HAZARDOUS WASTE IN WASHINGTON STATE
Many people that purchase fertilizer for their
gardens do not know that they could be
contaminated with industrial hazardous waste.
For years this was a well kept secret until Patty
Martin, former Quincy WA Mayor, and some farmers
in her area discovered this. (See, Seattle Times
Fear in the Fields series and the book, Fateful
Harvest , all by Duff Wilson, former
investigative Seattle Times reporter.
http://www.bioethicscourse.info/onlinetextsite/fearinfields.html)
)
In WA State, rather than banning this fertilizer,
former Governor Gary Locke set up a commission,
laden with business representatives and a few
from the environmental community, to review the
situation. It is no surprise that business won
out and that the practice, hyped as "soil
amenities" , was let to continue for those
products sold in this state (and others?). So it
is "buyer beware" and buyer expend the energy to
gather data sheets from each fertilizer company
to see what is in their product and then do more
research to see which fertilizers may be
safe/safer.
Patty Martin has sent the following message to
help the public address this sad situation in an
affordable way. Please pass it on. This is the
season when much fertilizer will be sold and
applied to yards and gardens-- and tracked into
homes, so it is a good time to follow through.
>From: "Patty" <martin@nwi.net>
>To: <darlenes@olympus.net>
>Subject: Detect and Protect
>Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 08:42:40 -0800
>
>Dear Darlene:
>
>
>
>Safe Food and Fertilizer is cooperating with the Ohio Network for the
>Chemically Injured on their Detect and Protect project to examine toxins in
>our day-to-day lives – SFF is specifically asking people to test fertilizer,
>soil to which it has been applied and animal feed including pet food – and
>thought that you would be interested in sharing this with others in your
>community who might like to know what they are being exposed to. The cost
>for testing 26 heavy metals in $20/sample and I would like to encourage you
>to suggest to those you work with that in addition to testing their house
>dust and soil that they also test the fertilizer they use on their home
>lawns and gardens to see what they may inadvertently be adding to their own
>already toxic environment.
>
>Thank you.
>
>
>
>Patty
>
>
>
>Patricia Anne Martin
>
>Safe Food and Fertilizer
>
>617 H St. SW
>
>Quincy, WA 98848
>
>(509) 787-4275
>
>
>
>Safe Food and Fertilizer is a project of Earth Island Institute