Human waste as Fertilizer!?

“Biosolids” are materials resulting from the treatment of domestic human sewage in a treatment facility. These Biosolids are actually being used as fertilizer in sustainable agriculture. You many be thinking, “What!? Human waste products as fertilizer to grow our foods?” Though this may be alarming to certain individuals, one must believe this fact. Farmers and gardeners have been recycling Biosolids for many years. Land application of biosolids take place in most Canadian Provinces and Territories. The users of the Toronto wastewater system generate about 195 000 tonnes of biosolids every year.

Like many things in the world, biosolids has its share of advantages and disadvantages. Biosolids, are nutrient rich, containing nitrogen, phosphorus and trace elements such as calcium, iron and zinc are found in biosolids. These nutrients are essential for crop production and growth. The application of Biosolids on agriculture actually reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Furthermore, the use of Biosolids reduces the farmer’s production costs and replenished the organic matter that had been depleted over time. The organic matter in the Biosolids improves soil structure by increasing the soil’s ability to absorb and store moisture. Along with its advantages there are some cons. The biggest one would have to be the potential health hazards associated with the usage of Biosolids. There are probabilities of the contamination of biosoils result from the accumulation of industrial waste. Its ‘true’ composition is unknown leading to the assumption that it may contain hazardous chemical. And as a result, these harmful pollutants can be transferred into our crops and make their way onto your dinner tables. Disadvantage is the distinctive odour they have -- depending on the type of treatment it has been through. Some biosolids have a strong odour that may be offensive to some people. The odour is caused by compounds containing sulphur and ammonium, both of which are plant nutrients.

All in all, the biosolids issue is truly stirring up some controversy in society. The advantages and disadvantages are seemingly equal. It all depends on the individual’s perspective of using ‘human waste’ to grow the foods we eat. It may seem unsanitary to many people because when you really think about it, it is like we’re consuming the waste we eliminated into our toilets, back into our bodies. But again, when you think about that argument, weare currently doing just that. We already use animal waste products as fertilizer, yet no argument is being held against it. Overall, biosolids can be very beneficial for our crops, under the right regulations. It’s time we start embracing the alternatives – get to know the benefits of using Biosolids.

Word Count: 436
BioBlogs I have read and commented on:

Mary Abuecjo:

http://marysbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/all-new-fertilizer-thanks-to-you.html?showComment=1307584377243#c5706441718300282830

Meg Sanchez:
http://megsbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/biosolids.html?showComment=1307584752381#c5682640987141735783

References:

http://www.toronto.ca/water/biosolids/index.htm
http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp
http://www.sencer.net/Outreach/pdfs/DCSymposium08/Posters/LUbiosolids.pdf
http://www.aces.edu/waterquality/faq/faq_results.php3?rowid=4255
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/Sewage-Sludge-Pros-Cons.htm
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/nm/nasm/sewbiobroch.htm
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/biosolids/faq.html

What would we do without Technology?

Technology is a need we can’t escape from. In the field of medicine, technology evidently has a significant effect on our lives because they help us diagnose the cause of various human illnesses. They aid to our understanding of our internal body systems. When we see how our systems operate and observe the cause of problems, it guides us to choose the best treatment and help us know what we can do to take better care of our bodies. Here are a couple of common medical technologies that helped improve the health industry:

MRI scans are painless and use a large magnet and radio waves to look at organs and structures inside the body. They help diagnose a variety of conditions from torn ligaments to detecting tumors. They are also very useful for examining the brain and spinal cord – key components of the body’s nervous system.

Ultrasounds involve a high use of high frequency sounds waves that are produced by a handheld sensor called a transducter. Sound waves that hit a body part, bounce back towards the transducter which is connected to a computer. From there, the reflected sound waves are converted into the image of the specific part of the body that is being analyzed. Ultrasounds are used for the diagnosis of many medical conditions as well as the assessment of treatments. The common uses of an ultrasound are the examination of the developing fetus in a mother’s womb, reproductive organs, the heart, liver and kidneys.


Two technologies that are quite new to the medical field that I discovered are the SoftScan for breasts and the swallowable sensor pills. The SoftScan is a Canadian ART (Advanced Research Technologies) contribution. They are a more in depth and accurate compared to traditional mammography scans. Mammograms have blind spots that limit its diagnostic capabilities. The SoftScan is painless, doesn’t have harmful ionizing radiation and captures the biochemistry, physiology and the patient’s response to therapy as the anatomy changes. It improves diagnosis and quality of care. The swallowable sensor pill (Smart Pill) is an ingested, wireless device for measuring the health of the digestive system. This pill aids in the diagnosis of gastroparesis, a disorder that cause the stomach to empty very slowly. The pill gathers data to a receiver as it passes through the digestive tract which it later returned to the doctor and downloaded to a computer. The downside to this remarkable innovation is that each capsule costs between $500 to $20,000.

It is without a doubt to see that technology plays an important part in helping us better understand our body’s internal systems. Without the various technologies accessible today, it would be very difficult – impossible even, to diagnose, treat or understand how and why our body’s internal system functions the way they do. Technologies raise our awareness and guide us to make better choices that benefit ourselves and others.

Word Count: 497

BioBlogs I have read & commented on:

Mary Abucejo:
http://marysbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/softscan-step-in-right-direction.html#comments

Denise Gabuya:
http://thebioden.blogspot.com/2011/05/importance-of-technology-in-medical.html#comments


References:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/mriscans.html
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/xrays.html
http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2011/2/2/health/7894566&sec=health
http://www.art.ca/en/clinical/index.php
http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17470

The truth behind our food.

INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE “is devastating our land, water and air, and is now threatening the sustainability of the biosphere. Its massive chemical and biological inputs cause widespread havoc as well as human disease and death” (AlterNet).


With that being said, you would wonder why people would practice a method of farming that has so many negative affects. Well, it is because our world’s population is increasing every day. We needed to come up with a way to maximize crops in a short amount of time. Industrial farming is believed to be the answer to that problem because it practices monoculture, the intensive production of one type of crop or livestock breed. It enables us to have cheap and plentiful food in a fraction of the time than “traditional farming.” Chickens, cows, pigs have become the highly productive breeds grown in concentrated livestock operations. Practicing monoculture however reduces the diversity of our plants and animals. With more and more farmers producing just the same ‘one’ kind of highly productive breed of livestock and/or crop, other varieties of crop and livestock breeds will eventually go extinct.


Additionally, the animals as well as humans will suffer various consequences. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, farms on which animals are intensively reared can cause acute and chronic lung disease and may catch infections that transmit from animals to human beings such as tuberculosis. Furthermore, intensive farming produces unhealthy livestock and provides the optimum conditions for viral mutation and transmission. This is because the animals are crowded together in a closed, warm, and dusty environment. This leads to the transmission of contagious diseases.

In contrast, sustainable agriculture is a method that acknowledges how important it is to have harmony between what we eat and our environment. They are evidently not the favourable farming industry, and this is because their food cost more compared to the cheap and affordable foods the industrial agriculture organization are producing. However, this method of farming encourages diversity, community and its primary emphasis is on permanence, quality and beauty. Moreover, this method does not distort the organisms of our environment.

The bottom line is, though industrial agriculture was introduced because it is believed to be he best way to feed everyone, humans need to stop thinking we have meddle with everything for our benefits. We need to open our eyes and see that relying on a few highly productive breeds of livestock and crops is doing more harm than good. Biodiversity is so important because variety and growth is what will keep up with the world’s ever growing population. With farms practicing monoculture, producing thousands of similar products will just cause more trouble down the road. They are highly prone to disease and extinction if natural disaster occurs. We must live in harmony with nature and choose to use sustainable agriculture. In doing so, we would be doing the environment, animals and ourselves a huge favour!

Word Count: 488

References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_farming#Human_health_impact
http://eap.mcgill.ca/sustain.htm http://www.economywatch.com/agriculture/types/industrial.html
http://www.alternet.org/story/13900/ http://scienceblogs.com/worldsfair/2009/05/industrial_agriculture_v_susta.php http://www.ucsusa.org/food_and_agriculture/science_and_impacts/impacts_industrial_agriculture/industrial-agriculture-features.html
http://knol.google.com/k/effects-of-industrial-agriculture-of-crops-on-water-and-soil#Monoculture_of_Crops

BioBlogs I have read & commented on:

Mary J. Abucejo:

http://marysbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/biodiversity-vs-agriculture.html#comments

Lucy Abikian:

http://whatisthislucysbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/03/domination-of-nature-vs-harmony-with.html#comments

Are "Designer Babies" on the Horizon?

Advances in genetics have given birth to this concept of “designer babies.” This term however is only used by the media – describing the ability to choose the characteristics of a baby before they are born. In scientific terms, it is screening the embryos for any genetic disorders. How this is done is by using a process called In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). This is basically taking the eggs and having them fertilized by the sperm in test-tubes outside of the mother’s body. From there, doctors only implant the embryos that are not disease affected back into the mother’s womb. This is called “Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).


When you think about it, nothing is morally wrong with getting rid genes that would possibly result in a disease affected child. However, there is controversy in the media. With all this talk about “designer babies,” there are concerned ethicists out there who fear that we will take this advanced genetic technology too far and adopt the idea of choosing our own desirable traits for our unborn children. For instance, we would be able to choose the gender, eyes, skin and hair colour of the baby as well as physical traits such as intelligence, beauty, height, athletic ability and so on. With all these options being said, we would ultimately being using IVF and PGD techniques for cosmetic purposes rather than just medical purposes.


People have begun asking the question: "Is it ethical to create designer babies with enhanced physical ability and appearance?" Personally, I disagree with the whole idea of “designer babies.” In a way, parents are taking away the say of their child in their life by choosing the traits THEY want their child to have. Each of us is unique. If a child who was a “designer baby,” found out later in life, imagine how they would feel. They would feel as if their parents had to specifically pick out the traits that would make them love them.

Critics also think that if the option of choosing these desirable traits, is made available, “designer babies” would have a negative impact on society. These genetic techniques are very expensive which could lead to imbalances between the rich and poor. Also, those who are born with genetic enhancement may looks down on those who don’t have them. Those born with disabilities already face intolerance. Imagine the impact it would have on an artificially designed race with the same IQ and appearance. This “designer babies” debate can lead to a greater rift in our society.

Presently though, we don’t have to worry about this. The whole process is expensive, not 100 percent safe, and is illegal. However, now is the time to understand that we cannot tamper or control the way nature was intended to work. Nature has run its course for a long time without humans interfering with its path.

Word Count: 452

Resources:

http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/designer-babies-debate.html
http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,989987,00.html
http://singularityhub.com/2009/02/25/designer-babies-like-it-or-not-here-they-come/

BioBlogs I have read & commented on:

Mary A.
http://marysbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/design-baby.html#comments

Lucy A.
http://whatisthislucysbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/designer-shoes-clothes-bags-how-about.html?showComment=1296596393541#c8890643465963642586

"Go Beyond the Oil!"

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico blew up, causing the death of thirteen men and the biggest and worst accidental oil spills in US history. The crisis in the Gulf of Mexico is far from over. The spill’s impact for endangered wildlife, the region’s ecosystems and its fisheries will only become clear with time. Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship is on a three-month expedition, hosting a team of independent scientists, who will examine everything from the plankton on the surface of the subsurface plumes and the deep-sea corals on the floor of the Gulf.

The root source of reckless oil exploration goes back to our addiction for fossil fuels. We’re addicted to our lifestyles – our homes, cars, and computers and so on. As human beings spread out and populated the planet with each country striving to attain higher standard of living comparable to America’s, the Earth’s resources have seemed to run up against a wall. Earth’s resources are limited … at least the ones that we are addicted to. Our fossil fuel economy is unsustainable if we are to continue exporting the current America way of life to the rest of the world. The oil we use for transportation fuel and agricultural fertilizers is on its way our in the next few decades. And along the way, we will be drilling in more and more risky places like deeper waters, increasing the likelihood of a BP-type disaster becoming a regular happening. If this does happen, wildlife and our ecosystems will suffer.

Greenpeace started an Energy [R]evolution to prevent oil disasters like that one in the Gulf of Mexico happening again. They are confronting reckless oil exploration by sending two ships to the frontiers of the world’s oil problem. Their mission is clear: to tackle the kind of irresponsible oil exploration that keeps wrecking our environment. Scientists aboard the Arctic Sunrise are continuing their expedition, testing the waters of the Gulf while skimming and burning the thousands of gallons of oil they skimmed off the waters. Additionally, clean up crews are continuing their clean up on the coast, picking up tarballs.

To stop enormous oil accidents like this from happening again, it’s our job to stop using dirty fossil fuels and start using the affordable, efficient renewable technologies that are available today.

References:

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/Greenpeace-confronts-reckless-oil-exploration/
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/Deepwater-horizon/
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/news/oilspilltruth/
http://www.examiner.com/energy-in-national/fossil-fuel-addiction-processing-collective-grief-part-one
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/wheres-all-the-oil-gone/blog/26554
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/news-and-blogs/campaign-blog/oil-on-the-bottom-of-the-gulf/blog/26510
http://fossil-fuel.co.uk/oil/oil-and-the-environment

Word Count: 388

BioBlogs I have read & commented on:

Kimberley V.

http://bionomen.blogspot.com/2010/09/fighting-human-intervention-with-human.html#comments
Nicole A.

http://nicolesbioblog.blogspot.com/2010/09/greenpeace-activists-occupy-arctic-oil.html#comments