FEFCHAK: Health officials ignore risks of pig-associated pa

[Oscar]

Health officials ignore risks of pig-associated pathogens

[ http://enterprisenews.ca/Enterprise_Vol ... e06_LR.pdf ]

by John Fefchak - Letters to the Editor - Interlake Enterprise February 4, 2018 - Page 4

RE: "Aerosolized pathogens can affect one's health" - Interlake Enterprise January 31, 2018 - Page 4
[ http://enterprisenews.ca/Enterprise_Vol ... e05_LR.pdf ]

As pointed out by Prof. Eva Pip, the health consequences of offensive odours and airborne pathogens should not be taken lightly.

Rural residents residing near factory hog installations also suffer those symptoms, however, at a much higher and more dangerous rate from the manure lagoons containing slurry.

Animal wastes are rich in organics and high in biochemical oxygen-demanding materials (BOD); for example, treated human sewage contains 20–60 mg BOD/L, raw sewage contains 300–400 mg BOD/L, and swine waste slurry contains 20,000–30,000 mg BOD/L (Webb and Archer 1994). Animal wastes also carry parasites, viruses, and bacteria as high as 1 billion/g (U.S. EPA 1998). Swine wastes contain > 100 microbial pathogens that can cause human illness and disease [see review in Burkholder et al. (1997)].

About one-third of the antibiotics used in the United States each year is routinely added to animal feed to increase growth (Mellon et al. 2001). This practice is promoting increased antibiotic resistance among the microbial populations present and, potentially, increased resistance of naturally occurring pathogens in surface waters that receive a portion of the wastes.

Unfortunately, our government health officials have decided not to recognize this meat production system with ILO's, even when disease and human health complications are involved.

John Fefchak,
Virden, MB.
204 748 2521 4 Feb. 2018