Biosolids for Fertilizers?

Sewage sludge, biosolids and human waste? How are they connected? Biosolids are what is left behind when sewage sludges are carefully treated and monitored, basically human waste. It is highly organic and nutrients and is thought to make good fertilizer. However, most developed countries regulate its use because it can contain a multitude of metals, organic pollutants, and pathogens. From late 1980’s, the use of biosolids to land, especially on agricultural land, has been controversial. Activists motivate the natural ability of biosolids, like soil, to restrain from potentially toxic metals, and cleaner water.

The important question that many ask is Are Biosolids Safe? In Water Environment Association of Ontario’s report in 2001 indicated that, at least in Ontario, the practices of biosolids are sufficiently conventional and if followed properly show no major risk to the environment or human health.

Some of the advantages are: biosolids contain humus which helps soil to hold water and nutrients. Biosolids contain all the tradition and necessary nutrient amounts as a normal fertilizer like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are essential plant nutrient especially helpful for healthy and strong tree growth. Using biosolids as fertilizers also reduces the evolvement of liquid waste which ends up in waterways. The disposal of biosolids can be expensive, so not only helping the environment but also reducing costs. Those supporting the land application of biosolids claim that it is the most efficient and environmentally way of disposing of sewage sludge. The United States Department of Agriculture states, "Practices which return plant residues to the soil, such as no-till farming and crop rotations, are slowly rebuilding the Nation's stock of soil organic matter” (ehow.com). It provides a safe, effective low-cost fertilizer for farmers and turns waste into a useful product.

One of the main concerns though that for the long-term would be the build-up of heavy metals in the soil. They state that metals like cadmium, zinc and copper could build up to very high levels damaging agricultural soils. Farmers might not realize the consequences but in the long run, once the soil is damaged, it will be hard to retrieve. Those who oppose the land application of biosolids argue that the product contains contaminants that could prove harmful to human health and the environment. There is no comprehensive, independent, third party testing of the biosolids to ensure safety and efficacy.

The potential stakeholders in this issue include farmers and the government. Farmers can use the low-cost fertilizers for their agricultural land. The government also saves money by not paying thousand for the disposal of biosolids. The topic of biosolids clearly needs some further chemical and health studies, to be certain that using this man-made waste doesn’t contain any chemicals and substances that can be harmful to our environment and our health.

Word Count: 461 

Resources: 

"FAQ - Biosolids". 1986-2011. Web. June 8.2011

< http://www.cwwa.ca/faqbiosolids_e.asp>

 "Frequently Asked Biosolids Questions". Pennsylvania: Waste Management & Processors, Inc. ,                     2002. Web. June 8.2011

< http://www.biosolidsinstitute.com/faqs/page3.shtml>  

  Lee, Asba . "Fertilizers Used in Farming". Web. June 8.2011

< http://www.ehow.com/list_6564077_fertilizers-used-farming.html> 

"What are biosolids, and can I use them to fertilize crops on my land?". Nova Scotia Federation of                  Agriculture , 2008. Web. June 8.2011

< http://www.nsfa-fane.ca/question-17-what-are-biosolids-and-can-i-use-them-fertilize-crops-my-                    land> 

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxC998FB4RA>

Blogs I commented On: 

 Mary's Blog!

 Kim's Blog! 

Save your life in a Heartbeat

Where would we be if it wasn't for technology? Technology is everywhere in today’s life and in the understanding of internal body systems, for diagnosis, monitoring, or treat any not most diseases or conditions in the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory system. Various types of technology have improved by years for diagnosing and treating diseases for these three internal systems and making the quality of health care better and simpler, and possibly made the job of doctors and surgeons easier.  

                Frederick Banting and Charles are two Canadians who discovered insulin which is a hormone that controls the amount of glucose in the blood and it is needed for our bodies to function properly. Insulin is produced in the cells by the pancreas.

Without technology, they would have probably not found that our body needs insulin to function in the first place. Computed axial tomographies (CAT) are x-ray tests that can produce many images of certain parts of your body from different angles using x-rays; viewing the smallest possible objects in cross section and in 3D. These images allow professionals to be able to examine your body to see things like tumors in the brain and liver, blood vessel abnormality, organs, blood clots and much more.

Understanding the digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems will help people know how the body functions which helps to use different types of technology on a specific task.  

The circulatory system is the delivery og oxygen and nutrients to the tissue in the organs of the body. Of course a big part of this flow is taken on by the heart. Many diseases include closed vessels in the heart and or just a none functioning one, where techonology comes in. Many doctors use a small injection close to the heart and with a skinny pipe they would transfer a net into the heart vessel, opening  it up for a smooth blood flow. This is only possibly because of technology and as time progresses easier and faster ways are being developed. 

 5mm lung cancer detected by CAT scan 

Another huge system would be the respiratory system which carries out the gas exchange of the body which happen in the alveoli of the lungs, therefore they are vital. Most common disease in lungs would be lung cancer which is very hard to cure if detected late. And as I mentioned above, from the use of CAT scans you can identify the tumor as soon as possible, as small it can be and perform the painless and scar free surjury to cure it.

In conclusion, one thing is for certain, technology provides us with a model to better understanding of the internal body systems and structures. Personally, I think at this rate of rapid improvement we will experience dramatic changes that will benefit everybody in every possible way.  As doctors will be more dependent on various types of devices to control and perform tasks with ease, as human care will be provided for with the assistance of possibly “robotic engineering”  technology .

Word Count: 495

Blogs commented on: 

1 )  Kim's Bio Blog!

2) Mary's Bio Blog!

Resources:

"CAT Scan (CT) - Body." RadiologyInfo - The Radiology Information Resource for Patients. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct>.

 

“The Circulatory, Respiratory, and Digestive Systems”. http://www.uic.edu/classes/bios/bios100/lecturesf04am/lect20.htm

"Introduction to Insulin: Insulin Discovery and Actions." Endocrine Diseases: Thyroid, Parathyroid Adrenal and Diabetes - EndocrineWeb. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/diabetes/diabetes-what-insulin>.

"Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - Body." RadiologyInfo - The Radiology Information Resource for Patients. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodymr>.

"What Is Medical Technology?" AdvaMed — Advanced Medical Technology Association. Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.advamed.org/MemberPortal/About/NewsRoom/MediaKits/whatismedtechnology.htm>.

http://www.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wired.com/images/article/full/2008/04/toshiba_ct_scanner_630px.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2008/04/Toshiba_CTScanner&usg=__P55969pIUZm4S4zu9fRF9cE1ffg=&h=439&w=630&sz=45&hl=en&start=10&sig2=VA22iwBmOpFMTMEpaiD53Q&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=yPHM5hLqjnqZhM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=137&prev=/search%3Fq%3DCAT%2BSCAN%2BMACHINE%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1246%26bih%3D608%26tbm%3Disch&ei=9t3mTYXIIOXo0QGel8CuCg&biw=1246&bih=608

 
 

Domination of Nature vs. Harmony with Nature

Within the past 50 years, industrial agriculture has been the dominance model for producing food instead of small, family-oriented farms raising a variety of crops and animals.

Industrial agriculture is a modern form of intensive farming where large-scale machinery and chemical-intensive farms specializing in a single animal product or hybrid high-yield crop are substituted for the labor of human beings and animals. Single-crop farming disregards the relationships between plant cultivation and animal conservation. The only goal is to increase yield and decrease costs of production. This method of agriculture is mostly used in the developed countries.

Sustainable Agriculture is the natural way of agriculture along with farming technique which makes maximum implementation of the environment without causing any form of harm, it’s an organic way of farming. All the elements of this method produce environmentally friendly products and are therefore healthier for the users to consume.

What about the pace of population growth in the future? Some say that growing population means equal hunger. Peter Rosset of Food First states, "We now have more food per person available on this planet than ever before in human history." If we have plenty of food to feed today's population and to support population growth for later on, why do 800 million people still go hungry every day?

The industrial system has taken over all the farm lands and forcing farmers off the land so they it can be utilized for growing high-priced export crops rather than diverse crops for local populations. Many of these farmers lose their lands, trade and the ability to grow their own food.

Starvation has grown and will continue to grow all over the world. Our population growth interacts with the resource consumption patterns.   

“The massive growth in the human population through the 20th century has had more impact on biodiversity than any other single factor.”
–Sir David King, science advisor to the UK government.

  

World hunger is not created by lack of food but by poverty and landlessness, which deny people access to food. Industrial agriculture actually increases hunger by raising the cost of farming, by forcing tens of millions of farmers off the land, and by growing primarily high-profit export and luxury crops.

It is understandable that industrial agriculture is necessary to feed the world, to provide us with “safe, nutritious” cheap food, to produce food more efficiently, to offer us more choices, and, of all things, to “save” the environment. When such corporations are confronted with the indisputable environmental and health impacts of industrial agriculture, the industry immediately points to technological advances.

Industrial agriculture is threatening the sustainability of the biosphere. Its massive machinery, chemical and biological inputs cause widespread environmental destruction as well as human disease and death. It reduces the diversity of our plants and animals which results in reducing the species. The centralized corporate ownership destroys farm communities prominent to mass poverty and hunger. This is clearly unsustainable and is becoming a fatal harvest.

Word Count: 492

References:  

 "Industrial Agriculture". Stanley St Labs. March 8 2011

 < http://www.economywatch.com/agriculture/types/industrial.html>
"Industrial Agriculture v. Sustainable Agriculture". Benjamin Cohen. May 12 2009. March 8 2011
 <http://scienceblogs.com/worldsfair/2009/05/industrial_agriculture_v_susta.php>
"The Seven Deadly Myths of Industrial Agriculture: Myth One". AkterNet. August 22 2002. March 8 2011
 <http://www.alternet.org/story/13900/>
"Population Growth". The Rewilding Institute. March 8 2011

            <http://rewilding.org/rewildit/our-programs/population-growth/>
 Photos:
<http://www.commoditypress.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/population_growth.jpg>
<http://www.all-creatures.org/articles/env-factory.jpg>
<http://www.sustainabletable.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/veg-farm-300x225.jpg>
<http://www.fieldsofplenty.com/farms/garden_rows_greens_400w300h.jpg>
Video:
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9Y_QH_c70s>

Blogs commented on:

Mary's Blog!
Meg's Blog!

  

Designer Shoes, Clothes, Bags, how about Designer Babies?

   

    In 2004 the term “designer baby” has been moved to the Oxford English Dictionary, with the definition of “a baby whose genetic makeup  has been artificially selected by genetic engineering combined with in vitro fertilization to ensure the presence or absence of particular  genes or  characteristics.” Advanced reproductive technologies allow parents to screen embryos for genetic disorders and pick out healthy ones. The term is only used by journalists and media and not by scientists.  

      How exactly those this theory work? The techniques involve using In Vitro Fertilisation or IVF to fertilize eggs with sperm in test-tubes outside of the mother’s body. This allows doctors and parents to reduce the chance that a child will be born with a genetic sickness. At the moment there are two legally possible ways to carry out this procedure on humans. The first is associated with choosing the type of sperm that will fertilize the egg, this determines the sex and the genes of the baby. The second way screens the embryos for a genetic disease, and only the healthy ones are implanted back into the mother’s womb which is referred to as Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).

Is Versace good or would you like Gucci?

    Washington Post states, "Some worry that the technique could be used to hunt for the rapidly growing list of genetic markers that merely signal an increased risk for cancer, diabetes, mental illness, obesity, addiction and other conditions later in life. Someday, similar tests could perhaps even vet fetuses for traits associated with beauty, personality or intelligence."

    I think that the ethical issues would be way more complex than people think. What if parents can use Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis to avoid having kids with attention-deficit disorder? The dignity of the child being born or is it just a cure for another child? 

    In some cases, some couples are not able to have children, or short on survival, or have a genetic disease. If we can prevent certain genetic diseases to be passed down then it would save both the child from suffering and the cost of taking care of the child. Is this right though?

    If Genetic Engineering (a direct manipulation of an organism's genes) is accepted it will clearly have a negative impact on the society. It will increase fear and hatred towards foreigners or anyone who appears different, and be socially rejected. This is also going to rise the issue of money. These procedures are pretty expensive, should only rich people have the access to such methods? People unable to afford genetic engineering will be looked down upon.

    In my opinion, we are going to get carried away by creating “perfectly and correctly” babies? The Fertility Institutes says they will soon be able to offer the ability to screen their embryos for eye color, hair color, and complexion. Sooner or later we will be adding artificial genes… At the end we can’t control everything and we need to let nature take its way.



"What Brand Would You Like?"



Word Count: 493
References:

“Critical Health Information or Designer Babies? Where Will New Genetic Testing Lead? “ Shannon LC Cate. Oct 27 2008. Jan 31 2011.

    <http://www.babble.com/cs/blogs/strollerderby/archive/2008/10/27/critical-health-information-or-designer-babies-where-will-new-genetic-testing-lead.aspx>

“Designer Babies: Ethical Considerations”. Nicholas Agar. American Institute of Biological Sciences. 2000-2011. Jan 31 2011.

    <http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/agar.html> 

 “Designer Babies: Ethical Issues”. Puja Lalwani.  Buzzle.com . 2000-2010. Jan 31 2011.

    <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/designer-babies-ethical-issues.html>

“What is a Designer Baby?”. Bionet. 2002. Jan 31 2011.

    <http://www.bionetonline.org/english/content/db_cont1.htm>

Photos
<http://adeaconswife.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/designer-babies2.jpg&imgrefurl=>
<debbiemillman.blogspot.com/ 2009_01_01_archive...>

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ixEDLa3Jlc&NR=1

 

Blogs commented on:  

Kim's Bio Blog!
Mary's Bio Blog!

 

Why Oceans Matter...

 

What do you think of when looking at the ocean? Water? Well, it is not only water, it’s alive. Oceans give us more than half of the oxygen we breathe, regulate the climate and give us protein, energy and minerals, IT’S our life support system. 

            The oceans cover 72% of the planet and 80% of all the life on Earth is found beyond the beach.  We are harming the oceans in such a scale that isn’t even imaginable to most people. All human activity has serious impacts on the forces of the planet but nobody sees the consequences that we have on the oceans. The oceans right now are way far from their natural being.

            The Greenpeace Defending our Oceans campaigns is setting out to protect and preserve our oceans now and for the future. The campaign exposes the countless pressures, reveals the threats and points to the solutions and measures to create healthy oceans. They address many threats such like:





'Cod and other fish are caught in a net in the Gulf of Maine'


1. Industrial Fishing: huge ships using the latest technology of equipment have exceeded the ocean’s ecological limits. As the larger fish are killed, the smaller and more extinct fish species are targeted. 
2. ByCatch: every year, fishing nets kill up to 300,000 whales and dolphins. Not only do they destroy the inhabitants but also the habitats. We need to know the limits of what we can take out of the sea.   
3.  Unfair fisheries: as the number of fish has decreased in the fish, the fishing capacity is increasing in the areas of Africa and the Pacific. Pirates ignore regulations and steal fish from the poorest regions of the world that are much based on this fish supply. 
4.  Global Warming: of course, global warming and climate change will have a huge affect on the oceans. Scientists say that by increasing sea water temperatures, will raise sea levels and change ocean currents. Fish can simply not survive in the changed conditions.  
5. Pollution: The most visible pollution is of course, oil pollution. But there are other sources such like domestic sewage, industrial discharges, explosions, pesticides and many more. 

'An open-air garbage dump tarnishes the sapphire coast of Barrow, Alaska'

            One of the biggest solutions that Greenpeace has stated is the establishment of the large-scale networks of marine reserves, hugely needed to protect marine special, its habitats, reversing the decline of global fisheries and just protecting our oceans. Marine reserves are areas that are closed to human activities including fishing and any disposal activities and act as scientific areas and have sensitive and extinct habitats and special.

            Even though the oceans cover 72% of the planet but only less than 1% of ocean is protected. We have lost about 90% of the big fish in the sea, and seen a decrease of 20% of coral reefs. It is time to make a change. Healthy oceans are a vital natural resource. We have the ability to create positive change. We need to start defending our oceans because without them, their wont be life on Earth. 

Word Count: 493 

References:

<http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/>

<http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/oceans/marine-reserves/>

<http://na.oceana.org/>

<http://www.nrdc.org/water/oceans/policy.asp>
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqVBk_RZMII&feature=related>
<http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/oceans-overfishing>
<http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/photos/ocean-pollution/>

Blogs commented on:

Mary's Bio BLog
<http://marysbioblog.blogspot.com/>, top right corner!

Kim's Bio Blog
<http://kimm-allison.blogspot.com/>, at the bottom!