Some things in "Class B Biosolids" particularly harmful to those with CF
VAmom,
Some particular things of concern that could be in "Class B Biosolids" or sewage sludge being spread near you include pseudomonas bacteria:
PSEUDOMONAS: colonize the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, urinary tract infections, sepsis,
pneumonia, pharyngitis,
gangrene, and necrosis "flesh eating". Drug resistant.
Now produces poisonous
Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) gas.
http://thewatchers.us/1_index-bacteria.html
http://thewatchers.us/2-1-Pseudomonas.html
Also a fungus that is a common byproduct of sewage sludge composting, Aspergillus fumigatus:
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."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/You_say_biosolids,_I_say_sewage_sludge
A group of neighbors in British Columbia has so far been successful in keeping "Class B Biosolids" (defined similarly in Canada) from being spread on land in their area when it was already permitted:
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/01/11187/neighbors-occupy-road-blockade-sludge-trucks
Rebekah Wilce
Lead Writer, Food Rights Network
The Center for Media and Democracy
(Winner of Sidney and Izzy Awards for excellence in journalism)
608-260-9713
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I just learned that a permit has been issued to allow for disposal of Class B biosolids on property adjoining my family's. The state's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has assured all concerned that there will be a barrier around the area and it will be at least 200 feet from our home.
Needless to say, I am trying to equip myself with information to fight this effort.
Does anyone have any information on how exposure to this "sanitized sludge" can affect someone with CF? How can they determine that the air is safe and that these biosolid particles will not end up in the lungs of someone with CF?
Has anyone successfully stopped this in their hometown?
