Washington DC
Director of American Nursery and Landscape Association, Warren A. Quinn, gets Staphyococcus
Aureus (MRSA) from Class A sludge biosolids compost.
Director of American Nursery and Landscape Association, Warren A. Quinn, gets Staphyococcus
Aureus (MRSA) from Class A sludge biosolids compost.
08/06/02 03:58PM »>
I got a Staphylococcus aureus infection of my skin from handling composted sewage sludge ("biosolids") at my home,
so that's enough research for me.
It was easily treated with antibiotics, but it could have been bad news if I had not recognized it as something to see the
doctor about before it got very far. Now that I know about this risk, it is fairly simple to keep it from happening again by
wearing a dust mask and gloves, not scratching any itches while working with it, and washing up well with an
antibacterial soap.
Not sure where the PR is on this, but it seems to me that the industry is not being very pro-active in educating the
companies using the product (I was in the landscape business for several years in the 80's and never heard of any
risks with using the product to amend soil on residential landscapes), and the general public is certainly not aware of
it - yet.
Which makes this a classic case of a need for an industry to get ahead of the negative PR curve - educating people
about the risks and how to minimize them - or risk a comprehensive regulatory response that would hurt the industry.
Warren A. Quinn, Esq.
Director of Operations
American Nursery & Landscape Association
1000 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
direct: 202/789-5980, ext 3009
fx: 202/789-1893
email: wquinn@anla.grg
I got a Staphylococcus aureus infection of my skin from handling composted sewage sludge ("biosolids") at my home,
so that's enough research for me.
It was easily treated with antibiotics, but it could have been bad news if I had not recognized it as something to see the
doctor about before it got very far. Now that I know about this risk, it is fairly simple to keep it from happening again by
wearing a dust mask and gloves, not scratching any itches while working with it, and washing up well with an
antibacterial soap.
Not sure where the PR is on this, but it seems to me that the industry is not being very pro-active in educating the
companies using the product (I was in the landscape business for several years in the 80's and never heard of any
risks with using the product to amend soil on residential landscapes), and the general public is certainly not aware of
it - yet.
Which makes this a classic case of a need for an industry to get ahead of the negative PR curve - educating people
about the risks and how to minimize them - or risk a comprehensive regulatory response that would hurt the industry.
Warren A. Quinn, Esq.
Director of Operations
American Nursery & Landscape Association
1000 Vermont Ave., NW Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
direct: 202/789-5980, ext 3009
fx: 202/789-1893
email: wquinn@anla.grg