Have you all heard about the Hungarian Red Sludge disaster happening as we speak? The damage of this disaster is being compared to that of the BP Gulf oil spill and is said to be one of the worst disasters caused by human negligence. Over 200 million tones of red sludge have exploded through the reservoir wall, killing eight people, injuring hundreds, and damaging countless homes and property. Not to mention the damaged water supply that will go on to affect thousands more.
This news story has sparked my interest because while an accidental sludge disaster has caught the attention of millions all over the globe, nobody is talking about the sludge in our own back yards. I’m not talking about red sludge (by-product of aluminum). I’m talking about black sludge, the by-product of sewage-treated waste that is transported and dumped onto agricultural land for "beneficial use" of growing crops and raising livestock for human consumption.
The sludge fertilizer is developed from home and industrial raw sewage water which contains about 50% of solid material. When transported to the raw sewage plant, the solid materials form together into a sludgy material after about 1.5 hours of being in the sewage tank. It is said that a treatment process is applied to the sludge so that it is safe to use on agricultural land but the truth is nobody really knows how many diseases or toxic chemicals are still active within this sludge. No testing is done and everything is “assumed” to be safe.
Governments need to get rid of waste no matter what, even if it means threatening the health of the population. Therefore, this “beneficial use” of the sludge is quietly carried out beyond and human awareness of this action is very limited. A field close by your own home could be using sludge as fertilizer and you might not even be aware, even when it ends up in your food. You know yourself what you flush down the toilet or pour down the drains, and you would never ever think about putting it near anything you would eat.
Canadian provinces are in charge of setting standards for the agricultural use of sludge but the lack of research causes a lack of understanding and miscalculated regulations. Land application is prohibited in Newfoundland and Labrador, however, sludge grown crops and meat still find their way into their homes through imported goods. In contrast, Ontario does allow for sludge use and has one of the most detailed documents regarding land application of sludge. However, while the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture recommend that farmers observe a waiting period between sludge spreading and the harvesting of some crops, and recommend that farmers restrict farm animals from fields recently spread with sludge, these recommendations are not enforceable under current legislation. Therefore, sludge can be applied any time and any way by the farmer. Sludge can be used to grow small fruits such as strawberries or pasture livestock, and thus expose the consumer to contaminated produce and meats.
More disturbingly is Edmonton’s leading compost facility which uses sewage treated waste to make compost and package it for home gardens. The things you flush down the drain literally end up back in your gardens.
The government says, "Yes, there are toxins present in the sludge but they're safe." Safe toxins levels in our food well that's reassuring isn't is? Toxins aren't safe, period. Yes your body can handle certain levels of toxins but toxins accumulate over the years and soon they reach a level your body cannot handle, causing serious disease. The land spread with sludge also accumulate toxin levels the same as our bodies, and so does the vegetables being grown on this sludge doused land, hence, filling our bodies up with toxins are a faster rate.
Since when are the things we flush down the toilet and the drains ending back up on our kitchen tables? Beware! Beware! Beware!
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