30-05-2004, 09:03 AM
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Re(2): Dog feces in compost?
writes:
You're overreacting, bigtime.
Probably, but it's how I feel.
Do you allow children to play in the
grass where maybe a dog has shit when you weren't looking? (BTW, the
risk with dog waste is parasites much more than it is bacteria.)
No, I don't, as a matter of fact. Never did. It's one of many reasons
why my yards have always been fenced as well as my own dogs having
specific "potty places" for their bathrooms. And, no, friends' dogs are
not welcome in my yard. It's relatively easy to teach a dog to use only
one small part of the yard for its bathroom.
As for the parasites, that is also true for human feces which has been
shown to be true from farms that have had people use the rows for toilets.
Even though it's not usually discussed, that risk is even higher from
food grown in certain countries; I know someone who will not buy food
grown outside the U.S. and buys from out of state even very carefully
because of that.
And that sewage sludge you mentioned may contain toxin metals that are
definately not cooked out.
I didn't say I used it, and wouldn't use it for the very reason you
mentioned. People put things like drain cleaners, etc., in their pipes,
not to mention anti-freeze and other such things, though illegal, it's
done. Also the hormones, etc., don't cook out; those have been shown to be
a problem in certain waterways in this country from birth control pills,
etc., which get into the systems through the toilets, quite an interesting
article about that very thing last year. My point was that the sewage is
well cooked which cannot be done by the home gardener, so that it's used
is not a reason to cite that home-processed feces is safe for food gardens.
There's enough other sources of fertilizer in our country to not take
chances. If one must use it, keep that stuff for the flower beds and use
safer stuff for the food garden.
Glenna
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