I was dismayed to read the letter by Lylin McKenzie who said it was a good idea to use sludge on farmland. Sewage sludge is the black paste that is left over when sewer waste is treated at a sewage plant. It contains disease pathogens from hospitals and mortuaries, as well as industrial chemicals and heavy metals from industries discharging to the sewers.

McKenzie has no idea what was in the sludge that went on those fields.

No farmer should risk the health of his family, his farm soil, his crop, just to save a little money. Pharmacy drugs and illegal drugs also end up in the sewage sludge and may impact water sources and wildlife. The metals in the sludge stay in the soil forever. Farmers in the United States have lost their farms when livestock die from sludge poisoning.

That is not a way forward for the poor farmers who are financially vulnerable and may fall victim to these waste-disposal practices.

I am, etc.,

MAUREEN REILLY

maureen.reilly@sympatico.ca

Toronto, Canada