Toxic heavy metals, chemicals and radioactive wastes mixed with agricultural fertilizers...
Toxic heavy metals, chemicals and radioactive wastes are spread over
farmers' fields mixed with Fertilizers nationwide. Realization of this came to
light when Mayor Patty Martin, Mayor of Quincy, Washington led an investigation
by local farmers concerned about poor yields and sickly cattle.
Most unbelievable is no federal law requiring that they be listed as
ingredients.
Until now, the state Department of Agriculture sampled fertilizers
only to see if they contained advertised levels of beneficial
substances.
Relax --- not in North Carolina --- Don't relax. Its a practice being
used nationwide, a growing national phenomenon.
In Gore, OK, a uranium-processing plant gets rid of low-level
radioactive waste by licensing it as a liquid fertilizer and spraying it over
9,000 acres of grazing land. At Camas, WA, lead-laced waste from a pulp mill
is hauled to farms and spread over crops destined for livestock
feed.
In Moxee City, WA, dark powder from two Oregon steel mills is
poured from rail cars into silos at Bay Zinc Co. under a federal hazardous
waste storage permit. Then it is emptied from the silos for use as
fertilizer. When it goes into the silo, it's a hazardous waste. When it comes
out of the silo, it's no longer regulated; it's Fertilizer.
Federal and state governments encourage the recycling, which saves
money for industry and conserves space in hazardous-waste landfills. The
substances in recycled fertilizers include cadmium, lead, arsenic, radioactive
materials and dioxins.
Unlike many other industrialized nations, the United States does not
regulate fertilizers. That makes it virtually impossible to figure out how much
fertilizer contains recycled hazardous wastes.
East of Interstate 95 in North Carolina and now expanding west
through the state our Rivers are polluted from waste from the Pork Manufacturing
Business. But, According to TV Ads, Cities are polluting our streams even more
than the pork industry. Some of our Rivers and streams are not save to wash our
feet in.
Now we have toxic waste mixed with Fertilizer and spread over our
farm land to further contaminate our rivers, streams and certainly our ground
water supply can not escape this contamination.
Our new state laws will require soil testing before chicken manure is
applied to determine the safe amount of nitrogen that can be applied. The
Chicken manure and hog waste will also be tested to determine its strength. This
could possibly be considered safe if waste is also tested for chemicals.
Now is the time to make animal safe organic fertilizer. But, the same
control and penalties must also be applied to manufacturing and City Waste
Facilities.
Canada's limit for heavy metals such as lead and cadmium in
fertilizer is 10 to 90 times lower than the U.S. limit for metals in sewage
sludge, while the United States has no limit for metals in fertilizer.
North Carolina is such a beautiful State. Agriculture is vital to the
economy of North Carolina. But not so important that we should allow our
children to be poisoned.
This is a definite problem. The public needs to know.
