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Re: "Miracle-Gro" and urine - a warning

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

<< Sterile?  Doubt it somehow.  
  >>

     Urine is sterile. The bladder and entire urinary tract is sterile unless 
there is an active *bacterial* infection, such as a UTI. If your urine is 
*not* sterile, you have a bacterial infection that shouldn't be there. Urine 
should not contain either bacteria or white blood cells....and this is what 
is checked for if an infection in any part of the urinary tract from the 
kidneys on down.  
     
<<A couple of years ago there was a small outbreak of hepatitis in
Britain.  It was eventually traced back to strawberries grown in one of
the Mediterranean countries.  There they had used human urine as a sort
of fertilizer.  It had not been washed off by watering or whatever.  In
short into the food chain and bang two dozen or so people in real bad
shape in hospital.>>
 
     I remember this. Except from what I remember it was human feces that 
were used to fertilize the plants which caused disease in humans. Since you 
have hepatitis, I can understand your worry/sensitivity, though. But, as far 
as transmission, urine, unless there was blood in it from an injury (to the 
kidneys, for example) *and* from a hepatitis infected person, it would not 
have spread any of the hepatitis viruses.....but human feces would.
     I haven't ever tried urine in my garden. But there isn't any health 
reason not to.
     I'm sure you're still not convinced, but urine *is* sterile...is 
supposed to be, and if it isn't the "urinator" will most likely know about it 
and get/want antibiotic treatment. There's no need to compost it. *However,* 
because of the possibility of blood in the urine (which would then make it 
unsterile...and there are many blood-borne diseases) I wouldn't reccomend 
letting anyone who wants to just go and take a whiz in your garden. 

Lisa Viger </PRE></HTML>


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