend
1
0.75
(
1)
0.75
(
1)
0.75
(
1)
3000
No
0
Liquid
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
0.63
0.63
0.63
3000
No
0
TABLE
2
APPLICATOR
HEALTH
RISK
EVALUATION
FOR
NON­
NUTRITIVE
ELEMENTS
IN
PHOSPHATE
FERTILIZERS:
COMPARE
RISK­
BASED
CONCENTRATIONS
(
RBCs)
TO
LEVEL
OF
METAL
OF
POTENTIAL
CONCERN
(
MOPC)
IN
PRODUCT
ARSENIC
CADMIUM
Fertlizer
Category
Sample
Size
Average
(
ppm)
Minimum
(
ppm)
Maximum
(
ppm)
RBC
(
ppm)
(
a)
Exceed
RBC?
Number
of
Samples
that
Exceed
RBC
Monoammonium
Phosphate
76
0.15
0.002
1.5
160
No
0
Triple
Superphosphate
73
0.14
0.0025
(
1)
1.3
160
No
0
Ag
Blend
65
0.12
0.0025
(
1)
1.13
160
No
0
Phosphate
Rock
29
0.2
0.0025
(
1)
0.5
160
No
0
Diammonium
Phosphate
129
0.1
0.001
0.5
160
No
0
Nitrophosphate
1
0.38
0.38
0.38
160
No
0
Ammonium
Phosphate
Sulfate
2
0.02
0.01
0.024
160
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Urea­
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Superphosphate
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Prilled
Blend
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Phosphoric
Acid
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Liquid
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Suspension
Phosphate
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
160
No
0
Ag
Blend
100
52
0.1
1940
1600
Yes
1
Triple
Superphosphate
189
20
1
1860
1600
Yes
1
Monoammonium
Phosphate
209
8
0.05
150
1600
No
0
Orthophosphate
2
150
150
150
1600
No
0
Diammonium
Phosphate
306
5.8
0.75
150
1600
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
10
31
0.17
150
1600
No
0
Phosphate
3
40
1
108
1600
No
0
Phosphate
Rock
57
13
0.5
55
1600
No
0
Nitrophosphate
5
6.5
2.5
20
1600
No
0
Superphosphate
4
9
1
17
1600
No
0
Phosphoric
Acid
8
3
1
10
1600
No
0
Superphosphoric
Acid
5
3
0.05
8.5
1600
No
0
Urea
Phosphate
1
8.1
8.1
8.1
1600
No
0
Prilled
Blend
1
5
5
5
1600
No
0
Ammonium
Phosphate
Sulfate
2
3.3
2.1
4.4
1600
No
0
Urea
­
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
­
KCl
5
2.4
1.1
3.8
1600
No
0
Ammonium
Sulfate
­
Ammonium
Phosphate
­
KCl
1
3.6
3.6
3.6
1600
No
0
Urea­
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
3.19
3.19
3.19
1600
No
0
Urea­
Diammonium
Phosphate
­
KCl
2
2.0
1.8
2.1
1600
No
0
Liquid
Ammonium
Phosphate
1
1
(
1)
1
(
1)
1
(
1)
1600
No
0
Suspension
Phosphate
1
1
(
1)
1
(
1)
1
(
1)
1600
No
0
Ammonium
Polyphosphate
­
Potash
Mix
1
0.13
0.13
0.13
1600
No
0
Note:
Highlighted
rows
identify
fertilizers
with
maximum
detect
values
that
exceed
the
RBC.
(
a)
Based
on
a
lawn
care
professional
scenario,
developed
in
The
Weinberg
Group
(
1999).
(
1)
The
reported
values
are
one­
half
of
the
detection
limit.
LEAD
MERCURY
TABLE
2
(
cont.)
Fertlizer
Category
Sample
Size
Average
(
ppm)
Minimum
(
ppm)
Maximum
(
ppm)
RBC
(
ppm)
(
a)
Exceed
RBC?
Number
of
Samples
that
Exceed
RBC
ARSENIC
Fe
33
1299
0.6
6190
140
Yes
11
B
8
273
1.83
1040
140
Yes
2
Zn
51
18
1
130
140
No
0
Micronutrient
22
13
0.15
83
140
No
0
Ferrous
Sulfate
1
50
(
1)
50
(
1)
50
(
1)
140
Yes
0
Mn
5
8.7
0.1
20.5
140
No
0
S
3
14.3
2
20.5
140
No
0
Mg
5
13.8
1.99
20.5
140
No
0
Ca
1
20.5
(
1)
20.5
(
1)
20.5
(
1)
140
No
0
Al
1
20.5
(
1)
20.5
(
1)
20.5
(
1)
140
No
0
Cu
4
17.6
8.92
20.5
140
No
0
Ag
Blend
w/
Micros
14
8.4
2.1
19.4
140
No
0
Specialty
w/
Micros
5
4
3.7
6
140
No
0
Ag
Ammoniated
w/
Micros
5
4.0
3.4
5.9
140
No
0
Sodium
Molybdate
1
4.95
4.95
4.95
140
No
0
Fe
29
159
1
3900
6100
No
0
Zn
66
96.3
0.095
1020
6100
No
0
Micronutrient
25
40.5
0.015
400
6100
No
0
Cu
5
16.4
0.41
23.3
6100
No
0
Al
1
19.5
(
1)
19.5
(
1)
19.5
(
1)
6100
No
0
S
3
13.1
0.25
19.5
6100
No
0
Mn
4
10.9
2
19.5
6100
No
0
B
5
15.8
0.75
19.5
6100
No
0
Ca
1
19.5
(
1)
19.5
(
1)
19.5
(
1)
6100
No
0
Mg
5
13.0
0.47
19.5
6100
No
0
Specialty
w/
Micros
7
6.1
1.7
11.9
6100
No
0
Ag
Ammoniated
w/
Micros
6
8.3
6.6
10.6
6100
No
0
Ag
Blend
w/
Micros
14
4.6
0.6
9.7
6100
No
0
Manganese
Sulfate
1
4.4
4.37
4.37
6100
No
0
Ferrous
Sulfate
1
2.1
2.1
2.1
6100
No
0
Fe
1
13.7
13.7
13.7
320
No
0
Micronutrient
19
1.2
0.0025
11.9
320
No
0
Zn
12
0.5
0.0025
3.36
320
No
0
Ag
Blend
w/
Micros
5
0.3
0.14
0.53
320
No
0
Mn
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
320
No
0
Ferrous
Sulfate
1
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
320
No
0
B
10.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
320
No
0
S
10.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
0.0025
(
1)
320
No
0
Zn
64
3135
0.32
27700
3200
Yes
15
Fe
32
1833
70
17950
3200
Yes
4
Micronutrient
25
1476
0.1
17500
3200
Yes
4
Cu
8
203
3.08
1160
3200
No
0
Mg
5
206
27.7
550
3200
No
0
Ag
Blend
w/
Micros
14
110
1.5
337
3200
No
0
Ca
1
150
(
1)
150
(
1)
150
(
1)
3200
No
0
B
7
86
1
150
3200
No
0
Al
1
150
(
1)
150
(
1)
150
(
1)
3200
No
0
Mn
4
75
1
150
3200
No
0
S
3
101
3.5
150
3200
No
0
Ag
Ammoniated
w/
Micros
6
36
7.9
59.1
3200
No
0
Specialty
w/
Micros
9
8.5
0.8
49.2
3200
No
0
Ferrous
Sulfate
1
23.1
23.1
23.1
3200
No
0
Manganese
Sulfate
1
0.94
0.94
0.94
3200
No
0
Note:
Highlighted
rows
identify
fertilizers
with
maximum
detect
values
that
exceed
the
RBC.
(
a)
Based
on
a
lawn
care
professional
scenario,
developed
in
The
Weinberg
Group
(
1999).
(
1)
The
reported
values
are
one­
half
of
the
detection
limit.
LEAD
APPLICATOR
HEALTH
RISK
EVALUATION
FOR
NON­
NUTRITIVE
ELEMENTS
IN
MICRONUTRIENT
FERTILIZERS:
COMPARE
RISK­
BASED
CONCENTRATIONS
(
RBCs)
TO
LEVEL
OF
METAL
OF
POTENTIAL
CONCERN
(
MOPC)
IN
PRODUCT
TABLE
3
CADMIUM
MERCURY
TABLE
4
COMPARISON
OF
FRACTION­
OF­
NUTRIENT­
ADJUSTED
RBCS
TO
MOPC
CONCENTRATIONS
FOR
INDIVIDUAL
MICRONUTRIENT
PRODUCTS
Fertilizer
Applicator
Health
Risk
Evaluation
Fertilizer
Source:
MOPC
Adjusted
RBC
Fertilizer
Category
Name/
Type
State
Concentration
(
ppm)
ppm
(
a)
Arsenic
(
140
ppm)
(
b)
B
Boron
Fertilizer
Washington
1,040
­­
B
10%
B
Florida
1,030
1,400
Fe
(
2­
0­
0)
4.25%
Fe
Minnesota
6,190
3,300
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
6,020
3,100
Fe
12%
Fe
California
5,900
1,200
Fe
18%
Fe
California
5,090
780
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
3,600
3,100
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
3,600
3,100
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
3,540
3,100
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
3,540
3,100
Fe
10%
Fe
Minnesota
248
1,400
Fe
50%
Fe
California
220
280
Fe
­­
Washington
4,460
­­
Lead
(
3,200
ppm)
Fe
28%
Fe
California
17,950
11,000
Fe
12%
Fe
California
3,400
27,000
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
3,400
71,000
Fe
(
1­
0­
0)
4.5%
Fe
Minnesota
3,400
71,000
Micronutrient
18%
Zn
Nebraska
17,500
18,000
Micronutrient
20%
Zn
Washington
9,490
16,000
Micronutrient
mix
No.
2
(
c)
Washington
3,590
­­
Micronutrient
5.6%
Zn
Washington
3,490
57,000
Zn
12%
Zn
California
27,700
27,000
Zn
20%
Zn
oxysulfate
(
K061)
Nebraska
21,000
16,000
Zn
18%
Zn
California
17,400
18,000
Zn
18%
Zn
California
16,750
18,000
Zn
18%
Zn
California
13,025
18,000
Zn
Zinc
Oxide/
Sulfate
20%
Zn
Florida
12,260
16,000
Zn
Zinc
Oxide/
Sulfate
20%
Zn
Florida
12,070
16,000
Zn
36%
Zn
Minnesota
11,600
8,900
Zn
36%
Zn
Minnesota
11,600
8,900
Zn
Granular
Zn
No.
1
Washington
11,300
­­
Zn
36%
Zn
Minnesota
9,350
8,900
Zn
36%
Zn
Alabama
9,350
8,900
Zn
20%
Zn
oxysulfate
(
K061)
Nebraska
5,800
16,000
Zn
20%
Zn
oxysulfate
(
K061)
Nebraska
5,600
16,000
Zn
20%
Zn
oxysulfate
(
K061)
Nebraska
4,800
16,000
SHADE
Indicates
the
MOPC
concentration
exceeds
the
adjusted
RBC.
Bold
Indicates
the
MOPC
concentration
exceeds
the
adjusted
RBC
by
more
than
a
factor
of
two.
­­
Fraction
of
Nutrient
not
reported
MOPC
Metal
of
Potential
Concern
RBC
Risk
Based
Concentration
(
a)
Adjusted
RBC
=
Lawn
Care
Professional
RBC
divided
by
the
Fraction
of
Nutrient
(
e.
g.,
140
ppm
As
divided
b
0.10B
=
1400
ppm
As)
(
b)
RBCs
used
in
initial
screening
(
presented
in
Table
1
of
this
document).
(
c)
for
B,
Cu,
Co,
Fe,
Mn,
Mo,
Zn.
