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Potential Threat to Public Health.
Hog waste overflowing from an open air waste pit. |
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New studies are finding evidence of other threats to public health and the environment:
Bacteria
Hog waste processed by current waste treatment systems and sprayed onto land contains 100 to 10,000 times as many pathogens (disease-causing organisms), as
human waste that is treated and applied to land (Sobsey, 1998).
Antibiotic Resistance
The large number of hogs confined to small areas requires constant use of antibiotics in their feed to prevent disease. These are the same antibiotics used by humans for diseases that are
often shared by hogs and people. Some scientists say we are "playing with fire" because overuse of antibiotics is known to encourage development of germs that are resistant to
antibiotics.
Heavy Metals
Hog feed is fortified with heavy metals, notably copper and zinc, which can be toxic to plants and animals, even in low concentrations (Natural Resources Conservation Service, 1996).
Most of these heavy metals end up in the hog waste, ultimately becoming concentrated in the solid sludge which accumulates in the waste lagoon. Often this sludge builds up in the lagoon
for 10 to 20 years before it is finally removed. By that time, the concentration of heavy metals is so high that getting rid of it safely is difficult.
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