Human Poop as Fertilizers??

The treatment of our water is very important, our sewage system has improved as we evolve. There are many bacterias that are very harmful such as e coli that can cause illness like cholera. It is essential that we get clear and clean water. Now most of you might not know what biosolids are. Biosolids is a term for digested sewage solids they are nutrient rich organic material created by the treatment of domestic fluids in treatment facilities, they must be carefully treated and monitored at all times. Did you know that many countries use biosolids to fertilize their plants and crops? You would never think of using human waste for growing the fruits and vegetable that we eat.

Are biosolids safe for us? That is the question you are probably thinking. Some believe that the cleaning treatment that the biosolids go through are enough to neutralize any bacteria and diseases that are contained inside the waste, Others believe that biosolids are not safe and could cause a major problem to our health. There are some cases where people have become ill when exposed to biosolids. There has also been a case where an 11 year old boy died from staphylococcal septicaemia ( a bacteria that causes boils and infection). Residents living near fields with biosolids have said that their pets have developed boils and infection which later on were euthanized. Though the risks are very dangerous, there is a very low chance that it will happen again. There are many benefits for using biosolids. Biosolids are an inexpensive type of fertilizer and there is almost an unlimited supply of it. Biosolids are also full of nutrients which will increase the quality of crops, the nutrients promote healthy root growth.

Most of us think that using human waste as fertilizers is very gross and disgusting. But the real deal is that biosolids are a great and cheap alternative to the chemical fertilizers that we use on our crops. There are many benefits of using biosolids and they outweigh the cons. As time goes by we will find a safer and cleaner way of creating these boisolids which will help our economy and the way we grow crops.

Sources

• http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp
  


• http://www.canadafreepress.com/2002/ed80502.htm
  


• http://www.toronto.ca/water/biosolids/index.htm
  


• http://www.biosolids.com/benefits.html

Comments
Daniel Maznabi

Claudia Luk