0:00:00.080,0:00:04.180
These days, there are plenty of public health[br]crises to worry about. But one in particular

0:00:04.180,0:00:07.960
has been piling up (literally) at at an alarming[br]rate:

0:00:07.960,0:00:10.519
our planet has a poop problem.

0:00:10.519,0:00:15.240
With global poo production approaching five billion[br]tons of feces being dropped on our earth every

0:00:15.240,0:00:20.930
year, and the vast majority of that load going[br]completely untreated by any sanitation system,

0:00:20.930,0:00:24.810
this is one public health crisis we should[br]all give a crap about.

0:00:24.810,0:00:28.929
While I may be laying the bathroom language[br]on thicker than farmland fertilized with literal

0:00:28.929,0:00:34.080
fecal fountains—we'll get to it—the health[br]risks of farmed animal waste is no laughing matter.

0:00:34.080,0:00:38.480
In this video you'll learn how the[br]extreme excrement production of farmed animals

0:00:38.480,0:00:43.690
directly affects your health, goes largely[br]unregulated, and how you're actually paying

0:00:43.690,0:00:48.040
for the privilege of being poisoned. From[br]waste seeping into our groundwater and shutting

0:00:48.040,0:00:52.801
down entire cities, to fecal particles in[br]the air inducing respiratory illnesses,

0:00:52.801,0:00:55.265
to zoonotic disease outbreaks running rampant.

0:00:55.265,0:00:59.233
Sit back and prepare yourself[br]—cause I'm about to drop a massive load...

0:00:59.404,0:01:01.006
of knowledge.

0:01:01.517,0:01:02.947
(That may have been too far...)

0:01:14.070,0:01:19.150
Hi, it's Emily from BiteSizeVegan.org, where[br]you can find free resources, eCourses, kids'

0:01:19.150,0:01:22.620
content, and a Guided Search to help you find[br]just what you need, even if you don't know

0:01:22.620,0:01:27.600
what to ask! Speaking of eCourses, this video[br]has one of its very own, so you can test how

0:01:27.600,0:01:32.550
well you absorb my fecal facts after watching![br]Just click the "take the eCourse now" button

0:01:32.550,0:01:38.810
at BiteSizeVegan.org/TooMuchPoo, where you'll[br]also find even more in-depth info and the

0:01:38.810,0:01:41.201
full dump of sources for this video.

0:01:41.713,0:01:42.452
(I'm sorry...)

0:01:42.793,0:01:47.640
Now, before we dive into the impact of animal[br]waste on public health, let's learn just how

0:01:47.640,0:01:52.790
much poop farmed animals make. Scientists[br]estimate that by 2030, the planet will be

0:01:52.790,0:02:00.130
producing nearly five billion tons of feces.[br](That's billion, with a B) Not only is our

0:02:00.130,0:02:06.350
overall poop production increasing at an alarming[br]rate of 114.6 billion additional pounds a

0:02:06.350,0:02:11.230
year (52 billion kg), but so is the ratio[br]of animal to human excrement. Farmed animals

0:02:11.230,0:02:17.420
produce anywhere from five to twenty times[br]the amount of feces as humans, and over 130

0:02:17.420,0:02:22.920
times the amount of total waste, meaning the[br]vast majority goes entirely untreated and

0:02:22.920,0:02:28.340
largely unregulated. To make matters worse,[br]animal waste is 100 times more concentrated

0:02:28.340,0:02:34.030
than raw human sewage and more than 500 times[br]more concentrated than treated human sewage.

0:02:34.030,0:02:41.120
A single dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces[br]the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 people.

0:02:41.120,0:02:47.490
A single pig produces roughly 1.5[br]tons of manure every year. With regards to

0:02:47.490,0:02:52.760
chickens, in a perfect illustration of the[br]absolute absurdity of our sewage situation,

0:02:52.760,0:02:58.571
a report by Food and Water watch found that[br]the average egg-laying operation in the United States

0:02:58.571,0:03:03.308
produces ten Olympic swimming pools’ worth of manure every year.

0:03:03.308,0:03:10.840
In my home state of Iowa alone, laying hens top off [br]almost two Olympic pools of poo every single day.

0:03:11.434,0:03:14.050
I hope you brought your bathing suit.

0:03:14.050,0:03:19.710
Speaking of swimming pools of poo, this liquid[br]animal waste is stored in vast open ponds

0:03:19.710,0:03:25.910
called lagoons. These lakes of waste contain[br]a toxic mixture of excrement, growth hormones,

0:03:25.910,0:03:31.220
antibiotics, chemicals, animal blood, silage[br]leachate, heavy metals, antibiotic residues,

0:03:31.220,0:03:36.900
and even animal carcasses. When lagoons reach[br]their limits, some farms literally launch

0:03:36.900,0:03:42.860
the liquid straight up into the air in glorious[br]fecal fountains that put Las Vegas to shame,

0:03:42.860,0:03:46.360
and showers local residents with aerosolized toxins.

0:03:46.360,0:03:51.800
There is simply too much waste produced to[br]be effectively used as fertilizer. The liquid

0:03:51.800,0:03:57.470
slurry that is applied to fields is more than[br]the land can absorb, resulting in toxic runoff.

0:03:57.470,0:04:02.390
Leaking lagoon walls, overflow from storms,[br]and improper drainage results in contamination

0:04:02.390,0:04:07.540
of both groundwater and surface water. [br]It's obvious our current waste management practices

0:04:07.540,0:04:12.840
are not effective. Our planet simply cannot[br]keep up with the ever-increasing output.

0:04:12.840,0:04:17.879
If all of this is starting to sound grim,[br]strap in, cause I’m about to guide you through

0:04:17.879,0:04:22.900
what our woeful waste management means for[br]your health. The health risks from animal

0:04:22.900,0:04:28.849
waste range in severity from headaches ... to[br]death. Associated conditions include, but

0:04:28.849,0:04:35.520
are not limited to: respiratory illnesses—including[br]increased rates of childhood asthma; gastrointestinal

0:04:35.520,0:04:40.669
illnesses; stomach and esophageal cancers;[br]neuropsychiatric abnormalities, such as impaired

0:04:40.669,0:04:45.490
balance or memory; blue baby syndrome possibly[br]leading to infant death; birth defects and

0:04:45.490,0:04:50.990
miscarriages; immune suppression; mental health[br]problems, like anxiety, depression, and PTSD;

0:04:50.990,0:04:52.719
and death.

0:04:52.719,0:04:56.800
While the brunt of these conditions are born[br]by farm workers and surrounding communities,

0:04:56.800,0:05:02.259
the impact of animal agriculture upon our[br]global health and environment is at a crisis point.

0:05:02.259,0:05:07.309
The fallout from animal waste reaches[br]far beyond the farms, polluting our air and

0:05:07.309,0:05:08.669
poisoning our water.

0:05:08.669,0:05:14.729
Aside from the obvious overpowering odor issue,[br]air emissions from waste in lagoons and fertilized

0:05:14.729,0:05:20.630
fields include: ammonia, nitrous oxide, hydrogen[br]sulfide, methane, and particulate matter.

0:05:20.630,0:05:25.340
These harmful gasses come with a range of[br]health risks, and not just to the respiratory system

0:05:25.340,0:05:30.389
Breathing in these toxic fumes is[br]also linked to cardiovascular ailments, central

0:05:30.389,0:05:36.009
nervous system issues, immune suppression,[br]and—once again—premature death.

0:05:36.009,0:05:42.540
Additionally, as children take in 20-50% more air [br]than adults, they are most severely affected.

0:05:42.540,0:05:47.830
Now you may be thinking "I don't live downwind[br]from one of these facilities, so I'm in the clear, right?"

0:05:47.830,0:05:52.789
Sorry to burst your poo-protected[br]bubble, but if there's one thing we all need

0:05:52.789,0:05:55.339
and share, it's our planet's water.

0:05:55.339,0:06:00.050
Animal agriculture is the "leading contributor[br]of pollutants to lakes, rivers, and reservoirs."

0:06:00.050,0:06:05.129
Farmed animal waste contaminates groundwater—which[br]much of the world's population relies on for

0:06:05.129,0:06:10.580
drinking water—with viruses, bacteria, and nitrates. [br]Nitrate poisoning can have devastating

0:06:10.580,0:06:15.479
consequences for fetuses and infants, causing[br]birth defects, blue baby syndrome, and even

0:06:15.479,0:06:21.449
death. It's also linked to stomach and esophageal[br]cancers. Groundwater is much harder to monitor

0:06:21.449,0:06:28.289
than surface water, and contamination risks linger long [br]after a farm has closed and drained its lagoons.

0:06:28.289,0:06:32.710
One of the most significant consequences of[br]animal waste in our waterways is the creation

0:06:32.710,0:06:38.559
of dead zones and toxic algae blooms. These[br]areas are starved for oxygen, killing off

0:06:38.559,0:06:44.439
plant and animal life while providing a perfect[br]breeding ground for bacteria and neurotoxins.

0:06:44.439,0:06:50.520
While the resulting rich green water may look[br]lovely, it poses serious risks to public health.

0:06:50.520,0:06:56.050
In 2014, Lake Erie made national headlines[br]when the annual algae bloom poisoned the drinking

0:06:56.050,0:07:01.119
water of close to half a million people in[br]and around Toledo, Ohio, causing a three-day

0:07:01.119,0:07:06.429
shutdown of the area’s water system. A fisherman[br]who'd been out on Lake Erie was hospitalized

0:07:06.429,0:07:11.659
after contact with the algae attacked his[br]immune system, covering him in hives and shutting

0:07:11.659,0:07:17.449
down his body's ability to sweat. In 2017,[br]Florida declared a state of emergency when

0:07:17.449,0:07:22.156
a toxic algae bloom spread to the beaches[br]—although, let's be honest...

0:07:22.156,0:07:29.669
Florida, as a whole, is a state of emergency. [br](I can say that cause I grew up there)

0:07:29.669,0:07:34.330
Now, if you're outside of the United States[br]and thinking, "well, we always knew the US

0:07:34.330,0:07:39.689
was full of it," just take a sobering step down from your[br]perceived poo-problem-free position.

0:07:39.689,0:07:45.568
In China, where animal protein production has risen [br]almost five-fold within three decades,

0:07:45.568,0:07:48.680
more than half of all lakes are polluted from animal waste.

0:07:48.680,0:07:53.819
Even Ireland—often idealized for its rolling[br]green fields of happily grazing cows—

0:07:53.819,0:07:59.679
is facing a water pollution crisis, largely due[br]to their dairy industry. In the last four

0:07:59.679,0:08:06.849
decades, Ireland's "number of pristine rivers[br]has fallen from 575...to an all-time low of just 20."

0:08:06.849,0:08:12.660
You can learn much more about how even [br]the ideal animal agriculture is a total sh...sh...

0:08:12.660,0:08:17.610
show in my speech "The Best We Have[br]to Offer," delivered in Dublin, Ireland.

0:08:17.610,0:08:22.590
So, while the United States is the only country[br]I’m aware of that literally created an official

0:08:22.590,0:08:27.729
competition for dealing with its crap, no[br]matter what country you call home, farmed

0:08:27.729,0:08:31.219
animals are everywhere, and every one of them poops.

0:08:31.219,0:08:35.550
If you're not convinced that we're really[br]up the proverbial creek without a paddle,

0:08:35.550,0:08:41.280
animal waste contamination leads to the spread[br]of zoonotic diseases and foodborne illnesses.

0:08:41.280,0:08:47.404
Zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, are infectious diseases [br]that can spread from non-human animals to humans.

0:08:47.404,0:08:51.767
These include, but are not limited to: pathogenic E. Coli, listeria,

0:08:51.767,0:08:57.237
salmonella, cryptosporidium parvum, giardia[br]lamblia, leptospira, campylobacter, and brucella.

0:08:57.237,0:09:02.510
Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted through[br]water and food contaminated with animal waste.

0:09:02.510,0:09:07.090
While you often hear about E. Coli outbreaks[br]in lettuce and other produce, don't blame

0:09:07.090,0:09:12.810
the vegetables—it's the feces at fault.[br]The pathogens in animal poo have been responsible

0:09:12.810,0:09:18.700
for untold human epidemics around the world,[br]resulting in hospitalizations and deaths.

0:09:18.700,0:09:22.910
According to the Centers for Disease Control[br]and Prevention, "scientists estimate that

0:09:22.910,0:09:28.830
more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious[br]diseases in people can be spread from animals,

0:09:28.830,0:09:35.060
and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious[br]diseases in people come from animals."

0:09:35.060,0:09:41.240
You may be wondering, if all of this sh...stuff[br]is so dangerous, where the heck are the regulations?

0:09:41.240,0:09:46.280
While many countries do have regulations for[br]air and water pollution, enforcement for farms

0:09:46.280,0:09:52.210
is generally somewhere between ineffective[br]and completely absent. Despite being illegal

0:09:52.210,0:09:58.087
in these countries, dumping waste directly into waterways [br]is unfortunately commonplace around the world.

0:09:58.220,0:10:02.971
In the United States, farmers are largely[br]exempt from most environmental laws.

0:10:02.971,0:10:09.680
In the United Kingdom, a 2017 report from The Bureau[br]of Investigative Journalism found 3,700 incidents

0:10:09.680,0:10:16.080
of farm-related pollution in a six-year period,[br]424 of which were deemed "serious pollution

0:10:16.080,0:10:19.850
incidents" directly linked to dairy, poultry and pig farms.

0:10:19.850,0:10:26.170
And now we come to perhaps the most absurdly[br]offensive aspect of this global poo problem:

0:10:26.170,0:10:30.000
You are paying farmers to poison you.

0:10:30.000,0:10:33.360
Despite continual devastation of the environment,

0:10:33.360,0:10:38.970
direct threats to public health, and outright[br]violations, farms continue to receive millions

0:10:38.970,0:10:41.210
of taxpayer-funded subsidies.

0:10:41.210,0:10:44.820
Let's take a look at some examples, shall we? [br]Remember the annual algae bloom of Lake

0:10:44.820,0:10:49.390
Erie that poisoned Toledo's drinking water?[br]An extensive report by the Sierra Club Michigan

0:10:49.390,0:10:56.580
Chapter found that the Western Lake Erie Watershed[br]area alone received $17 million in subsidies

0:10:56.580,0:11:01.800
over a seven-year period, while producing[br]630 million gallons of waste annually.

0:11:01.800,0:11:06.470
In the most extreme example of tax-funded[br]pollution, the report highlighted Hartland

0:11:06.470,0:11:13.160
Farms of Lenawee County, Michigan. That single[br]farm, "received more than $1.5 million in

0:11:13.160,0:11:20.380
federal funding between 1995 and 2014 while[br]in repeated violation of its permit. In fact,

0:11:20.380,0:11:25.700
it has been under a court order since 2003,[br]yet has continued to receive hundreds of thousands

0:11:25.700,0:11:30.690
of dollars in Environmental Quality Incentives[br]Program and other subsidies in that time."

0:11:30.690,0:11:35.610
Similarly, in the United Kingdom, The Bureau[br]of Investigative Journalism found that "farms

0:11:35.610,0:11:40.080
linked to serious pollution incidents or poor[br]environmental management...received millions

0:11:40.080,0:11:45.339
of pounds in government subsidies... In some[br]cases offenders received substantial payments

0:11:45.339,0:11:51.490
- in one instance more than £1m - over the[br]two year period." Even repeat offenders continue

0:11:51.490,0:11:54.020
to receive substantial subsidies.

0:11:54.020,0:11:59.140
If this massive dump of defecation data has[br]you distressed, you may be wondering how we

0:11:59.140,0:12:06.030
can possibly dig ourselves out of it. The only real solution[br]is a planetary shift away from eating animals.

0:12:06.030,0:12:11.950
We simply cannot effectively manage[br]the ever-increasing amount of waste farmed

0:12:11.950,0:12:17.130
animals produce. This isn't about pushing[br]veganism—it's a matter of our collective

0:12:17.130,0:12:23.110
survival. It's a matter of our planet's future.[br]Of our children's future. This is a global

0:12:23.110,0:12:29.190
public health crisis that will only continue[br]to get worse unless we stop eating animals.

0:12:29.190,0:12:34.780
I hope this video has been helpful. [br]Please share it far and wide with the fury of the

0:12:34.780,0:12:41.051
fecal fountains themselves—really just launch[br]it out there to shower the world with...

0:12:41.146,0:12:42.340
knowledge.

0:12:42.340,0:12:46.240
I'd love to hear your thoughts on our crap[br]conundrum in the comments. And don't forget

0:12:46.240,0:12:50.770
to take the free eCourse! To stay in the loop[br]about new Bite Size Vegan content and updates,

0:12:50.770,0:12:54.900
please subscribe, and sign up for the newsletter[br]or follow the Telegram channel for the most

0:12:54.900,0:12:56.450
reliable notifications.

0:12:56.450,0:12:58.199
Now go live vegan, and I'll see you soon.