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Bio solids as fertilizer, what is that? I think that kids such as ourselves, have no idea what this means, well me anyways. Some farmers do use bio solids as fertilizer, and you may find it disgusting, or maybe not know what it means. So what are these bio solids? Basically, bio solids are human waste that forms sludge through sewage. There is a big misconception regarding the bio solids. The government has thought up of a "safe" way of disposing this hazardous waste by placing it over farmer's fields. This is the alternative to dumping the waste onto landfills, oceans and through an incinerator. But it ends up coming back to us.
Bio solids carry what are called pathogens. Pathogens are bacteria that can cause diseases in humans, in other animals, and also in plants. The diseases caused by bacteria are diverse and include food poisoning, tooth ache, certain forms of cancer and many more. Believe it or not, there have been incidents of people dying because of the pathogenic bacteria.
Clearly, this is not something to be taken lightly. Though, there are certain pros that are found for using sewage sludge as fertilizer. Nutrients found in could be nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and trace elements such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, sulfur and zinc, which are necessary for crop production and growth. Also, Municipalities get rid of the never-ending stream of sewage sludge, and farmers gain fertilizer for free. This also opens up jobs for people to transport the sludge.
I may have exaggerated a little, and sewer sludge are indeed monitored and kept track of to be rid of pathogens and other harmful chemicals, but do the pros outweigh the cons? It may be a beneficial course of action rather than having to wait extended periods of time for crops to develop, and is a much better way of disposing of sewer sludge rather than filling landfills and our oceans with it. Not to mention much better than incinerating it. Although I don't exactly agree with this option, it is the only solution we currently have and what we will use until an alternative comes up.
Sources:
http://www.toronto.ca/water/biosolids/index.htm
http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/wastewater/treatment/biosolids/
http://www.wef.org/biosolids/
Comments:
http://huliganrocafour.blogspot.com/2011/07/b-b-buy-your-solids.html?showComment=1311345768973#c1434924224199108828
http://raysbioblog.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-even-have-toilet-when-it-just-ends.html?showComment=1311345885008#c8035479133262087131
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Doing the Robot
Technology, you may hate it or love it, but either way, we all use it. Whether it is for good or bad, technology makes our lives either whether we realize it or not. One of the ways that technology helps us, is helping us understand and examine the inside of the human body. With this technology, we can professionals can fully understand what is wrong with a person. This is the only beginning, as technology will continue to advance and provide us with more.
Another great invention would be the invention of the X-ray. The invention of X-rays was discovered by a German Physicist named W.C.Roentgen. X-rays were discovered by using tubes similar to our fluorescent light bulbs. The tube would create a fluorescent flow and he found that the light allowed him to see through solid objects. He named the ray, "X-ray", because in mathematics "X" is a variable and unknown. X-rays are harmful if used for too long because the fluorescent lights cause skin cancer and skin diseases.
Another important invention would be the Cat Scans. Cat scanning also called CT scanning, uses similar equipment of the x-ray, to produce images of the inside of a body. This is one of the fastest ways to examine a person's chest, abdomen and pelvis, because it provides detailed images, of all types of tissue in that area. It is used to diagnose cancers. The Cat Scans were discovered by a British engineer named Sir Godfrey Hounsfield and Dr. Alan Cormack.
Sources:
Comment:
http://mcbeean.blogspot.com/2011/07/technological-advances-in-health-care.html?showComment=1310655419943#c7395976663561566913
http://dropsneakersnotbombs.blogspot.com/2011/04/theres-always-room-for-improvement.html?showComment=1310655642703#c7523811977844018939
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Kentucky Pesticide Chicken
Yes, chickens can have large talons, if thats what you like. What is industrial agriculture? You've never heard of it? Well, don't be left out because many people haven't heard about it. Industrial agriculture is a modern form of farming where the machinery and purchased is substituted for the labour of human beings and animals.
There are three main components usually present in industrial agriculture. Monoculture- Industrial agriculture is the procedure of growing a single crop year after year. This process reduces the production costs drastically and helps the farmer to earn a higher share of profit. Pest prone is the use of other chemicals to kill bugs and weeds that are attacking crops. In the absence of crop rotation, industrial agriculture has a tendency to get attacked by pests and weeds. These pests and weeds could damage the crops and make them inedible. Unhealthy livestock is when a farm or an area with livestock keeps its livestocks in filthy conditions. Because of the inhumane conditions, they become susceptible to communicable diseases.
Almost anything and everything can be bred using industrial agriculture. Although we may not realize, the food on our plates could have come from industrial agriculture. Not just fresh food though, there have been rumours that the food served in fast food restaurants are biologically altered. The whole controversy of how KFC treats the chickens that they serve is very interesting. If it turns out to be true, KFC could be in big trouble because no one would want to buy their "dirty" food anymore.
Many people think that industrial agriculture is needed to keep up with the rapid increase of the population of the world. Although some would agree, myself included, I think that technology will bail us out of this eventually. Technology, as it gets more advanced, I guarantee will find a way to do everything that industrial agriculture does, but subtracts all the chemicals, poisons, and inhumane living conditions. But, for now i think that farmers should chill with all the altering of our food. I like my food clean, edible, and chemical-free.
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Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Unit Five: You ARE the Baby's Daddy!
Think all babies are supposed to look like their parents? Well not anymore! With the power of science, your baby can look much prettier than you. Your baby has the chance to be the super model of the family. Whether you want the baby to have a nicer eyes, nose, body, or just about anything else, changing your baby's look is no problem at all! This is the truth and it doesn't seem right in any way. Scientists have found a way to make the above scenario, a reality. Scientists first screen the embryo for genetic disorders and only choose healthy embryos. Babies that are born this way are called "designer babies" by the public, but the scientists probably call them "masterpieces".
Doctors do this by placing the egg in a test tube and fertilize them in a laboratory. This process is called InVitro Fertilization or IVF. This technique of fertilization allows the parents to choose the embryo they want with the genetics of their liking. The second technique that these mad scientists use is called Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis or PGD. During this process doctors screen the embryos and only implant healthy embryos back into the mother's womb. This significantly reduces the chance of the baby having any kind of disorder or disease. Although the baby can be physically altered, the baby could also be saved by a life-threatening disease.
According to Mi-Jung Lee of CTV News British Columbia, these techniques were used approximately 50 times in 2009. Some people are for this technological genius, while others are against this monstrosity. In my opinion, I think that this has its pros and cons. The positive side of this is that babies do not have to be born with a life-ending disease. This technique will drastically reduce the chance of babies dying from a disease or sickness inherited by their parents. The negative side of things totally depends on us humans. Will we take advantage of this technology? Will we use this technology to create the "perfect" physical baby? It can be prevented, but maybe people will be so selfish as to do so. You can assure that religious people will discourage using the technology to physically modify the baby. They would see this as changing God's creation. Also, the cost of all this sure isn't pocket change. A couple spent $30 000 to ensure that their twins would be born healthy. So although you can breathe easy when following this procedure, it might take a long time to recover from the financial impact.
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