Feces-fed Cabbage Heads Perfectly Safe

**tomcat** · 17-01-2023, 07:47 AM

Human Waste is Safe for Growing Vegetables, Researchers Say

By Low De Wei (Bloomberg)

January 16, 2023 at 12:15 PM GMT+7

As farmers in Europe and across the world grapple with increases in the cost of fertilizers, researchers suggest a solution may be closer to home in what people flush down the toilet.

A peer-reviewed paper by scientists in Europe published Monday in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science found that fertilizer made from human feces and urine is safe to use, and that only extremely tiny quantities of chemicals from medicines or drugs, for example, would get into the food.

Governments worldwide are struggling to keep fertilizer costs manageable and increase self-sufficiency after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drove up prices of natural gas, a key feedstock for crop nutrients. European Union authorities are considering ways to speed up development of manure-based fertilizers after the surge in costs spurred anger among the bloc’s farmers.

In terms of safety, the researchers screened human waste for 310 chemicals, from pharmaceuticals to insect repellents, and found that only 6.5% of these were above the limit for detection and at low concentrations. “In general, the risk for human health of pharmaceutical compounds entering the food system by means of fecal compost use, seems low,” the authors concluded.

While they detected two pharmaceutical products in edible parts of cabbages, the painkiller ibuprofen and the anticonvulsant drug carbamazepine, the concentrations were markedly low. This means that more than half a million cabbage heads would need to be eaten to accumulate a dose equivalent to one carbamazepine pill, they said.

The surge in fertilizer costs after the Russian invasion already spurred some farmers to turn to animal dung, and even human sewage, to replace synthetic crop nutrients, but these alternatives had not proved so effective. This study, however, suggests that some products processed from human waste can come close to matching the efficiency of artificial alternatives.

“If correctly prepared and quality-controlled, up to 25% of conventional synthetic mineral fertilizers in Germany could be replaced by recycling fertilizers from human urine and feces,” lead author Ariane Krause said.

**Backspin** · 17-01-2023, 08:47 AM

Another world economic forum idea. Let them eat shit

**Troy** · 17-01-2023, 09:01 AM

"If correctly prepared..." being the most important part and would require strict monitoring.

Too many cases of severe food poisoning in US and Europe caused by growing vegetables in badly prepared animal and human manure.

**misskit** · 17-01-2023, 09:03 AM

It is very practical. There is a lot of sewage everywhere so fertilizer could be made locally instead of shipping fertilizer components around the world.

**thailazer** · 17-01-2023, 09:14 AM

Ewwwwww

Seriously though, dried lawn fertilizer from sewage plants is in common use.

**katie23** · 17-01-2023, 10:03 AM

The feces from our dogs are used to fertilize mom's vegetable plot. Our dead pets (dogs, cats, chickens, ducks) were all buried in the backyard & are now providing nutrients to banana & other plants. The bananas (plantains) are all good - sometimes my mom sells the extra fruits. They're all organic.

**nidhogg** · 17-01-2023, 11:15 AM

It is not the frigging chemicals that are the main concern, it is pathogens that are the problem

**misskit** · 17-01-2023, 11:21 AM

Water from sewage is already treated and released back into the environment. Why would treating the solids be so much different?

**Troy** · 17-01-2023, 01:10 PM

Originally Posted by katie23

The feces from our dogs are used to fertilize mom's vegetable plot. Our dead pets (dogs, cats, chickens, ducks) were all buried in the backyard & are now providing nutrients to banana & other plants. The bananas (plantains) are all good - sometimes my mom sells the extra fruits. They're all organic.

I wouldn't use fresh dog feces in your vegetable plot because they are known to contain pathogens and worms. You can get away with old stuff but I don't even use in compost.

**misskit** · 17-01-2023, 01:17 PM

My friends told me their best papayas were grown where they dumped their dog poop. After that, I didn’t want to eat papaya at their house. Even now I am eating papaya and it is putting me off thinking about it.

**tomcat** · 17-01-2023, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by misskit

After that, I didn’t want to eat papaya at their house.

...what color was their papaya?...

**Buckaroo Banzai** · 17-01-2023, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Backspin

Let them eat shit

**Buckaroo Banzai** · 17-01-2023, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by misskit

It is very practical. There is a lot of sewage everywhere so fertilizer could be made locally instead of shipping fertilizer components around the world.

This forum should be a great source.

**Buckaroo Banzai** · 17-01-2023, 06:04 PM

Though I have created my fair share, I have not paid as much attention (other than a few prideful photographs) to it.
But contained there in, would there be many illnesses that have already crossed the species divide?

**tomcat** · 17-01-2023, 10:10 PM

Originally Posted by Buckaroo Banzai

would there be many illnesses that have already crossed the species divide?

...please: leave Backspin out of this...

**Joe 90** · 17-01-2023, 10:56 PM

I know a farmer who gets paid for emptying sceptic tanks.
Then he will mix it in the slurry pit with cow fung and sling it on his fields on a Sunny day as fertiliser.

I think the ratio is 10% human, although it smells like more.

**cyrille** · 17-01-2023, 11:08 PM

Not sure where to start.

**Joe 90** · 17-01-2023, 11:23 PM

Originally Posted by cyrille

Not sure where to start.

Start at the beginning.
You know this is your specialist subject

**Shutree** · 18-01-2023, 04:10 PM

Originally Posted by Troy

I wouldn't use fresh dog feces

While reading up on compost heaps recently, there was clear advice not to put dog faeces into the compost. There must be reasons.

**Shutree** · 18-01-2023, 04:16 PM

Human faeces have long been used as fertiliser. Maybe it was in Wild Swans, there was a tale of Chinese peasants visiting another house when one needed a poo. This was bad planning as the poo was important to their farming. In the story it was weighed and the hosts had to repay the visit at a later date and deliver their own poo of similar weight.

**Switch** · 18-01-2023, 04:40 PM

I spent 12 years living in Germany during eighties and nineties. German farmers would spread liquified manure on early crops as a matter of routine. The smell was quite distinctive but it did not seem to cause any harm.

Maybe they stopped doing it, or maybe they didn’t, but I can’t imagine a high tech country like Germany doing it unless it was safe and productive.

**nidhogg** · 18-01-2023, 04:52 PM

Commonly called "Night soil" (human feces used for fertilizer). Was common for millennia. But so where cholera and a host of other enteritic diseases.

Cow poo is still used (manure), but there is a big difference between poo from a cow and poo from a meat eater.

The main concern against using human poo is the risk of diseases. Also, after having done some reading, human poo has lots of heavy metals not found in cow poo.

Properly composted, or treated human poo could be used - the problem would be ensuring proper composting (small scale) or treatment (large scale).

**HuangLao** · 18-01-2023, 05:03 PM

Originally Posted by nidhogg

Commonly called "Night soil" (human feces used for fertilizer). Was common for millennia. But so where cholera and a host of other enteritic diseases.

Cow poo is still used (manure), but there is a big difference between poo from a cow and poo from a meat eater.

The main concern against using human poo is the risk of diseases. Also, after having done some reading, human poo has lots of heavy metals not found in cow poo.

Properly composted, or treated human poo could be used - the problem would be ensuring proper composting (small scale) or treatment (large scale).

Yeah, all this...
If I'm not mistaken, temperature and humidity play a major factor into how [animal] fecal matter breaks down as well as what type of compost material one might be mixing.

**cyrille** · 18-01-2023, 05:14 PM

Well, you obviously know your shit.

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