"Rez" wrote in message
link.net...

snipped

Yes, but what can happen with ascarids (roundworms) is that
instead of
migrating to the gut where they belong, they wind up in the
liver,
brain, or some other organ that does not cope well with them at
all
(I've heard of one winding up inside an eye!) Admittedly this
is a
very rare freak occurance that can also happen with human
pinworms,
but if you're feeling paranoid, there's something more to worry
about
for ya

There's a pretty easy prevention for this in places that have
clean water - Wash Your Hands before you eat, and wash the
veggies if you're going to eat 'em raw.

The issue with human feces as compost isn't so much normal
stuff it
carries no matter what (ie. the usual bacteria and parasites),
but
rather stuff that someone living in Mexico or the Phillipines
or China
has adapted to because it is part of their environment: that
is,
anyone who survives to adulthood has an immune system that can
cope
with it, thru long exposure. Naturally, some babies die before
they
can develop resistance.

But we who live in "civilized" countries have no immunity to
such
organisms AT ALL, so if WE are exposed, we are at much worse
risk to
get really sick. Also, a lot of the 3rd world countries, where
human
feces are used for compost, have a fairly high incidence of
cholera
and other diseases that are shed in feces, without much
distinction
made between compost from healthy individuals or sick ones.

My understanding is that the health problems occur bec. the human
waste is *not* composted but used fresh. Composting will kill
pathogens. Just the time it takes to compost kills some of them,
iirc, even if the pile doesn't get real hot.

Also, we need to keep in mind that in the U.S. we're blessed with
clean and safe drinking/washing water. Not so in the Third
World. No water treatment, those pathogens get into the water
and whammo, disease.

My solution, wrt composting the dog doo, is to put it in a large,
dark-colored trash can. Drill holes in the trash can for
aeration. Layer the doo-doo with, oh, dry leaves. Leave it in
the sun for the summer; keep it damp. If you're in a warm
climate, you're almost assuredly going to get it hot for a week
of that time, if not more, from the sun. No need to stir, but
not a bad idea to stick a pole down into it every once in a while
for air. Then stick the stuff in your compost heap. Or let the
worms move in, which they will when the temperature cools in the
fall, and next spring you'll have 1/3 of a trash can of worm doo.

That's what I used to do when we lived in the city. I never
measured the temp in one of those bins, but they seemed to get
pretty hot, so some of the pathogens shoulda died. The
appropriate temp is what, a week at 150 F(?) Or 180 F(?) to
kill parasites.

flick 100785
--
If you're out to beat a dog, you'll find a stick to beat it with.
Yiddish saying


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.693 / Virus Database: 454 - Release Date: 5/31/2004