[Oneill474]

Why is human waste a deadly fertilizer. Yet animal waste is OK??

[smearcase]

I have no training in this field but, I would contend that human waste is in fact used as a fertilizer in some circumstances. That is after it has been processed through certain sewage treatment plants and bacteria etc dangerous for humans has been neutralized.
Untreated human waste is probably dangerous as a fertilizer because it is carrying bacteria that can definitely be carried by other humans.
Fertilizer (from farm animals) spread on fields I am only guessing carries bacterial for which humans are not a good host and maybe that aren't harmful to humans anyhow. Plus farms animals receive regular immunizations to kill some of their bugs.

[Alty]

Animals have a much more natural healthy diet, humans, not so much, it does effect the feces that we produce. That's my take on it.

[J_9]

Think "Infectious Diseases."

Human waste contains E. Coli, among many other infectious diseases such as C. Diff. If you want to go really deep into it, way back in the past, human waste can contain smallpox... smallpox can be infectious up 13 years (I believe) after burial, which is why it is recommended that a patient who passes with smallpox be cremated.

[lalla1995]

Because humans are intelligent than animal, then also they were making waste. And Animals are not more intelligent that is why they were making waste and not understanding that thing.

[firmbeliever]

I always thought that animal waste used in fertilizers were of herbivorous(sp) animals?

Amanda's Kitchen - Animal Agriculture and Water Pollution
Huge Amounts Human Waste Being Sprayed On Farm Land In Ontario
Humanure or Human Waste Used as a "fertilizer"

After reading all the above articles, I am wondering what am I really putting into my mouth as food.:eek:
A lot of what I eat are not grown in my own country but imported from around the world and I am now wondering what do they use as fertilisers...

[Unknown008]

Yes but its nature as from, lets say millions of years that decaying materials are used by plants, and people are still 'propagating'. The substances that you may call 'yuck' or 'dangerous' can decompose over the years and microorganisms to harmless compounds, or even useful compounds, of which some are used as fertilizers.

[asking]

Yes but its nature as from, lets say millions of years that decaying materials are used by plants, and people are still 'propagating'. The substances that you may call 'yuck' or 'dangerous' can decompose over the years and microorganisms to harmless compounds, or even useful compounds, of which some are used as fertilizers.

I'm all for decay and natural cycles. No question that organic matter is essential for plants. But I'll pass on the risk of picking up salmonella or cholera (? Maybe not) from a tomato or a bag of half washed lettuce. There is increasing evidence that pathogens can enter the interior of the vegetable or fruit and cannot be washed off, even if you wash very thoroughly with mild detergent and water, which hardly anyone does...

In general, you reduce your exposure to pathogens by eating individual plants or animals. So hamburger ground by the butcher in the store probably consists of one or two animals at most, reducing the chance you'll get bacteria or mad cow. In contrast, hamburger ground from hundreds of animals in some huge factory adds the risk from all those animals together. Same for plants. A single head of lettuce is less likely to hurt you than a leaves from 15 different plants recombined into a bag. Over time, the risk increases. On the other hand, if washing the lettuce or other veggies is an impediment to eating veggies, then it's better to buy the bagged stuff.

This trade off really bothers me; I don't know why. But every time I go to the grocery store I hesitate, thinking about these things!

[bushg]

Think "Infectious Diseases."

Human waste contains E. Coli, among many other infectious diseases such as C. Diff. If you want to go really deep into it, way back in the past, human waste can contain smallpox.....smallpox can be infectious up 13 years (I believe) after burial, which is why it is recommended that a patient who passes with smallpox be cremated.

I wonder if it can contain the polio virus?

[asking]

I wonder if it can contain the polio virus?

I believe so. Polio virus normally attacks the gut, so I would expect it would be in human waste. Only occasionally does it "get out" of the gut and attack the nervous system and cause paralysis. In infants and toddlers, polio is normally a mild gastrointestinal illness.

[J_9]

Polio virus normally attacks the gut,

The mild form of polio, called abortive polio, can attack the gut or the respiratory system and can act like a mild flu. People with abortive polio never know they have it until immunization tests are done and it shows positive immunity without a polio vaccination ever being given.

Polio, in the form most people are familiar with, leaves the intestinal system and attacks the nervous system.

[Unknown008]

Thanks for the info! ;)

[WVHiflyer]

Animal waste has e.coli as well (that's where all those bacteria infected hamburger scares come from - waste on meat as catle butchered).

Another problem with human waste is all the drugs we ingest. They are already affecting waterways from sewage. Treatment plants can't remove the hormones, etc we ingest, then excrete.

[Moose1123]

why is human waste a deadly fertilizer. yet animal waste is OK???

Human waste is not a good fertilizer because... We eat meat. Only herbivor waste is good fertilizer. Dog waste is not good because they eat meat. So not all animal waste is good. Only those who eat plants as a full diet. Cows... Horses... sheep... etc... Meat eaters do not make good fertilizer.

[Unknown008]

And guano? Birds are omnivore.

[WVHiflyer]

Guano is from bats. In the US they're all insectivorous, I think. Tho there are bats that eat fruit, ones that eat fish, and, of course, vampire bats. Wonder which makes the best fertilizer..

[Unknown008]

Ah, but I thought guano is waste of birds. Anyway, no matter how it is called, bird waste make good fertilizer as there are seeds that may germinate from them, when birds eat seeds and those pass undigested through their body.

Your question on those bats seem interesting to me... In mauritius, I think most eat fruits, specially mangoes during the mango seasons.

[Unknown008]

Ah, here it is, from a book, "Chemistry Insights" by JGR Briggs:

'The first commercial fertiliser was guano (consisting of seabird droppings), collected from the rocky coasts and islands of South America, where it had build up into thick layers the centuries. Guano is rich in plant nutrients, including nitrogen. However by the beginning of the 20th century, guano supplies were becoming exhausted, so farmers started using natural deposits of sodium nitrate from Chiles.