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re gross distortion



Clarence W. Walker sent the following sequence:


>Sheryl N. Swink wrote:

>> 

>> Dear Susan,

>> You wrote:

>> >Are you aware of the kind of compost being peddled by Clarence W.
Walker

>> >and others?<bold> </bold> Not all compost is alike!  Certainly,
what we make at home

>> >is probably the best, especially if we are not using sewage sludge
or

>> >mixed municipal solid waste.

>> >

>> >However, those on Clarence's list, Wastenot, are peddling far more
than

>> >clean, environmentally safe compost . . ..

>> [The rest of the posting with details follows at the end of my
response]

>> 

>> Oops!

>> Thank you, Susan, for contributing more details about Mr. Walker's

>> "composted organics." I certainly agree with you that this is not
the kind

>> of product I would envision myself or others buying at a farmer's
market,

>> at least not if we were fully informed of the nature of the product!
I read

>> the following message from Cary Oshins of Rodale Institute:

>> 

>> >Clarence walker wrote:

>> >>Maria, Would it be appropriate for producers of professionally
and

>> >>safely made composts to take their composted organics to such
markets as

>> >>a means of reaching the farmers and possibly even educating those
who

>> >>are interested in the value of composting as an alternative to

>> >>landfills?

>> 

>> >Clarence, while it would be acceptable to sell compost at a
farmer's market,

>> >it would hardly be economical.

>> >Cary Oshins

>> >Rodale Institute

>> 

>> I understood this to be referring to compost derived from such
things as

>> yard and kitchen waste and possibly manures Compost is (was?) being
made

>> from such material collected at the curbside in Seattle (not the
manures).

>> I'll have to check and see if any undesireable materials have been
added to

>> the composting program there since I last checked.<bold> </bold>I
hope they have not

>> moved toward being so inclusive as Clarence Walker's friends. That

>> certainly is not what the customers I worked with were looking to
buy! I

>> responded as I did because I felt that enterprising farmers and
others who

>> were making whatI thought was the kind of compost you or I would be

>> interested in should be discouraged from investigating a marketing

>> possibility.

>> 

>> Thank you again for your informative reply,

>> 

>> Sheryl Swink

>> 

>> >However, those on Clarence's list, Wastenot, are peddling far more
than

>> >clean, environmentally safe compost.  One peddler-activist claims:

>> >''...We develop systems and produce compost from sludge, septage,
mixed

>> >MSW, restaurant and carwash trap waste, animal waste by-products,
and

>> >yes even landfill leachate...creosote,and a wide range of PAH's,

>> >chlorinated and halogenated hydrocarbons including PCB's, dioxins,
VOC's

>> >have all been in the mix.''

>> 

>> >I personally have no problem using animal manures to heat up the
pile

>> >and add nutrients, but I have a big problem with compost on farms
and

>> >gardens which have used sewage sludge, landfill leachate, mixed

>> >municipal solid waste, cartrap wastes, PAH's, chlorinated and

>> >halogenated hydrocarbons including PCB's, dioxins, VOC's. 
Furthermore,

>> >some creative persons are looking to compost radioactive wastes,
pulp

>> >and paper mill waste, oil and gas wastes including normally
occurring

>> >radioactive material.

>> 

>> >There is no wonder why companies like Wheelabrator Environmental

>> >Services which was a major player in the incinerator industry, is
now in

>> >the composting business.  Where else to get rid of that ash
without

>> >regulations on fertilizers, potting soil, and compost?

>> 

>> >There is some good information on sewage sludge (a.k.a. biosolids)
in

>> >chapter 8 of the book, Toxic Sludge is Good for You.  Chapter 8 is

>> >entitled The Sludge Hits the Fan and is located at

>> >http://www.envirolink.org/issues/sludge/sludge.html

>> 

>> >Since you are at Cornell, I suggest you also read The Cause for
Concern

>> >at http://www.cfe.cornell.edu/wmi/  You will need the Adobe Reader
to

>> >download it in it's PDF form. The report compares standards around
the

>> >world and discusses the problems with the US EPA regulations which

>> >protect industry but not public health.

>> 

>> >Another source of information regarding standards for sewage sludge
and

>> >compost comes from the paper version of the newsletter, WASTENOT,
edited

>> >by Paul and Ellen Connett of St. Lawrence University in Canton,
New

>> >York.

>> 

>> > WN #241 has a chart which was reprinted with permission from

>> >Composting Frontiers, Spring 1993, page 3. Editor Susan Mazzochi.
Waste

>> >Not says this is an excellent quarterly newsletter that is directed
to

>> >provide "direction on composting for waste management." For more

>> >information, contact Composting Frontiers, 19 Girard Place,
Maplewood,

>> >New Jersey 07040-3107. Tel: 201-762-4912. Fax: 201-761-5415.

>> 

>> >I do not have the software to make a chart, therefore cannot give
all

>> >that data that was in #241 in this email. However, for comparison,

>> >I'd like to share some of the standards for toxic heavy metals
allowed

>> >in both compost and sewage sludge in the United States and in
other

>> >progressive countries.

>> 

>> >The federal [U.S.] government standards for Clean Water Act section
503

>> >'High Quality' Sludges/Sludge Composts (also known as biosolids)
in

>> >mg/kg weight follows; the second number is the CWA 503 Ceiling

>> >Concentrations:

>> >

>> >cadmium         39 - 85

>> >chromium        1200 - 3000

>> >cobalt          ---

>> >copper          1500 - 4300

>> >lead            300 - 800

>> >mercury         17 - 57

>> >molybdenum      18 - 75

>> >nickel          420

>> >selenium        36 - 100

>> >zinc            2800 -7500

>> 

>> >To compare

>> >The Dutch Compost Sludge Quality Standards for Very Clean

>> >Compost/Sludge:

>> 

>> >arsenic cadmium   chromium  copper lead    mercury  nickel  zinc

>> > 5/15    0.7/1.25  50/350  25/75  65/100   0.2/0.75 10/30   
75/300

>> 

>> >The German Compost/Sludge Quality Standards:

>> 

>> >none for arsenic

>> >cadmium  1.5/1-1.5

>> >chromium  100/10

>> >copper   100/6

>> >lead    150/100

>> >mercury 1.0/1.0

>> >nickel   50/5

>> >zinc    400/150-200

>> >

>> >Canadian Compost Quality Standards

>> >                Ontario  British Columbia   National Guideline

>> >arsenic         10       13                     13

>> >cadmium          3        2.6                    2.6

>> >chromium        50.       210.                  210.

>> >cobalt          25.        --                    26.

>> >copper          60.       100.                  128.

>> >lead            150       150.                   83.

>> >mercury         0.15        .8                  0.83

>> >molybdenum      2          --                   7

>> >nickel          60.         50.                 32.

>> >selenium        2          --                   2.6

>> >zinc            500.      500.                  315

>> 

>> >When you look at the numbers, do you wonder why our health in the
United

>> >States is worth less than the health or life in the Netherlands,
Germany

>> >and Canada.  Will our children be able to compete in a world where
the

>> >United States allows higher levels of toxic metals, especially lead
in

>> >high quality sludges and composted sewage sludge?

>> 

>> >BTW, when I posted these numbers to Mr. Walker's online discussion
list,

>> >he had me delisted and banished.  Contrary to what Clarence W.
Walker

>> >states, he does not want to hear from those who oppose him or the

>> >environmental community. Can we really afford to continue poisoning
our

>> >soils and life on earth, including our children, in order that

>> >industries can make money by composting industrial wastes?

>> >

>> >Susan Snow

>

>The above constitutes specifically legally actionable slander, libel,

>direct and specific lies, and gross distortion of anything remotely

>resembling facts.

>I defy Ms. Snow to prove that she has ever once reviewed a test
result

>of my compost...ever! 

>I defy Ms. Snow to show that she has even once reviewed my

>standard...ever! 

>I defy Ms. Snow to prove that she has even once reviewed the contents
of

>my compost...ever!

>I defy Ms. Snow to prove that she has ever reviewed any product that
I

>have produced...ever!

> I defy Ms. Snow to prove that she has even once looked at, tested,
or

>touched a single product that I have distributed...ever!  

>

>Ms Snow, as the owner of the WASTENOT list I am reluctantly forced by

>your lack of professionalism to disclose that you were removed from
the

>wastenot list specifically because of your activities such as the

>above.Whereas others in the environmental recycling community are

>actively interested in and supportive of raising the arts and
sciences

>of composting and working together for the good of all you seem to be

>obsessed with negativity and obfuscation. Is this really reflective
of

>the good work of the many of us in the environmental, recycling,

>composting, agricultural community who are trying to work along
posive

>lines? I think not! Please try to stick to the truth...even if the
truth

>doesn't always seem to serve your seemingly nefarious ends.



Mr Walker, 

You've stated plainly that you disagree with Ms Snow's characterization
of your work.  From what you've written, though, it's not as clear
*what* your specific disagreement is, as nowhere in your statement do
you refute any of her specific assertions.  We are fortunate that this
medium provides such immediate opportunity for you to state your case
directly and clear your name.  Specifically, which of her assertions do
you dispute and why?





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