The Public Health Crisis No One Is Talking About

These days, there are plenty of public health
crises to worry about. But one in particular

has been piling up (literally) at at an alarming
rate:

our planet has a poop problem.

With global poo production approaching five billion
tons of feces being dropped on our earth every

year, and the vast majority of that load going
completely untreated by any sanitation system,

this is one public health crisis we should
all give a crap about.

While I may be laying the bathroom language
on thicker than farmland fertilized with literal

fecal fountains—we'll get to it—the health
risks of farmed animal waste is no laughing matter.

In this video you'll learn how the
extreme excrement production of farmed animals

directly affects your health, goes largely
unregulated, and how you're actually paying

for the privilege of being poisoned. From
waste seeping into our groundwater and shutting

down entire cities, to fecal particles in
the air inducing respiratory illnesses,

to zoonotic disease outbreaks running rampant.

Sit back and prepare yourself
—cause I'm about to drop a massive load...

of knowledge.

(That may have been too far...)

Hi, it's Emily from BiteSizeVegan.org, where
you can find free resources, eCourses, kids'

content, and a Guided Search to help you find
just what you need, even if you don't know

what to ask! Speaking of eCourses, this video
has one of its very own, so you can test how

well you absorb my fecal facts after watching!
Just click the "take the eCourse now" button

at BiteSizeVegan.org/TooMuchPoo, where you'll
also find even more in-depth info and the

full dump of sources for this video.

(I'm sorry...)

Now, before we dive into the impact of animal
waste on public health, let's learn just how

much poop farmed animals make. Scientists
estimate that by 2030, the planet will be

producing nearly five billion tons of feces.
(That's billion, with a B) Not only is our

overall poop production increasing at an alarming
rate of 114.6 billion additional pounds a

year (52 billion kg), but so is the ratio
of animal to human excrement. Farmed animals

produce anywhere from five to twenty times
the amount of feces as humans, and over 130

times the amount of total waste, meaning the
vast majority goes entirely untreated and

largely unregulated. To make matters worse,
animal waste is 100 times more concentrated

than raw human sewage and more than 500 times
more concentrated than treated human sewage.

A single dairy farm with 2,500 cows produces
the same amount of waste as a city of 411,000 people.

A single pig produces roughly 1.5
tons of manure every year. With regards to

chickens, in a perfect illustration of the
absolute absurdity of our sewage situation,

a report by Food and Water watch found that
the average egg-laying operation in the United States

produces ten Olympic swimming pools’ worth of manure every year.

In my home state of Iowa alone, laying hens top off
almost two Olympic pools of poo every single day.

I hope you brought your bathing suit.

Speaking of swimming pools of poo, this liquid
animal waste is stored in vast open ponds

called lagoons. These lakes of waste contain
a toxic mixture of excrement, growth hormones,

antibiotics, chemicals, animal blood, silage
leachate, heavy metals, antibiotic residues,

and even animal carcasses. When lagoons reach
their limits, some farms literally launch

the liquid straight up into the air in glorious
fecal fountains that put Las Vegas to shame,

and showers local residents with aerosolized toxins.

There is simply too much waste produced to
be effectively used as fertilizer. The liquid

slurry that is applied to fields is more than
the land can absorb, resulting in toxic runoff.

Leaking lagoon walls, overflow from storms,
and improper drainage results in contamination

of both groundwater and surface water.
It's obvious our current waste management practices

are not effective. Our planet simply cannot
keep up with the ever-increasing output.

If all of this is starting to sound grim,
strap in, cause I’m about to guide you through

what our woeful waste management means for
your health. The health risks from animal

waste range in severity from headaches ... to
death. Associated conditions include, but

are not limited to: respiratory illnesses—including
increased rates of childhood asthma; gastrointestinal

illnesses; stomach and esophageal cancers;
neuropsychiatric abnormalities, such as impaired

balance or memory; blue baby syndrome possibly
leading to infant death; birth defects and

miscarriages; immune suppression; mental health
problems, like anxiety, depression, and PTSD;

and death.

While the brunt of these conditions are born
by farm workers and surrounding communities,

the impact of animal agriculture upon our
global health and environment is at a crisis point.

The fallout from animal waste reaches
far beyond the farms, polluting our air and

poisoning our water.

Aside from the obvious overpowering odor issue,
air emissions from waste in lagoons and fertilized

fields include: ammonia, nitrous oxide, hydrogen
sulfide, methane, and particulate matter.

These harmful gasses come with a range of
health risks, and not just to the respiratory system

Breathing in these toxic fumes is
also linked to cardiovascular ailments, central

nervous system issues, immune suppression,
and—once again—premature death.

Additionally, as children take in 20-50% more air
than adults, they are most severely affected.

Now you may be thinking "I don't live downwind
from one of these facilities, so I'm in the clear, right?"

Sorry to burst your poo-protected
bubble, but if there's one thing we all need

and share, it's our planet's water.

Animal agriculture is the "leading contributor
of pollutants to lakes, rivers, and reservoirs."

Farmed animal waste contaminates groundwater—which
much of the world's population relies on for

drinking water—with viruses, bacteria, and nitrates.
Nitrate poisoning can have devastating

consequences for fetuses and infants, causing
birth defects, blue baby syndrome, and even

death. It's also linked to stomach and esophageal
cancers. Groundwater is much harder to monitor

than surface water, and contamination risks linger long
after a farm has closed and drained its lagoons.

One of the most significant consequences of
animal waste in our waterways is the creation

of dead zones and toxic algae blooms. These
areas are starved for oxygen, killing off

plant and animal life while providing a perfect
breeding ground for bacteria and neurotoxins.

While the resulting rich green water may look
lovely, it poses serious risks to public health.

In 2014, Lake Erie made national headlines
when the annual algae bloom poisoned the drinking

water of close to half a million people in
and around Toledo, Ohio, causing a three-day

shutdown of the area’s water system. A fisherman
who'd been out on Lake Erie was hospitalized

after contact with the algae attacked his
immune system, covering him in hives and shutting

down his body's ability to sweat. In 2017,
Florida declared a state of emergency when

a toxic algae bloom spread to the beaches
—although, let's be honest...

Florida, as a whole, is a state of emergency.
(I can say that cause I grew up there)

Now, if you're outside of the United States
and thinking, "well, we always knew the US

was full of it," just take a sobering step down from your
perceived poo-problem-free position.

In China, where animal protein production has risen
almost five-fold within three decades,

more than half of all lakes are polluted from animal waste.

Even Ireland—often idealized for its rolling
green fields of happily grazing cows—

is facing a water pollution crisis, largely due
to their dairy industry. In the last four

decades, Ireland's "number of pristine rivers
has fallen from 575...to an all-time low of just 20."

You can learn much more about how even
the ideal animal agriculture is a total sh...sh...

show in my speech "The Best We Have
to Offer," delivered in Dublin, Ireland.

So, while the United States is the only country
I’m aware of that literally created an official

competition for dealing with its crap, no
matter what country you call home, farmed

animals are everywhere, and every one of them poops.

If you're not convinced that we're really
up the proverbial creek without a paddle,

animal waste contamination leads to the spread
of zoonotic diseases and foodborne illnesses.

Zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses, are infectious diseases
that can spread from non-human animals to humans.

These include, but are not limited to: pathogenic E. Coli, listeria,

salmonella, cryptosporidium parvum, giardia
lamblia, leptospira, campylobacter, and brucella.

Zoonotic diseases can be transmitted through
water and food contaminated with animal waste.

While you often hear about E. Coli outbreaks
in lettuce and other produce, don't blame

the vegetables—it's the feces at fault.
The pathogens in animal poo have been responsible

for untold human epidemics around the world,
resulting in hospitalizations and deaths.

According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, "scientists estimate that

more than 6 out of every 10 known infectious
diseases in people can be spread from animals,

and 3 out of every 4 new or emerging infectious
diseases in people come from animals."

You may be wondering, if all of this sh...stuff
is so dangerous, where the heck are the regulations?

While many countries do have regulations for
air and water pollution, enforcement for farms

is generally somewhere between ineffective
and completely absent. Despite being illegal

in these countries, dumping waste directly into waterways
is unfortunately commonplace around the world.

In the United States, farmers are largely
exempt from most environmental laws.

In the United Kingdom, a 2017 report from The Bureau
of Investigative Journalism found 3,700 incidents

of farm-related pollution in a six-year period,
424 of which were deemed "serious pollution

incidents" directly linked to dairy, poultry and pig farms.

And now we come to perhaps the most absurdly
offensive aspect of this global poo problem:

You are paying farmers to poison you.

Despite continual devastation of the environment,

direct threats to public health, and outright
violations, farms continue to receive millions

of taxpayer-funded subsidies.

Let's take a look at some examples, shall we?
Remember the annual algae bloom of Lake

Erie that poisoned Toledo's drinking water?
An extensive report by the Sierra Club Michigan

Chapter found that the Western Lake Erie Watershed
area alone received $17 million in subsidies

over a seven-year period, while producing
630 million gallons of waste annually.

In the most extreme example of tax-funded
pollution, the report highlighted Hartland

Farms of Lenawee County, Michigan. That single
farm, "received more than $1.5 million in

federal funding between 1995 and 2014 while
in repeated violation of its permit. In fact,

it has been under a court order since 2003,
yet has continued to receive hundreds of thousands

of dollars in Environmental Quality Incentives
Program and other subsidies in that time."

Similarly, in the United Kingdom, The Bureau
of Investigative Journalism found that "farms

linked to serious pollution incidents or poor
environmental management...received millions

of pounds in government subsidies... In some
cases offenders received substantial payments

- in one instance more than £1m - over the
two year period." Even repeat offenders continue

to receive substantial subsidies.

If this massive dump of defecation data has
you distressed, you may be wondering how we

can possibly dig ourselves out of it. The only real solution
is a planetary shift away from eating animals.

We simply cannot effectively manage
the ever-increasing amount of waste farmed

animals produce. This isn't about pushing
veganism—it's a matter of our collective

survival. It's a matter of our planet's future.
Of our children's future. This is a global

public health crisis that will only continue
to get worse unless we stop eating animals.

I hope this video has been helpful.
Please share it far and wide with the fury of the

fecal fountains themselves—really just launch
it out there to shower the world with...

knowledge.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on our crap
conundrum in the comments. And don't forget

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Now go live vegan, and I'll see you soon.