You wouldn't think that people would actually use bio solids as fertilizer right? It may be hard to believe, but it is true. Some farmers do use bio solids as fertilizer, and you may find it disgusting, not to mention insanitary and dangerous. What are bio solids you may ask? To put it short, bio solids are human waste that forms sludge through sewage. There is a big misconception regarding the bio solids. The government has thought up of a "safe" way of disposing this hazardous waste by placing it over farmer's fields. This is the alternative to dumping the waste onto landfills, oceans and through an incinerator. Also, the government created the word, bio solid. The real term for this is sewage sludge. 
Sewage sludge carry what are called pathogens. Pathogens are bacteria that can cause diseases in humans, in other animals, and also in plants. The diseases caused by bacteria are diverse and include food poisoning, tooth ache, certain forms of cancer and the list goes on. Believe it or not, there have been incidents of people dying because of the pathogenic bacteria. Here's one story that occured on August 5, 2002."An 11-year-old boy from Osceola Mills, Pa., died of staphylococcal septicaemia. The boy had complained of a sore throat, headaches and boils on one leg and one arm several days after riding his motorbike through sewer sludge applied to a nearby field. The boy did not respond to antibiotics and died six days after the bacteria first travelled into his bloodstream."
Clearly, this is not something to be taken lightly. Though, there are certain pros that are found for using sewage sludge as fertilizer. Nutrients found in could be nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and trace elements such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulfur and zinc, which are necessary for crop production and growth. Also, Municipalities get rid of the never-ending stream of sewage sludge, and farmers gain fertilizer for free. This also opens up jobs for people to transport the sludge.
I may have exaggerated a little, and sewer sludge are indeed monitored and kept track of to be rid of pathogens and other harmful chemicals, but do the pros outweigh the cons? It may be a beneficial course of action rather than having to wait extended periods of time for crops to develop, and is a much better way of disposing of sewer sludge rather than filling landfills and our oceans with it. Not to mention much better than incinerating it. Although I don't exactly agree with this option, it is the only solution we currently have and what we will use until an alternative comes up.
Sources:
Fertilizer or Pollution?
Sewage Sludge
science direct pathogens
hazards of sewage sludge / August 5 2002 story
Sewage Sludge Pro and Con
Bio Solid Useful to Society
Comments :
Claudia Luk
Jordan Pedrajas
It will take time for most people to believe that human waste is not just some disgusting material that you want to throw out right away. There are some dangers to using biosolids but as time goes, we will find more ways to create safer and cleaner biosolids and the benefits will be tremendous.
ReplyDeleteI think that biosolids will help us in the long run. It helps reduce our wastes. And as long as it's treated and cleaned properly then there wouldn't be any problem.
ReplyDeleteThough there are cons to using biosolids, they also have many pros, such as the fact that they're cheap and that they're eco-friendly. Since they have to meet E.P.A. standards, I believe that as long as those who purchase them get them from a trusted source, the pros outweigh the cons. In the end, you get more green in your pocket, and a greener world! :)
ReplyDeleteHey, nice posting Daniel
ReplyDeleteI was really interested about the article you found. I never that sludge could kill someone like that, but it goes to show what untreated sludge can do to a human being. I'm sure if that sludge was treated by a higher quality facility that 11 year old child wouldn't have died. All in all people should realize the wonders bio-solids can do for our environment and our agriculture.
Great Post Mr. Maznabi!
ReplyDeleteI must say you did a much better job on this blog. I can see the improvement in your content and usage of a variety of sources. I do however disagree with your opinion. I believe that the usage of Biosolids is an excellent method that can revolutionize farming for ever. Biosolids do have a number of disadvantages, though i feel its advantages heavily outweighs the disadvantages. The process of Biosolids can creates jobs, reduces emissions from
transportation to landfills and can be recycled. In addition, it is great fertilizer and has minimal costs. Personally I see Biosolids as a benefit to us humans. Anyways, Great post and have a good summer.
Hi Daniel!
ReplyDeleteI think many people are really on the fence about this issue, as its pros and cons are debatable. I don't think the problem is that people view biosolids as "gross", but rather that people find the whole process unsanitary. It's hard to imagine that all of the harmful bacteria found in wastes could be removed in order to make biosolids safe. But the fact that biosolids are cheap and environmentally friendly are two very important factors that have people voting in its favour.
I liked the picture you posted of the things inside biosolids. At the same time, I'm not too worried about it. These sort of things wouldn't be allowed if they weren't sure that it was safe. I'm sure that the companies that are producing it are doing all they can to remove the harmful things that can be inside biosolids. It wouldn't be happening if they couldn't. Good post.
ReplyDelete