[Pharmwaste] Toilets, a global health and environmental issue

Fri, 26 Aug 2005 13:07:41 -0400

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Here's a different angle for us -

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http://www.terradaily.com/2005/050826042731.bwd7obwm.html

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Toilets, a global health and environmental issue

=20

STOCKHOLM (AFP) Aug 26, 2005
Some 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to toilets but =
the
western system of flushing everything down the drain is not a viable =
model
for sustainable development, experts meeting this week in Stockholm =
said.=20

Having no access to toilets has disastrous consequences for the spread =
of
disease: some 6,000 children die every day from diarrhea caused by a =
lack of
proper hygiene, according to international statistics.=20

"Excrement kills. It kills by the million" and is the leading cause of
infection in the world, according to the Water Supply and Sanitation
Collaborative Council, a Geneva-based organization promoting cooperation =
in
water supply and sanitation.=20

One of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals is to provide =
1.75
billion people with access to their own toilets by 2015. That means =
95,000
toilets will have to be installed per day if the goal is to be reached.=20

The biggest efforts will be required in India for 600 million people who =
live
mostly in rural areas, in China for 400 million who live primarily in =
urban
areas, and sub-Saharan Africa for 350 million people in both cities and =
the
countryside.=20

But the issue of what kind of toilet to install is hotly debated.=20

Experts at the Stockholm Water Week conference this week explained that =
an
ecological solution, where the urine is separated from the excrement and =
the
materials are then recycled as fertilizer, is by far more preferable =
than
flush toilets.=20

Flush toilets are considered convenient but they are seen as costly, =
more
pollutant and they use too much water.=20

"Over a year, for each person some 400-500 litres of urine and 50 litres =
of
faeces are flushed away with 15,000 litres of pure water," according to =
the
Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI).=20

That is in addition to the 15,000 to 30,000 liters of water used every =
day
for washing, laundry and cooking.=20

In wealthy western countries, used water is treated at the "end of the =
pipe"
and pumped back into the waterways or the ground.=20

"Existing approaches to sanitation are not viable or affordable to the =
vast
majority of people, neither do they offer people an approach towards a
sustainable society," SEI said.=20

Ecological "dry" toilets are seen as a good alternative.=20

They have separate receptacles for liquids and solids and store them for
later use as fertilizers. The excrement is dehydrated to create a =
compost,
using for example ashes, sand or lime to help the decomposition process. =

Such toilets already exist in northern Vietnam, in the Chinese province =
of
Guangxi, in Guatemala, Mexico and Zimbabwe, but also in rich countries =
in
Scandinavia, Germany and Switzerland.=20

But it is a challenge to get people to accept ecological toilets.=20

Firstly, they require more work than a flush toilet, with users throwing =
one
of a number of materials on the discharge to speed the decomposition. =
The
tanks also need to be emptied regularly. Others fear that an ecological
toilet means a smelly toilet.=20

"Education is a big issue... A lot of people are hesitant," SEI expert =
Louise
Dellstroem told AFP.=20

In Sweden, such toilets are commonly installed in summer homes and also =
in
some urban areas where ecological projects are underway.=20

But for the most part in the western world, "it is difficult to =
recognize
that the present system is not perfect," Swedish entrepreneur Bobby =
Bogdan
Mrozowski said.=20

The head of his own company, BB Innovation and Co, Mrozowski has =
developed a
system which collects the urine -- "the best fertilizer", he says -- but =
gets
rid of the solids with a traditional flush, a system he markets in
Scandinavia and a few other countries.

=20

=20

Laurie J. Tenace

Environmental Specialist

Florida Department of Environmental Protection

2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 4555

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-2400

PH: (850) 245-8759

FAX: (850) 245-8811

Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us

=20

view our mercury web pages at:=20

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm

=20

=20

=20

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<div class=3DSection1>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D1 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>Here&#8217;s a different angle for us =
&#8211;</span></font></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D1 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;
font-weight:bold'>&nbsp;</span></font></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D1 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'><a
href=3D"http://www.terradaily.com/2005/050826042731.bwd7obwm.html">http:/=
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</p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D1 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:9.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'>&nbsp;</span></fon=
t></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D5 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:16.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'>&nbsp;</span></fo=
nt></b></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><b><font size=3D5 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span
style=3D'font-size:16.0pt;color:black;font-weight:bold'>Toilets, a =
global health
and environmental issue</span></font></b></p>

<table class=3DMsoNormalTable border=3D0 cellspacing=3D0 cellpadding=3D0 =
align=3Dright
 width=3D160 style=3D'width:96.0pt'>
 <tr>
  <td width=3D160 style=3D'width:96.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'>
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size=3D3
  color=3Dblack face=3D"Times New Roman"><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;font-family:
  "Times New Roman";color:black'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>
  </td>
 </tr>
</table>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D1 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span
  =
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'>STOCKHOLM</span=
></font><font
size=3D1 color=3Dblack face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;
color:black'> (AFP) Aug 26, 2005</span></font><font size=3D1 =
color=3Dblack
face=3DVerdana><span =
style=3D'font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:black'><br>
</span></font><font size=3D3 color=3Dblack><span =
style=3D'font-size:12.0pt;
color:black'>Some 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to =
toilets
but the western system of flushing everything down the drain is not a =
viable
model for sustainable development, experts meeting this week in =
Stockholm said. </span></font></p>

Having no access to toilets has disastrous =
consequences for
the spread of disease: some 6,000 children die every day from diarrhea =
caused
by a lack of proper hygiene, according to international statistics. =

&quot;Excrement kills. It kills by the million&quot; =
and is
the leading cause of infection in the world, according to the Water =
Supply and
Sanitation Collaborative Council, a Geneva-based organization promoting
cooperation in water supply and sanitation.

One of the United Nations' Millennium Development =
Goals is
to provide 1.75 billion people with access to their own toilets by 2015. =
That
means 95,000 toilets will have to be installed per day if the goal is to =
be
reached.

The biggest efforts will be required in India for =
600 million people who live mostly in rural areas, in China for 400 =
million who live
primarily in urban areas, and sub-Saharan Africa for 350 million people =
in both
cities and the countryside.

But the issue of what kind of toilet to install is =
hotly
debated.

Experts at the Stockholm Water Week conference this =
week
explained that an ecological solution, where the urine is separated from =
the
excrement and the materials are then recycled as fertilizer, is by far =
more
preferable than flush toilets.

Flush toilets are considered convenient but they are =
seen
as costly, more pollutant and they use too much water. =

&quot;Over a year, for each person some 400-500 =
litres of
urine and 50 litres of faeces are flushed away with 15,000 litres of =
pure
water,&quot; according to the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). =

That is in addition to the 15,000 to 30,000 liters =
of water
used every day for washing, laundry and cooking.

In wealthy western countries, used water is treated =
at the
&quot;end of the pipe&quot; and pumped back into the waterways or the =
ground.

&quot;Existing approaches to sanitation are not =
viable or
affordable to the vast majority of people, neither do they offer people =
an
approach towards a sustainable society,&quot; SEI said. =

Ecological &quot;dry&quot; toilets are seen as a =
good
alternative.

They have separate receptacles for liquids and =
solids and
store them for later use as fertilizers. The excrement is dehydrated to =
create
a compost, using for example ashes, sand or lime to help the =
decomposition
process.

Such toilets already exist in northern Vietnam, in =
the Chinese province of Guangxi, in Guatemala, Mexico and Zimbabwe, but =
also in rich
countries in Scandinavia, Germany and Switzerland.

But it is a challenge to get people to accept =
ecological
toilets.

Firstly, they require more work than a flush toilet, =
with
users throwing one of a number of materials on the discharge to speed =
the
decomposition. The tanks also need to be emptied regularly. Others fear =
that an
ecological toilet means a smelly toilet.

&quot;Education is a big issue... A lot of people =
are
hesitant,&quot; SEI expert Louise Dellstroem told AFP. =

In Sweden, such toilets are commonly installed in =
summer
homes and also in some urban areas where ecological projects are =
underway.

But for the most part in the western world, &quot;it =
is
difficult to recognize that the present system is not perfect,&quot; =
Swedish
entrepreneur Bobby Bogdan Mrozowski said.

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D3 color=3Dblack face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:
12.0pt;color:black'>The head of his own company, BB Innovation and Co,
Mrozowski has developed a system which collects the urine -- &quot;the =
best
fertilizer&quot;, he says -- but gets rid of the solids with a =
traditional
flush, a system he markets in Scandinavia and a few other =
countries.</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Laurie
J. Tenace</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Environmental
Specialist</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Florida
Department of Environmental Protection</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>2600</span></font><font
 size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> Blair Stone Road, =
MS</span></font><font
size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'> 4555</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>Tallahassee</span></font><font
 size=3D2><span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>, Florida =
32399-2400</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>PH:
(850) 245-8759</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>FAX:
(850) 245-8811</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"mailto:Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.us">Laurie.Tenace@dep.state.fl.=
us</a></span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'>view
our mercury web pages at: </span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:10.0pt'><a
href=3D"http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm">=
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/waste/categories/mercury/default.htm</a></span=
></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
style=3D'font-size:11.0pt'>&nbsp;</span></font></p>

<p class=3DMsoNormal><font size=3D2 face=3DArial><span =
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