Human Waste

Biosolids are nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatmen

t of domestic sewage in a treatment facility. When treated and processed, these residuals can be recycled and applied as fertilizer to improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant growth. Biosolids are usually used in land application for agriculture, land reclamation, topsoil manufacture and landfill cover.

Using biosolids as a fertilizer can be an effective method of disposal. It can also help improve crop growth and yield significantly. The nutrients found in biosolids like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, mang

anese, sulfur, and zinc are necessary for crop production and growth. It can also reduce farmer’s production costs and replenishes the organic matter that has been depleted over time. Soil structure can be improved through biosolids by increasing the soil’s ability to absorb and store moisture.

Additionally, biosolids have been used successfully at mine sites to establish sustainable vegetation. Mine sites have little to no topsoil so the biosolids can regenerate the abandoned mine sites. Rather than putting the biosolids in landfills, recycling it as agricultural fertilizer will decrease the amount of waste in the landf

ills.

Although biosolids may have their own distinctive odor, it can be just a slight musty, ammonia odor. When organic materials are decomposed into a nutrient-rich s

oil conditioner, odors are usually released naturally. The strong odor that is very disruptive is caused by compounds containing sulfur and ammonia, which are both plant nutrients. In composting, managers successfully control odors by maintaining aerobic conditions and directing process air through scrubbers and or biofilters in an enclosed process.

Organic compounds contain pesticides, solvents, and polychlorinated biphenyls are found in biosolids. which studies have found risk to be negligible. In 1988, EPA conducted a national survey of biosolids. They evaluated human health and environmental risks and found that the risks were very low. Toxic pollutants such as metals can enter waste water from industrial drains and metal pipes in homes. By using these biosolids as fertilizers, there can be a possibility of possible pollutants to can be transferred to crops.

Although there are still cons to using biosolids as agricultural fertilizer, I think they should keep recycling biosolids rather than throw it in landfills where waste will just gradually build up. I mean, human waste is natural waste, and anything natural is good right?

Works Cited:

http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/wastewater/treatment/biosolids/genqa.cfm

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

http://www.biosolids.com/concerns.html

Blogs Commented On:

http://bridgettebioblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/biosolid-arity.html?showComment=1307498568062#c6897429607747924869

http://yay4bio.blogspot.com/2011/06/biosolids-as-sustainable-agricultural.html?showComment=1307498778971#c7792218561592028182

Can you see my insides? :)

We live in the 20^th century that technology to us seems like it has always existed. Many of us cannot live a day without using technology. We rely on it to get ready in the morning, to get to school, to do our homework, to make ourselves food, to keep in contact with our friends and family and the list goes on. As technology keeps evolving, medical technology a

re become more advanced. Technology today allows us to view the internal body systems without actually opening up the body. In this blog entry, I will be talking about how ultrasounds, x-rays, CT scans, and MRI's help contribute to our understanding of internal body system.

Ultrasounds are an ultrasound-based diagnostic medical imaging technique used to visualize muscles, tendons, and many internal organs, to capture their size, structure and any pathological lesions with realtime tomographic images. Ultrasounds are also used during pregnancy but are known as an “obstetric sonography.”

X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation that sends individual x-ray particles, called photons. These particles pass through the body and a computer or special film is used to record the images that are created. X-rays can identify bone structures of the skeletal system. Chest x-rays can help identify lung diseases such as pneumonia, lung cancer or pulmonary edema, but the abdominal x-ray can detect intestinal obstruction. X-rays are also commonly used in dentistry when diagnosing common oral problems, such as cavities.

A CT scanning, sometimes called CAT scan, is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. CT scans of internal organs, bones, soft tissue, and blood vessels provide greater clarity and reveal more details than regular x-ray exams. A CT scan is a further development of x-rays.

What happens when you want to view detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bones, and any other internal body structure? Well, in that case you would use an MRI, Magnetic resonance imaging. An MRI uses powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a sophisticated computer to generate detailed pictures. An MRI will generate images in great detail. Detailed MRI’s allow physicians to better evaluate various parts of the body and determine the presence of certain diseases that cannot be detected through an ultrasound of CT scan.

Medical technology extends and improves life. It alleviates pain, injury, and diseases. Medical technology helps enhance the quality and effectiveness of care. The most common medical technology used today are ultrasounds, x-rays, CT scans, and MRI’s. Not only medical, but technology in general will keep evolving as time goes by. In the near future, new medical technologies will be made with more accurate pictures and readings to help diagnose diseases and cures to care for patients worldwide.

References;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasound

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003337.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodymr

http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct

Blogs I Commented on:

http://claudia-d-123.blogspot.com/2010/12/first-in-canada-to-use-endoscopic.html?showComment=1302023987483#c3899723432720625898

http://sbi3u1carminachu.blogspot.com/2011/03/importance-of-technology-to-understand.html?showComment=1302025673580#c2793169442283659398

Hormones in our foooooood

Canada is one of the largest agricultural producers and exporters in the world. The rapid global human population is increasing at an incredible rate that the consumer demand is changing agriculture. Many provinces and states are increasing the amount of agricultural land dedicated to growing crops so they can have a higher amount of buisnesses making and selling organic products. Although this is a more greener and healthier way to react to the demand, there is also another way to increase consumer goods! What is that you may ask? Well, think about a chicken that can grow twice as fat and lay twice as many eggs. That would be every farmers dream! Well, it has become a dream come true because they have resulted in injecting hormones to increase the rate of animal growth.
Hormones are chemicals that are produced naturally in the bodies of all animals, including us humans! Their job is to release chemical messages into the blood by hormoneproducing organs taht travel to and affect different parts of the body. These hormones are very important because they control major body functions such as growth, development, and reproduction. But...... the hormones that are being injected to animals are hormones that can make young animals gain weight faster. They help reduce the waiting time and the amout of food eaten by an animal. In dairy cows, hormones can be used to increase milk production. This means that hormones have total control of the profitability of the meat and dairy industries.
As early as the 1930s, humans realized that cows injected with material drawn from bovine pituitary glands would produce more milk. This is when hormones was first introduced to animals.
There are six different kinds of steroid hormones that are currently approved by FDA for use in food production in the US which are estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, zeranol, trenbolone acetate, and melengestrol acetate. Estradiol and progesterone are natural female sex hormones while testosterone is the natural male sex hormone. The other three hormones are synthetic growth promoters which are hormone-like chemicals that can make animals grow faster. As of right now, federal regulations allow these hormones to be used on growing cattle and sheep, but not on poultry or pigs.
Steroid hormones are usually released into the animal from a pellet (ear implant) that is put under the skin of the ear. The ears of the animals are usually thrown away at slaughter but improper use of pellet implants in other parts of the animal can result in higher levels of hormone residues to remain in the edible meat. Federal regulations prohibit their use in this manner. Melengestrol acetate is also available in a form that can be added to animal food. When natural hormones are fed to the cattle, the level of their hormones increases from 7 to 20 times more.
After thorough research, the Veterinaryu Meeasures Relating to Public Health (SCVPH) came to the conclusiont hat "no acceptable daily intake could be established for any of these hormones" and those who eat food products having these hormonal residues are at a great risk of severe hormonal imbalance as well as various types of cancer.
If there are numerous of risks that are concerned with hormones being injected in our food, why is it even a question if humans should eat this? In conclusion, I think that the increase in human population has grown so quickly that the agricultural industry has relied more and more on injecting their animals with steroids to keep up with demands.

References
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hormones-in-food.html
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/Factsheet/Diet/fs37.hormones.cfm

Blogs that i've commented on:
http://bridgettebioblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/do-you-ever-wonder-what-goes-in-your.html?showComment=1296614698865#c7957041832052583533

http://dropsneakersnotbombs.blogspot.com/2011/01/couple-days-ago-i-went-to-wendys-i.html?showComment=1296615570482#c3687891442630642030