Last week, after years of pressure from environmental and health groups, Health Canada took a step toward banning bisphenol A, which has been poisoning us for decades in bottles and cans. That’s the latest example of 20/20 hindsight.
Here’s the newest example of negative-20 foresight: sludge (excuse me, “biosolids”) from Halifax Harbour being dumped on farmers’ fields across Nova Scotia. That’s the vision of the Harbour Solutions Project and N-Viro Systems Canada Inc. Neither seems to have much to say for themselves onthe topic.
“We have nothing to do with the marketing,” says James Campbell of the Harbour Solutions Project. “That’s up to the company and we have a cost-sharing agreement, but I have no idea what the revenue figures will be.”
Rae Wallin, CEO of N-Viro, refers me back to “the city” with “any questions about that project.”
Here is the crux of the idea: Mix toilet water, sink water and storm water runoff into a chemical cocktail of organics, suds, pharmaceuticals and caffeine, blast it with ultraviolet, then add industrial effluent (shipped from the sticks) to reduce acidity, ship the results (sludge or biosolids depending on who you ask) back to the sticks and dump it onto the soil in where we grow food and raise dairy cows.
“It’s a big mistake,” says Maureen Reilly, a veteran biosolid researcher, at a screening of the film Sludge Diet.
“If we separated industrial waste and just dealt with our own fecal waste—it would essentially be a big composting toilet—that would be a huge improvement. As it is, the process destroys groundwater and encourages industry to pollute.”
It also kills cows and people. Sludge Diet, by filmmaker Mario Desmairas, details the tragic impact of the four-million tonnes of the stuff spread on American farms every year and tells the harrowing stories of cancer-related deaths in families living near sludge-covered farms.
Just last month, a federal judge ordered the US Agriculture Department to compensate Georgia farmer Andy McElmurray, whose land was poisoned by sludge, killing hundreds of cows. The same poisons that killed the cows showed up in milk marketed by a neighbouring farmer. According to the Associated Press, “the level of thallium—an element once used as rat poison—found in the milk was 120 times the concentration allowed in drinking water by the Environmental Protection Agency.”
Thallium is one of thousands of chemicals that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is not testing Halifax Harbour sludge for. The chemical was, however, found in samples taken from a lagoon on Inglewood Farms in Truro. Inglewood gained notoriety in 2004 after using Halifax-produced sludge on-site, poisoning neighbours in the process.
“I had burning skin, I couldn’t sleep, I had breathing problems,” says Barb Rockwell, one of those neighbours. Others came down with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an agonizing combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
After the Inglewood fiasco, the Nova Scotia Farm Practices Board condemned the application of biosolids as an abnormal farm practice. The local MP, Bill Casey, was practically jubilant in his call for national standards on the use of biosolids.
“This should snap everybody to attention,” he said at the time, pointing out that biosolids are already banned in Newfoundland and Labrador. They are also banned or strictly limited in several European countries.
Here in Nova Scotia, we still await the latest test results from the CFIA and the EPA. The problem with those tests, according to Rob Hale of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, is that they analyze only one percent of the chemicals in sludge.
“You can’t find what you don’t test for,” says Fred Blois, a leading Nova Scotian activist against the use of sludge on farms. “And since you have a cocktail of chemicals we can’t predict how they change their nature in combination.”
Blois has been working with Tamara Lorincz at the Nova Scotia Environment Network to talk with dairy farmers, expected to be the main buyers of biosolids. The Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture has already recommended that farmers refuse to buy the N-Viro product. Lorincz says farmers are still debating the issue.
Brian Cameron, general manager of the Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia, explains why: “Biosolids would provide a cost saving. Commercial fertilizer prices shot up last year and that’s a huge cost factor.” At the same time, Cameron acknowledges the risk of “negative public perception” after what happened with Inglewood Farms.
What’s at stake is far more than public perception. As Andy McElmurray in Georgia found out, the livelihood of farmers is at stake. As Barbara Rockwell found out, human health is at stake.
One can’t help but fear that HRM, like Health Canada with bisphenol A, will be the last to know.
This article appears in Apr 24-30, 2008.
This has been going on for many years.
It is nothing new and it is as stupid and dangerous as it ever was.
Scott’s made a product in the late 90’s early 2000’s. Scott’s Garden Soil. After my garden failed using the product I read many warnings on the back of the package and called Scott’s to find out what was in it.
Scott’s said they used Biosolids. I knew what that was and pinned the supervisor down with questions until she admitted that it was municipal sludge, a phrase she used only once.
“Bio-solids” is what Scotts calls municipal sludge/toxic industrial waste. A warning on the back of the garden soil I was using read “It is recommended that you wear gloves when working with this product”. Also, none of the plants that I placed in this soil grew very well. Some died, none thrived. Those areas of my garden that I did not use this product continued to thrive as they had for the last five years. I knew sludge/toxins was being used to fertilize farmland. I didn’t know that it was being sold to the general public.
The package also had some other interesting information. Remember that after you flush your toilet or some industry sends its wastewater through the city sewer, the waste water treatment plant takes out the water and recycles it.
The muck that is left over (more appropriately called crap) is magically changed into “A blend of quality ingredients” according to Scotts’ package info. Scotts goes further and says this product will ” … help the growth of outdoor plants in native soils.”
This says two things. Don’t use the product indoors and don’t try to grow the plants directly in this concoction, mix it with the dirt you have in your garden.
Another quote “Not recommended for pots or containers.” I wonder why? Too many “quality ingredients” for potted plants?
“Specially formulated with composted materials … and added nutrients”. I haven’t figured out which one is the bio-solids (a.k.a. “sludge”) and Scotts couldn’t answer that one either.
“In the state of Washington do not exceed 130 bags per acre”. This is the most interesting one. I found out that it is AGAINST THE LAW in the state of Washington to put more than 130 bags of this material on an acre of land. Illegal!!
Let’s review…
1. Don’t put your hands in it.
2. Don’t try to grow something directly in this material.
3. You must mix it with regular soil. One part Scotts to three parts good dirt.
4. Do not use it for potted plants.
5. In the state of Washington it is against the law to use more than 130 bags on one acre of land.
6. Scotts says that this is a blend of “quality ingredients”.
7. The quality ingredients include municipal sludge and toxic industrial waste. It also includes high amounts of arsenic and lead.
8. Scotts wants you to eat the food grown from this poison.
9. Our government is fully aware that this is happening.
Certain people in government (regulatory heads)are manipulated to encourage this because it is the producer of the toxic sludge they don’t want to properly dispose of.
Our health is not their concern. Our welfare is not their concern. Getting rid of sludge is their concern.
holy crap
this is actually happening????
This is more proof that government cares more about business than the people.
There oughta be some serious media attention given to this issue.
I am certain that a properly labelled (clearly and precisely) carton of milk that was produced using harbour solutions project sludge WOULD SIT IN THE STORE UNTIL EXPIRY!
It is the responsibility of our government to limit businesses from harming consumers. (At least require a proper label on the carton)
“Others came down with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an agonizing combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.”
This is a recipe for lawsuits, and when babies grow up on harbour-milk and mothers sue, farmers that didnt use sludge will be doing the lotto 6/49 dance.
“Others came down with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, an agonizing combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema.”
This description sounds strikingly familiar. Cigarette anyone?
Just ask those tobacco companies how their legal issues are going. Even the government is sueing them now.
Only difference with tobacco is that their products are clearly labeled with ingredients and health risks. And their product isn’t fed to babies.
My advice to farmers would be: “Pay for real fertilizer now, or Pay for a lawyer later”
It’s not a horrible idea. Returning fecal matter to the soil is part of the circle of life. It’s simply returning the nutrients from the food we eat, back to the land.
It’s very popular in Europe, and I’ve read that 40% of their waste is recycled into their land through biosolids.
rro’s comment is nonsense, based on the original article’s information
If “bio-solids” were just fecal matter that would be a tremendous improvement, which includes industrial waste. The pollution is so toxic as to cause animals to die when feeding on crops grown on sludge/bio-solid treated lands.
rro should carefully read and understand articles before making such an irrelevant nonsensical comment that equivocates simple fecal waste with toxic municipal/industrial sludge (AKA bio-solids).
Just read the warnings on Scott’s Garden Soil or any of the nationally available soils for purchase at Lowe’s Home Depot or Wal-mart. If the label has warnings about using gloves, keeping children away, not using indoors, not using in pots or mixing with your own soil thoroughly so as not to create a “growth barrier” then the package contains bio-solids.
READ THE LABEL
READ THE LABEL
READ THE LABEL FRONT AND BACK!!!
Your best bet to find a good soil for your garden is to go to your local nursery and ask for soils that meet organic farming standards. They are more expensive but they are safe.
The smarter we get and the more vocal we get the safer we will all be.
Learn about organic farming and the forces trying to crush it (Biotech corporations like Monsanto Syngenta Bayer Crop Science. Even the FDA, USDA & EPA are encouraging disatrous consequences for our farmlands and our food)
Jon Stewart recently reported on The Daily Show that Japan and South Korea have refused shipments of wheat from Oregon because of contamination with genetically modified wheat.
Jon Stewart also reported on the Monsanto Protection Act, snuck into legislation without anyone in congress admitting who caused this to happen… it was ANONYMOUS!!!
Among all of the other fights “we the people” must wage we have to force our own elected representatives to act in the public interest… even when it comes to the food we feed our children and grandchildren!!
This is one of many important issues our elected representatives have decided to support corporate profits on instead of the health and safety of Americans.
Organic and sustainable. It can be done.