PingBack from http://www.ilinkshare.com/tagged/sludge

PingBack from http://sostane.com/blog/2008/10/daily-sustainable-tuesday-going-with-the-flow/

Those who promote "fertilizing" crops with sewage sludge are overlooking a dangerous risk to human and animal health - infectious human and animal prions in both Class B AND Class A sewage sludge "biosolids".   See  http://www.sludgevictims.com/pathogens/prion.html">http://www.sludgevictims.com/pathogens/prion.html

Prion diseases include mad cow, scrapie, chronic wasting disease, and in humans, variant and sporadic creutzfeldt jakob disease.   Animal sources of prions in sewers include abattoirs, butcher shops, meat processors, leachate from landfills used to dispose of infected carcasses and tissue, etc.

Human sources of prions in sewers include the  2 to 25% of the 5.2 million people in US diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease who actually have sporadic Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (sCJD).  Class B sludge is spread on grazing lands, hay fields and dairy pastures.   Class A sludge is spread on  ballfields, playgrounds, parks,  lawns and home flower and vegetable gardens.    Prions have been found in human and animal blood, muscle, urine and feces.

EPA funded  researchers found that prions survive wastewater treatment and partition to the sludge to be present in treated biosolids.    Pathways of risk:   Livestock, wildlife and children eat dirt (and sludge).   Windborne pathogens are inhaled and swallowed.   Family pets track these infectious wastes into homes on their fur and feet.   Sludge and soil adhere to vegetables and crops.

 An infectious prion dose is only .001 gram, prions bind to soil becoming 680 times more infectious. and survive in soil up to 3 years.

Helane Shields, Alton, NH   http://www.sludgevictims.com