Warning about "Biosolids" aka Human ****.

[Sin inc]

well i thank you for posting your find and giving the people the choice to by giving detailed info. but i sure this will not stop people from using this fert and i sure years down the line when things go wrong and people start to get sick . things will change maybe if were lucky

 

[orangesunshine]

:yeahthat: thanks for the info---

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

So basically, it is the stuff people put into the sewage system that makes biosolids a hazard, not the treated human waste itself?

I have found that many people use the sanitary sewage system like a haz mat dump, believing that it is okay to flush anything down the toilet or sink. It generally costs the sewage treatment plants more to remove the stuff from the sewage system that should not be there than it does to treat what should be there. There was a porta-potty where I used to raft alot that had a sign that read "Other than toilet paper, please do not put anything in this toilet that you have not eaten." Human waste breaks down quite well (a well maintained septic tank should go for 10 years or more between pumpings). It is all the other (non)crap that causes the problems.

 

[skullcandy]

I did not know that.

 

[brimck325]

common practice for hospitals in this country to flush meds...what a disgrace!

 

[pcduck]

They have begun burning them here lately...Hospital meds and whatnot.

But is this not the same stuff that people take everyday from the Dr. to make them better?...I understand the hazards. I just hope they are not dumping Nuclear isotopes down the drain. Not sure how long it would take the em to break that down. I don't fool with that enough to know

 

[WeedHopper]

All sounds pretty freaken nasty to me. I like growing in DWC's anyway. Hopefully none of my Liquid nutes are made from that crap.

 

[Leonardo De Garden]

So basically, it is the stuff people put into the sewage system that makes biosolids a hazard, not the treated human waste itself?

It is a combination, a lot is stuff gets flushed, detergents get rinsed off, etc, but some is in the people that use the sewage system as intended as well, women taking birth control pills add hormones, chemo patients evacuate chemo chemicals, epilepsy patients pass on anti seizure chemicals.

 

[Leonardo De Garden]

All sounds pretty freaken nasty to me. I like growing in DWC's anyway. Hopefully none of my Liquid nutes are made from that crap.

As far as I know, none of the conventional liquid or soild nutes use anything of the sort. But it can show up in some potting mixes such as those listed, or in "compost giveaways" at sewage plants.

 

[The Hemp Goddess]

It is a combination, a lot is stuff gets flushed, detergents get rinsed off, etc, but some is in the people that use the sewage system as intended as well, women taking birth control pills add hormones, chemo patients evacuate chemo chemicals, epilepsy patients pass on anti seizure chemicals.

The chemicals that are in our urine and other waste is such a small percentage of the total volume, a very small percentage of the population use these drugs and it is so greatly diluted that I cannot see this causing a problem with treated waste. Virtually all detergents are now biodegradable (in addition, we use mild soap solutions as a wetting agent). I would not hesitate to use biosolids anywhere if I was sure that all it contained was treated human waste and not hospital chemicals or other chemicals that get put into our waste water by the uncaring. If municipalities only had to remove human waste in treatment plants, the treatment of sewage would be a lot easier. They currently spend untold billions removing stuff that never should have been introduced into the sanitary sewer in the first place.

 

[Leonardo De Garden]

... I would not hesitate to use biosolids anywhere if I was sure that all it contained was treated human waste and not hospital chemicals or other chemicals that get put into our waste water by the uncaring...

Fair point, but the current situation is that a lot of unpleasant things do get dumped into the sewers along with the human waste, and passing it off onto consumers without telling them is in my opinion, not fair. Especially since the long term studies seem to indicate that they can cause a buildup of toxins in soil treated with it.

 

[blackened]

I saw the study that was done that found similar contaminate levels for samples taken from both large and small municipalities, but I'd still tend to think that Glacier Gold, which comes from Olney, Montana, would be a relatively safe bet. Not only is the sludge coming from a very small community, with a very small level of industry, but it is also being fed with water that is about as pristine as one can get. They are very close to the continental divide.

All of the rest of them on that list seem to be not only in large municipalities, but HUGE ones... the ones that are the biggest in America: New York, Philly, LA, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee, Boston, DC, etc. etc. I can't imagine there isn't a difference.

Does anyone have a list of commercial compost products that AREN'T made from sludge??

 

[Leonardo De Garden]

Does anyone have a list of commercial compost products that AREN'T made from sludge??

Most of the premium mixes don't, it's mostly used in cheap (or free) low quality bags. Check on the specific mix to make sure, but as far as I know Vermi, Fox Farm, Just Right, Empire etc. are all good.