[USCC] Coffee Grounds

Sat Feb 3 11:37:47 CST 2007

I am sure everybody on this list is familiar with the following paper: 
"Persistence and Degradation of Pesticides n Composting"
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/Organics/44200015.pdf

Here are some statistics on pesticide residue in coffee
http://www.headlice.org/lindane/lindane/products/coffee.htm

About 15 years ago when I first became aware of this I went to one of 
our government offices in Vancouver, Canada to find out about the 
regulations for DDT residue on coffee, and that's where the 2 cup / day 
figure came from.  In those days I wasn't concerned about documenting my 
sources, but I am sure the info is available for those who ask.

 Judging from the diatribe below I assume that no tests of DDT residue 
were ever made on compost derived from huge amounts of coffee grounds.  
Or if they were, they showed exorbitant levels which must be justified 
as safe.

Garbage in, garbage out. You wouldn't compost treated lumber, so why 
create compost from a single feedstock known to contain residue of 
persistent environmental toxins?

Heide

Jim McNelly wrote:

>Participate in the Annual Compost Awareness Week May 6, 2007 to May 12, 2007
>
>This year's theme is "The Possibilities are Endless ... Compost!"
>
>For more info, go to: http://compostingcouncil.org/section.cfm?id=25
>
>Or Call the USCC at 631-737-4931 
>
>
>
>At 11:30 PM 2/2/2007, you wrote:
>
>
>  
>
>>What about the DDT levels in non-organic coffee? Apparently there is
>>measurable DDT residue, but it is "acceptable" based on a 2 cup / day
>>habit.  Not sure what it would do to DDT levels in soils if used in high
>>amounts.
>>Heide
>>    
>>
>
>Greetings,
>
>The safety of DDT and its demonization is, in my opinion, one of the 
>most tragic legacies of the early environmental movement.  The vivid 
>images projected in Rachel Carson's book "A Silent Spring" portrayed 
>tragic consequences resulting from the widespread misuse of DDT to 
>control mosquitos and reduce malaria.  When spread by the hundreds of 
>tons year after year, it bio-accumulates in the food chain until the 
>point that raptors, such as the bald eagle, concentrate it in their 
>systems such that the viability of their egg shells is diminished and 
>there are fewer predatory birds growing to maturity.
>
>In the mad rush to stop this terrible problem, DDT was totally banned 
>world wide.  Over time, DDT levels have dropped in the food chain and 
>raptors have made a remarkable comeback, even to the point that the 
>bald eagle has been removed from the endangered species list.  In the 
>effort to protect raptors, however, home and personal use of DDT was 
>also banned.  DDT was used so widely because it is one of the safest 
>pesticides ever developed, having virtually no effect when directly 
>exposed to plants or animals, attacking only certain forms of 
>insects.  It is completely safe to use in the home, the yard and for 
>personal use.  The problem was never with DDT itself; the problem was 
>with its misuse and the manner in which widespread spraying was 
>impacting the food chain.
>
>Banning DDT in home use, where it has been proven to be the safest 
>and most effective pesticide for controlling malaria bearing 
>mosquitoes, has resulted in the needless deaths of millions of adults 
>and children around the world to malaria.  There is no possible way 
>that DDT use in the home could ever produce sufficient quantities to 
>get back into the food chain such that it would bio-accumulate to 
>ever impact raptor eggs.
>
>Finally, after decades of scientific evidence proving the safety of 
>DDT for home use, the United Nations lifted the ban on DDT.  This was 
>delayed for over a decade due to dire warnings of DDT use without any 
>evidence.  Now that the ban has been lifted, the drop in malaria 
>rates have been dramatic and children are no longer dying as readily 
>from malaria.  DDT is now approved for use in homes, for spraying on 
>the walls  and in baby's cribs as its safety to humans is 
>irrefutable.  This is one example where environmental overreaction 
>has been overcome.
>
>DDT is not approved on crops or for widespread spraying, where its 
>dangers are documented.  Consequently, unless there is a rogue 
>illegal sprayer, I can see no possible way that we could have DDT on 
>coffee or any food crop.  Even if there were, it is not a biohazard 
>to humans at such ingestion rates.  Where is your evidence that it is 
>"apparently" in coffee?  Yes it is persistent, but I doubt that it is 
>*that* persistent where it is drawn up systemically from the soil 
>from use forty to fifty years ago.
>
>As I see it, to worry about DDT in coffee is simply "groundless".
>
>The issue of more concern to me is the context of associating DDT 
>with compost.  To grab a highly emotional term such as "DDT" and 
>associate it with the safety of food and compost without any 
>scientific basis for concern is, from my perspective, just another of 
>dozens of examples of bewildering arguments against compost and 
>composting that our industry has to face again and again and 
>again.  Even if there were significant quantities of DDT in coffee, 
>why would the coffee industry not be targeted, I wonder?  Why would 
>the use of compost be challenged instead?  In addition, while there 
>is a real biohazard in the home environment, arsenic from treated 
>lumber, why would perceptual biohazards need to be imagined?
>
>Heide, if you want to work on a *real* environmental toxicity issue, 
>why not look into the issue of treated lumber?  It is over 3000 PMM 
>arsenic and over 1000 PPM lead, both of which are very high 
>concentrations in a household setting.  Arsenic pollutes when it is 
>manufactured. Unwashed arsenic on wet wood or trimmed ends can lead 
>to skin cancer. While arsenic does not leach into the garden while 
>the lumber is structurally sound, it does leach when the wood rots, 
>which it eventually does, typically around 25 years. Already banks 
>are looking at arsenic clean up liabilities when loans are made.
>
>Why not look into the problem of lumber yard workers being exposed to 
>its sawdust?  Why not look into children being exposed to arsenic 
>sawdust under playground structures? What about the problem of 
>sawdust from treated lumber deck construction floating into Koi ponds 
>or being ingested by children?  Wear gloves and a dust mask, cut a 1" 
>square of treated lumber and put it in a 20 gallon aquarium with a 
>goldfish and see what happens.  The fish dies, of course.
>
>People worry about arsenic in biosolids at 47 PPM, close to many soil 
>background levels, while their children may be eating arsenic sawdust 
>in their own yard at levels nearly 100 times higher!  Did you know 
>that arsenic in the air is often the highest air pollution problem in 
>some northern cities during the winter as it is unfortunately used as 
>fuel in burn barrels?  Did you know that arsenic from a house fire 
>with a treated lumber deck will rain a fallout plume of arsenic ash 
>down wind for miles on unsuspecting residents, not to mention the 
>exposure risk to firefighters?  The ash from treated lumber fires is 
>also highly toxic, leading to safety concerns in camp fires, burn 
>barrels, clean up workers and landfill operators that take this toxic 
>ash.  In the county I live in, 24 cows died from ingesting ash from 
>treated lumber scraps burned by the farmer after building a 
>fence.  While ingesting small quantities of arsenic may not be a 
>deadly biohazard, leading only to short term nervous system and 
>kidney disorders, getting it on your skin even in minute quantities 
>can lead to deadly melanoma, skin cancer, within twenty five 
>years.  Its ash form, when improperly burned, it when it is the most dangerous.
>
>I think that it is no coincidence that melanoma deaths have increased 
>over the decades mainly in countries that allow the wide use treated 
>lumber.  We composters do not want treated lumber in our wood 
>chips.  Why not research this issue and see if there is a 
>documentable correlation between burning treated lumber and skin 
>cancer?  Arsenic at 3000 PPM is a *real* biohazard.  Work on that one 
>is a suggestion from me that could occupy your busy mind.  In the 
>meantime, unless you have a real issue to bring to us, please leave 
>compost alone with undocumented, perceptual biohazards.
>
>
>
>
>
>Jim~ McNelly
>Renewable Carbon Management LLC
>jim at composter.com
>www.composter.com 
>
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