[Cob] Outhouse--(ick warning)

[Amanda Peck]

Toxoplasmosis (the reason why pregnant women aren't supposed to empty the 
cat's litter box--or eat raw beef) and its cousin histoplasmosis both seem 
to be long-lived in soil.  Trichinosis (the one we get from eating rare 
pork) maybe.  and possibly some of the things that form into cysts (giardia, 
cryptosporidium) although they are mostly known for surviving in water.  
Anything involving prions (mad cow and the like)--that stuff survives even 
standard hospital sterilization methods.   and these are just the ones I 
thought about fairly quickly!  Don't know how well tularemia survives 
composting temperatures--cold, yes.

So maybe composting not only our own excreta but maybe rotten meats could be 
iffy and then we eat some of the soil our vegetables were fertilized with.

Wash your veggies, wash your hands!

On the other hand, Joseph Jenkins did have his compost tested for pathogens, 
and the tests didn't turn up anything.
.........
Jane wrote:

Well, I'm told there are some bacteria in our own shit (and maybe other
omnivourous animals' too), which are particularly harmful to us. Properly
composted (over a few years) it shouldn't do any harm though.

But there are still regulations in my country forbidding use of human
manure (even composted) directly on plants that you eat. You may fertilize
fruit trees and other plants where the part that you eat have no contact
with the ground.

I don't know if this has rational background or not.