If our sewage is used to fertilise fruit and vegetables, does it become toxic?

Land farming of urban/suburban waste has been practiced a while. When treated in a safe and efficient manner, it is a practical way to dispose of part of the waste produced. Many issues do exist with the application of waste, and the use of raw sewage as a vegetable crop fertilizer is extremely unwise. However, composted waste is being used with the production of livestock and human grain crops, especially if the waste is incorporated into the soil (the actual food portion of the crop doesn't come in physical contact with the waste).

I have advised several farmers on the use of urban wastes. One of the most common issues is the over application of phosphorus. The wastes tend to be applied in rates of multiple tons (5+) per acre. This will frequently result in applications of 400+ pounds of P per acre. This rate is in extreme excess of crop uptake and the resulting increase in plant available P leads to an increase of P pollution in surface waters.

A second issue may be increased levels of heavy metals in the soil. This issue is usually monitored with an adequate soil testing program that allows use of the waste until heavy metal concentration reach threshold levels and the waste is subsequently not applied.

A short answer to your question:

it's already being done, just with crops and plants that usually don't involve direct (uncooked) consumption by the consumer.

xenobyte72, Vegetables and fruits as well as all plants filter the water perfectly. The roots take up only pure water and nutrient elements from the soil whether they are from human sewage or from organic compost, it's all the same to the plant. It does not affect the taste or nutritional value of the fruit or vegetables. The problem we have been running into is that when sewage is applied it can get on the vegetables, either directly or from rain splatter. Then the fruits or veggies are eaten without properly washing them first. You pick up a bunch of lettuce in the grocery never suspecting that it was grown with sewage or raw animal manure, give it a quick rinse and then you get sick from it. But nature does a perfect job of letting nothing but pure water into the plant.

The fruit of plants grown in supernatant from human waste is no different that the harvest from any other manure, in fact in a field in England, cows were allowed to graze in one of these fields, (this was about 30 years ago) the incidence of TB in these cows was significantly reduced. I some extremely hot and humid climates there could possibly be some adverse affect but they occur anyway naturally nitrification looks after this nitrate to nitrite to nitrogen- a gas. It is just a stigma about human waste because of the typhoid epidemics. these were caused by the streets being used as sewers, the bacteria became anaerobic and this is the more harmful to living things, it is usually contained under the soil and aerobic bacteria much less harmful usually dwell on the surface if there is no soil and aerobic bacterias things get nasty quickly

Sorry to say but no...people throw a lot of chemicals down the drain every day if those are given to plants they will die probably 99% of them at least....also there are a lot of highly water soluble chemicals that people throw out down the drain just because of lack of information....there are sewage cleaning stations where water if filtered in the best way known so far

Human waste is illegal to use on human consumable foods, I would hope. At least it is in my state. However waste, whatever the source is not directly put on foods such as vegetables, and fruits. It usually applied during the non-growth season to fertilize the soil. During this time if the waste did happen to contain bacteria it should break down from the bacteria in the soil. Most farmers will crank the acidity up anyways with urea and that should wipe out most harmful bateria.

The class of the tomato could be complicated. yet there are key issues to word. it may certainly be seen a vegetable and a fruit on the comparable time reckoning on which context it is in. Scientifically, that's seen a fruit in view that's certainly the ovary enclosed with seeds that got here from a coming up flower. besides the fact that, through its culinary utilization, through fact it does not have the familiar "candy" style of maximum different culmination, that's in many circumstances categorised as a vegetable. that's maximum in many circumstances served with different vegetables fairly than with culmination or candy cakes. besides the fact that, some want making use of the medical definition collectively as cooking, regardless of it not being arranged as a fruit. additionally, the U. S. ultimate courtroom declared the tomato as a vegetable basically on the reality that that's used maximum in many circumstances as a vegetable whilst it includes paying a tax under a tariff act. subsequently, some "vegetables" collectively with cucumbers and squashes are additionally culmination in accordance to medical definition.

actually, if we use the wasate from the seward, they will all die due to the high bacteria rates and toxic. but however, like every other animals, human wastes(except urine which contains urea, kills plants) can be used to fertilize plants, its just that we are too concern with the word "poop"....but wasates provide many nutrients that aare bad to humans but great for plants.

it is possible to to process water in plants, but how can we retrieve the water, and it would be a very slow process

Process waste and save nutrients. In the wild animals just poo on the ground, fertilizing nearby plants. Humans dump all their waste in the oceans and then wonder why agricultural lands are nutrient-depleted, and why there are red tide blooms on the coast of heavily populated regions.

Our sewage is treated and only spread on land which is used for cattle, never used for fertilizing fruit and veg.

Yes, toxic and biological hazard