Friday, August 27, 2010
Halifax ponders its crap: biosolid debate heats up
Posted by Chris Benjamin on Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 4:00 AM
“We didn’t get a lot of information on the issue at council,” Hum says. She has concerns that the medical waste and chemicals in biosolids may not be fully accounted for in testing, and could cause harm. Last week she requested a staff report on the issue, including explanations of how Dunbrack was chosen, how the product is tested, why the public wasn’t better informed, other potential uses for biosolids---particularly using it as an alternative energy source---and potential risks.
Hum says the Dunbrack application was in-line with provincial rules, so staff believed the decision was “operational versus policy-oriented,” meaning public discussion wasn’t required. She adds that using HRM sewage locally “is in line with not shipping out our waste.”
Richard MacLellan, acting manager of the Sustainable Environment Management Office, will present the report to council September 28. “Staff will probably recommend parameters of use that would satisfy community, health and environmental needs,” MacLellan says. Dunbrack Street was the latest in a series of low-key test sites for biosolids. “We were trying to be the least controversial we could be, but obviously we weren’t successful.”
Councillor Steve Streatch, not known for agreeing with environmentalists, is also concerned. “I don’t think it should be so close to the urban centre,” Streatch says. “It’s not the safety; it’s the ick factor.” He adds that, now that farmers have been conditioned to use biosolids, their “source’ll dry up” if it is used instead to generate energy.
Lise Leblanc, N-Viro’s hired consultant, confirms that as much as two-thirds of HRM biosolids could be used as a lower-emissions energy source producing half the energy as an equivalent amount of coal. “So far we’ve done six tests and they’ve all gone really well,” she says. “But even if we used 100 percent for energy it would be a drop in the bucket for Nova Scotia Power.”
Survey Asks
Do you agree with Halifax's school board cutting 152 teachers?
Comments (6)
Showing 1-6 of 6
What makes you believe that they will consider the public's safety over them saving the $$$ it would cost them to dispose of it safely by say incineration???
like
dislike
The only persons responsible for allowing bio-solids to be used are the scientists who tell us this stuff is alright to use. Stinking up Halifax's lawns is bad enough but do you realise it is being used on farm land in Nova Scotia and all over Canada!
We humans are wasteful. We eat too much therefore we shit too much. Why not give these wasted nutrients back to the soil where they can fertilize the lawn? I'm not talking about using them on our food plants, just landscapes. It's a readily available source that is not made from fossile fuels like the stuff they now spread on the lawns. What a waste to just let these nutrients get flushed into the harbour.
Yeah, there is the "ick" factor. There are also residual elements from the stuff that are magnified as they go up the food chain and into our food. One is THALLIUM, which I have just read was the poison of choice in at least one of Agatha Christie's thrillers. She was a pharmacist and knew how a little went a long way and was hard to detect.
IF they need to do some testing or test plots to see what's going on with this stuf...IMO instead of putting it on public land, it should be spread on each & every councillors yard, that goes for the Mayor as well.
Let's make sure they along with all the top Brass in our wonderful Civil Service, & all the water & sewers workers get the 'pleasure' of checking it out & have their yards covered in it as well.
Something tells me a whole new way of dealing with this will come from such a "hands on approach"...which is why there isn't a snowballs chance in hell any of these windbags we presently have representing the various districts will allow any of that shit on their property.
But wouldn't it be great if they did do it & get what I believe, they truely deserve !
"Conditioned" to use Bio-solids? Is there mind-control at work here? (silly me for doubting that).
The farmers I buy my produce from (local farmers from the market) strenuously state that biosolids are harmful and do not take into account the diseases that we (humans) eject in our waste that we are now being encouraged to eat (*gag*).
Am I missing something here? I know crap is great for the earth but is that true of the pharmaceutical/fluoride/lead joyride that is the current state of our crap?
| ||||||
|
Guides
- Home |
- Dating |
- Bitch |
- News |
- Music |
- Movies |
- Dining |
- Arts |
- Opinion |
-
Best Of
| - Halifax Free Classifieds |
- Jobs |
- Housing |
- For Sale |
- Classes |
- Bulletin Board |
- Health, Beauty |
- Services |
- Real Estate |
- Wanted
- About Us |
- Our Staff |
- Contact Us |
- Advertise |
- Work With Us |
- Send us a Tip |
- Privacy Policy |
- Comments Policy |
-
RSS Feeds
|
- Archives
