These days, there are plenty of public health crises to worry about. But one in particular
has been piling up (literally) at at an alarming rate:
our planet has a poop problem.
With global poo production approaching five billion tons of feces being dropped on our earth every
year, and the vast majority of that load going completely untreated by any sanitation system,
this is one public health crisis we should all give a crap about.
While I may be laying the bathroom language on thicker than farmland fertilized with literal
fecal fountains—we'll get to it—the health risks of farmed animal waste is no laughing matter.
In this video you'll learn how the extreme excrement production of farmed animals
directly affects your health, goes largely unregulated, and how you're actually paying
for the privilege of being poisoned. From waste seeping into our groundwater and shutting
down entire cities, to fecal particles in the air inducing respiratory illnesses,
to zoonotic disease outbreaks running rampant.
Sit back and prepare yourself —cause I'm about to drop a massive load...
of knowledge.
(That may have been too far...)
Hi, it's Emily from BiteSizeVegan.org, where you can find free resources, eCourses, kids'
content, and a Guided Search to help you find just what you need, even if you don't know
what to ask! Speaking of eCourses, this video has one of its very own, so you can test how
well you absorb my fecal facts after watching! Just click the "take the eCourse now" button
at BiteSizeVegan.org/TooMuchPoo, where you'll also find even more in-depth info and the
full dump of sources for this video.
(I'm sorry...)
Now, before we dive into the impact of animal waste on public health, let's learn just how
much poop farmed animals make. Scientists estimate that by 2030, the planet will be
producing nearly five billion tons of feces. (That's billion, with a B) Not only is our
overall poop production increasing at an alarming rate of 114.6 billion additional pounds a
year (52 billion kg), but so is the ratio of animal to human excrement. Farmed animals
produce anywhere from five to twenty times the amount of feces as humans, and over 130
times the amount of total waste, meaning the vast majority goes entirely untreated and
largely unregulated. To make matters worse, animal waste is 100 times more concentrated
than raw human sewage and more than 500 times more concentrated than treated human sewage.
A single dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 people.
A single pig produces roughly 1.5 tons of manure every year. With regards to
chickens, in a perfect illustration of the absolute absurdity of our sewage situation,
a report by Food and Water watch found that the average egg-laying operation in the United States
produces ten Olympic swimming pools’ worth of manure every year.
In my home state of Iowa alone, laying hens top off almost two Olympic pools of poo every single day.
I hope you brought your bathing suit.
Speaking of swimming pools of poo, this liquid animal waste is stored in vast open ponds
called lagoons. These lakes of waste contain a toxic mixture of excrement, growth hormones,
antibiotics, chemicals, animal blood, silage leachate, heavy metals, antibiotic residues,
and even animal carcasses. When lagoons reach their limits, some farms literally launch
the liquid straight up into the air in glorious fecal fountains that put Las Vegas to shame,
and showers local residents with aerosolized toxins.
There is simply too much waste produced to be effectively used as fertilizer. The liquid
slurry that is applied to fields is more than the land can absorb, resulting in toxic runoff.
Leaking lagoon walls, overflow from storms, and improper drainage results in contamination
of both groundwater and surface water. It's obvious our current waste management practices
are not effective. Our planet simply cannot keep up with the ever-increasing output.
If all of this is starting to sound grim, strap in, cause I’m about to guide you through
what our woeful waste management means for your health. The health risks from animal
waste range in severity from headaches ... to death. Associated conditions include, but
are not limited to: respiratory illnesses—including increased rates of childhood asthma; gastrointestinal
illnesses; stomach and esophageal cancers; neuropsychiatric abnormalities, such as impaired
balance or memory; blue baby syndrome possibly leading to infant death; birth defects and
miscarriages; immune suppression; mental health problems, like anxiety, depression, and PTSD;
and death.
While the brunt of these conditions are born by farm workers and surrounding communities,
the impact of animal agriculture upon our global health and environment is at a crisis point.
The fallout from animal waste reaches far beyond the farms, polluting our air and
poisoning our water.
Aside from the obvious overpowering odor issue, air emissions from waste in lagoons and fertilized
fields include: ammonia, nitrous oxide, hydrogen sulfide, methane, and particulate matter.
These harmful gasses come with a range of health risks, and not just to the respiratory system
Breathing in these toxic fumes is also linked to cardiovascular ailments, central
nervous system issues, immune suppression, and—once again—premature death.
Additionally, as children take in 20-50% more air than adults, they are most severely affected.
Now you may be thinking "I don't live downwind from one of these facilities, so I'm in the clear, right?"
Sorry to burst your poo-protected bubble, but if there's one thing we all need
and share, it's our planet's water.
Animal agriculture is the "leading contributor of pollutants to lakes, rivers, and reservoirs."
Farmed animal waste contaminates groundwater—which much of the world's population relies on for
drinking water—with viruses, bacteria, and nitrates. Nitrate poisoning can have devastating
consequences for fetuses and infants, causing birth defects, blue baby syndrome, and even
death. It's also linked to stomach and esophageal cancers. Groundwater is much harder to monitor
than surface water, and contamination risks linger long after a farm has closed and drained its lagoons.
One of the most significant consequences of animal waste in our waterways is the creation
of dead zones and toxic algae blooms. These areas are starved for oxygen, killing off
plant and animal life while providing a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and neurotoxins.
While the resulting rich green water may look lovely, it poses serious risks to public health.
In 2014, Lake Erie made national headlines when the annual algae bloom poisoned the drinking
water of close to half a million people in and around Toledo, Ohio, causing a three-day
shutdown of the area’s water system. A fisherman who'd been out on Lake Erie was hospitalized
after contact with the algae attacked his immune system, covering him in hives and shutting
down his body's ability to sweat. In 2017, Florida declared a state of emergency when
a toxic algae bloom spread to the beaches —although, let's be honest...
Florida, as a whole, is a state of emergency. (I can say that cause I grew up there)
Now, if you're outside of the United States and thinking, "well, we always knew the US
was full of it," just take a sobering step down from your perceived poo-problem-free position.
In China, where animal protein production has risen almost five-fold within three decades,
more than half of all lakes are polluted from animal waste.
Even Ireland—often idealized for its rolling green fields of happily grazing cows—
is facing a water pollution crisis, largely due to their dairy industry. In the last four
decades, Ireland's "number of pristine rivers has fallen from 575...to an all-time low of just 20."
You can learn much more about how even the ideal animal agriculture is a total sh...sh...
show in my speech "The Best We Have to Offer," delivered in Dublin, Ireland.
So, while the United States is the only country I’m aware of that literally created an official
competition for dealing with its crap, no matter what country you call home, farmed
animals are everywhere, and every one of them poops.
If you're not convinced that we're really up the proverbial creek without a paddle,
animal waste contamination leads to the spread of zoonotic diseases and foodborne illnesses.
Zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, are infectious diseases that can spread from non-human animals to humans.
These include, but are not limited to: pathogenic E. Coli, listeria,
salmonella, cryptosporidium parvum, giardia lamblia, leptospira, campylobacter, and brucella.
Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted through water and food contaminated with animal waste.
While you often hear about E. Coli outbreaks in lettuce and other produce, don't blame
the vegetables—it's the feces at fault. The pathogens in animal poo have been responsible
for untold human epidemics around the world, resulting in hospitalizations and deaths.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "scientists estimate that
more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals,
and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals."
You may be wondering, if all of this sh...stuff is so dangerous, where the heck are the regulations?
While many countries do have regulations for air and water pollution, enforcement for farms
is generally somewhere between ineffective and completely absent. Despite being illegal
in these countries, dumping waste directly into waterways is unfortunately commonplace around the world.
In the United States, farmers are largely exempt from most environmental laws.
In the United Kingdom, a 2017 report from The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found 3,700 incidents
of farm-related pollution in a six-year period, 424 of which were deemed "serious pollution
incidents" directly linked to dairy, poultry and pig farms.
And now we come to perhaps the most absurdly offensive aspect of this global poo problem:
You are paying farmers to poison you.
Despite continual devastation of the environment,
direct threats to public health, and outright violations, farms continue to receive millions
of taxpayer-funded subsidies.
Let's take a look at some examples, shall we? Remember the annual algae bloom of Lake
Erie that poisoned Toledo's drinking water? An extensive report by the Sierra Club Michigan
Chapter found that the Western Lake Erie Watershed area alone received $17 million in subsidies
over a seven-year period, while producing 630 million gallons of waste annually.
In the most extreme example of tax-funded pollution, the report highlighted Hartland
Farms of Lenawee County, Michigan. That single farm, "received more than $1.5 million in
federal funding between 1995 and 2014 while in repeated violation of its permit. In fact,
it has been under a court order since 2003, yet has continued to receive hundreds of thousands
of dollars in Environmental Quality Incentives Program and other subsidies in that time."
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism found that "farms
linked to serious pollution incidents or poor environmental management...received millions
of pounds in government subsidies... In some cases offenders received substantial payments
- in one instance more than £1m - over the two year period." Even repeat offenders continue
to receive substantial subsidies.
If this massive dump of defecation data has you distressed, you may be wondering how we
can possibly dig ourselves out of it. The only real solution is a planetary shift away from eating animals.
We simply cannot effectively manage the ever-increasing amount of waste farmed
animals produce. This isn't about pushing veganism—it's a matter of our collective
survival. It's a matter of our planet's future. Of our children's future. This is a global
public health crisis that will only continue to get worse unless we stop eating animals.
I hope this video has been helpful. Please share it far and wide with the fury of the
fecal fountains themselves—really just launch it out there to shower the world with...
knowledge.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on our crap conundrum in the comments. And don't forget
to take the free eCourse! To stay in the loop about new Bite Size Vegan content and updates,
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Now go live vegan, and I'll see you soon.