SHOULD THE FARMLANDS, lawns and gardens of Oregon be used as dumping grounds for hazardous industrial waste?
For almost 20 years, that’s exactly what has been happening. Farmers all over the state have been using fertilizers without knowing that along with beneficial plant nutrients, they are plowing lead, arsenic and mercury into their soils. Home gardeners have unwittingly been applying commercial fertilizers that contain levels of toxins dangerous to their family’s health. Anyone exposed to these tainted fertilizers through direct contact, breathing airborne particles or eating food grown with them is at increased risk of cancer and serious damage to vital organs. And, of course, children and pregnant women are especially vulnerable. What is difficult to believe is that the federal government actually encourages mixing hazardous waste in fertilizer. While some of these wastes contain materials beneficial to plant growth, they also have toxic constituents proven to be harmful to humans. When industries dispose of hazardous waste at regulated disposal sites, they must abide by strict federal
