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Re: Sewage Sludge (fwd)



--
Duncan McAlpine
Federal Way  WA  USA
http://www.eskimo.com/~mcalpin/
mcalpin@eskimo.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 5 Apr 1998 00:24:47 -0800 (PST)
From: Dan Shanahan <shanahan@seanet.com>
To: veggie-list@eskimo.com
Subject: Re: Sewage Sludge

Sheila Smith wrote:


> Subject: Sewage Sludge
> Date: Thu, 02 Apr 1998 15:07:35 -0500
> From: "Michael D. Cook" <mikecook@pipeline.com>
> To: veggie-list@eskimo.com
> 
> I remember there being a big fuss awhile back because school children in a
> western state (California?) were infected with E. coli after eating
> Mexican-grown strawberries.  It was determined that the strawberries were
> fertilized at least partially with human waste, and so that state no longer
> will buy from Mexico.  So what is different about sewage sludge?  Is it
> treated, heated, or somehow disinfected?  I am not sure that the treatment
> received at a sewage plant actually sanitizes sewage completely.  Or does it?
> 
> Sheila Smith
> mikecook@pipeline.com
> Z 5/6


Sheila,

If you could be sure that the sewage waste were properly composted to
reduce pathogens, then it would be okay to use -- theoretically -- in
the veggie garden. I say theoretically, because many state laws do not
allow it to be sold for use on food crops. Large-scale composting can
properly reduce the pathogens, but it is quite easy to recontaminate the
product.

The real worry about sewage sludge is that there is so much in our
sewage system besides human waste. There are laws governing the levels
of contaminants, such as heavy metals, in the final compost, but the
uncomfortable fact is that the allowable levels in USA are higher than
the levels allowed in European countries. Just what are those heavy
metals doing to our soil? Many people think that "wait and see" is a
dangerous road to follow, because if the soil is damaged the mitigation
cost will be horrendous.

Debby
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