One Hand Washes the Other

[Guest guest]

One Hand Washes the Other

http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1995Q3/sludge.html

Tackett also condemns the " selective science " and " manipulation of

research money " used to rationalize sludge farming. " Millions of

dollars have been made available through EPA and other federal,

state and local agencies, for 'beneficial use' research.

Toxicologists, public health scientists and medical researchers have

not had a similar money pot available to study the potential dangers

and adverse health effects of sewage sludge. . . . The scientists

selected by the EPA to serve on sludge advisory committees are

the 'beneficial use' researchers, and the only research reports they

deem acceptable for the purpose of adopting new sludge spreading

regulations are from the 'beneficial use' studies. . . . The claims

now made for 'sludge safety' sound eerily like the earlier claims

that 'DDT is perfectly safe' and 'asbestos is a miracle fiber that

poses no danger at all. "

In fact, the researchers, advocates, regulators and practitioners of

sludge farming are a closely interwoven group. Dr. Alan Rubin, for

example, served as chief of the EPA's sludge management branch where

he oversaw the development of new regulations for land farming of

sludge fertilizer. In 1994 the EPA loaned Rubin to the Water

Environment Federation, while continuing to pay half of his salary.

Now Rubin the regulator is a full time cheerleader for " biosolids. "

Dr. Terry Logan, a professor of soil chemistry at Ohio State

University, is another sludge advocate who has conflicting roles and

interests. He co-chairs the US EPA Peer Review Committee, a group

described by the EPA as " the best scientific talent and data

assembled " to help develop recent federal regulations that eased

restrictions on sludge farming. Logan also receives $2,400 per month

as a paid consultant and board member of the N-Viro International

Corporation, which has developed a patented process for converting

sludge into fertilizer by mixing it with dust from concrete kilns

and heat-drying it to kill germs. At the recommendation of Logan's

committee, the EPA promulgated a modification of its " Part 503 "

regulations to increase the levels of allowable heavy metals in

sludge fertilizer. At the same time that Logan was involved in

developing the new regulations, he held stock options in N-Viro

whose value could have dropped substantially if he had recommended

stricter requirements.

Despite its many customers, N-Viro is in shaky financial condition.

Since 1993, the value of its stock has plummeted from $9.50 to $1.50

a share. One of its major problems has been the slow rate of

acceptance of land farming of sludge. The company is banking on

sludge regulator/promoter Alan Rubin to help overcome political and

PR obstacles so the company and industry can flourish. In 1994, Dr.

Logan was named " man of the year " by the EPA, and N-Viro, along with

the Compost Council and the Rodale Institute, received a $300,000

grant from the US Congress to help promote its product.

In 1992, former EPA official Sanjour testified before the

Georgia State Senate on the " close working relationships formed with

government officials who are lured by the huge profits made by the

waste management industry. . . . The power of this industry to

influence government actions is further enhanced by the ease with

which government regulatory officials are hired by the industry.

Over thirty state and federal officials have gone over to the waste

management industry in the southeast region. . . . This practice

extends even to the highest levels of government.

Ruckelshaus, a former Administrator of EPA and a close advisor to

President Bush, is CEO of the second largest waste management

company in America. . . . With this kind of influence and power,

trying to have a meaningful hazardous waste reduction program . . .

is, frankly, like trying to have a meaningful egg laying program

after you've let the fox into the chicken coop. "

Victimless Grime?

Assessing the health threat from the human disease pathogens

inhabiting sewage sludge defies the capabilities of current science.

In 1993, a team of researchers at the University of Arizona

published a study which found that " significant numbers " of

dangerous human disease organisms infect even treated sewage

sludge. " Thus, no assessment of the risks associated with the land

application of sewage sludge can ever be considered to be complete

when dealing with microorganisms. "

The viruses, bacteria, protozoa, fungi and intestinal worms present

in sewage and sludge is mindboggling. Many of the pathogens cause

diseases that sicken, cripple and kill humans including salmonella,

shigella, campylobacter, e-coli, enteroviruses (which cause

paralysis, meningitis, fever, respiratory illness, diarrhea,

encephalitis), giardia, cryptosporidium, roundworm, hookworm, and

tapeworm. Sludge pathogens can move through many environmental

pathways --direct contact with sludge, evaporation and inhalation,

contaminated groundwater, contamination of rodents burrowing in

sludge, and uptake through the roots of crops.

In Islip, New York, sludge was the evident cause of the disease that

killed 25-year-old Harry Dobin, who ran a coffee truck at a Long

Island Railroad station 1000 feet away from a sludge composting

site. In July 1991 Dobin began suffering health problems. Doctors

treated him unsuccessfully for asthma, arthritis, Lyme disease,

kidney disorder and bronchitis. Finally in January 1992 when he

could no longer breathe, they performed a lung biopsy and discovered

Aspergillus fumigatus, a common byproduct of sludge composting. By

the time the disease was correctly diagnosed, it was unstoppable,

spreading to his spine, his legs, and finally his heart, leading to

his death on September 23, 1992. Other residents of Islip complained

of chronic coughing, nausea and other reactions. A study by the

state Department of Health found that neighborhoods downwind of the

composting plant had four times the average background level of

Aspergillus. State officials concluded that " the study did not find

that the higher concentration of mold spores increased health

problems . . . [but] such a connection might, in fact, be

present . . . further study was needed to come to a definitive

conclusion. "

Outside Sparta, Missouri, a tiny rural town whose sewage plant began

operations in the late 1980s, dairy farmer Ed Rollers began having

problems with his cows in 1990. They were falling sick and dying,

and no veterinarian or university scientists could tell him why. The

death and disease continued until late 1993 when the farm declared

bankruptcy. Someone suggested to Rollers that his cows could be

victims of sludge which was dumped on a nearby field in 1989-1991,

and suggested he read journalist Ed Haag's articles on the topic

which had recently appeared in two farm magazines.

Eventually Rollers initiated scientific soil tests. " We found lots

of heavy metal contaminants. The field where the sludge was dumped

ran into our fields. " They tested a dead cow and found " lead,

cadmium, fluoride in the liver, kidneys, bones and teeth. " Rollers

hired an attorney. His situation is especially difficult because the

landowner who accepted the sludge is a public official in Sparta,

and sits on the board of Rollers' bank. As of 1995, the Rollers case

was still pending, and Ed's father was experiencing health problems

suspected to result from his exposure to sludge.

" I can't believe what's happening, " Rollers said. " There are very

few places to turn. . . . I don't want a government agency to cover

this up. "

In Lynden, Washington, dairy farmers and Zander began

to lose cows a year after sludge was spread on an adjoining

farm. " We noticed . . . lameness and other malfunctions, " said

Zander. Tests found heavy metals in soils at the sludge disposal

site and in water from two neighborhood wells that serve several

families. Zander was diagnosed with nickel poisoning, and

several family members showed signs of neurological damage which

they believe is linked to heavy metal poisoning including zinc,

copper, lead and manganese. Sixteen neighboring families have

experienced health problems ranging from flu symptoms to cancer.

Since then Zander says she has heard similar stories of sickness and

death from more than 100 farmers near sludge sites throughout the

United States.

Sludge is often marketed to farmers as " free fertilizer, " but

environmental consultant Cook, who tested the Zanders' water

supply, warned that " farmers may be happy initially but the problems

don't show up overnight. It was nearly two years before Ray and

realized what was happening. "

In fact, says toxicology professor Karl Schurr of the University of

Minnesota, " some of the same chemicals found in sewage sludge were

also employed by Cesare Borgia and his sister Lucrezia Borgia in

Italy during the 1400s to very slowly poison their opponents. "

[Guest guest]

Ummm....say. Isn't there a very short, time-honored, list of things you

shouldn't do where you eat? And now it takes a college degree? Good grief.

tigerpaw2c <tigerpaw2c@...> wrote:

One Hand Washes the Other

http://www.prwatch.org/prwissues/1995Q3/sludge.html

Tackett also condemns the " selective science " and " manipulation of

research money " used to rationalize sludge farming.

Serena

There is no such thing as an anomaly. Recheck your original premise.

...Ayn Rand,

paraphrased

---------------------------------

Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at

[Guest guest]

There is an AMAZINGLY good book out there called " Toxic Sludge Is Good For

You " that EVERYONE fighting the mold coverup campaign needs to read. It

shows how these PR groups work. How they set up fake grassroots groups,

lobby politicians, etc.

Seriously, BUY THAT BOOK.. it opened my eyes..

You can find it at most bookstores, here is the web page..

http://www.prwatch.org/books/tsigfy.html

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