Nutrients for Plants
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#12: Nontoxic Fertilizers
by Aisha Ikramuddin
Fertilizers nourish soils, fortifying plants so they can withstand insects and disease.
Their nitrogen content makes lawns green and lush, and promotes flowering and
growth.
But synthetic fertilizers used by commercial farmers and home gardeners extract a
heavy toll on the environment and may even contain contaminants such as dioxin and
heavy metals. These toxics are absorbed by plants and impact the long-term quality of
soil.
Excessive amounts of nitrogen contribute to global warming, ozone destruction and the
ruination of habitats. One form, nitrous oxide, which emanates from fertilizer, is a major
greenhouse gas. And high levels of nitrogen pollution from farm runoff and sewage
deaden waterways through an oxygen-depleting chain reaction: A massive flow of
nitrogen down the Mississippi River has created a transient 16,000 square kilometer
dead zone off the Louisiana coast, an important fishing ground. The largest source of
this nitrogen is fertilizer used on crops, particularly corn, according to Don Goolsby of
the U.S. Geological Survey.
Some companies are "recycling" hazardous wastes into fertilizers. Loopholes in federal
toxics laws permit steel companies, for example, to send toxic smokestack ash to
companies that make zinc fertilizers.
Between 1990 and 1995, more than 450 fertilizer companies and farms received over
270 million pounds of toxic waste containing lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and
dioxin, according to Factory Farming: Toxic Waste and Fertilizer in the United States, a
report by Environmental Working Group (EWG).
In 1998, tests of home fertilizers conducted by The Seattle Times revealed that 15 out
of 20 contained higher levels of heavy metals than found in Washington soils.
Resource: National Geographic, August 29, 2002
Mineral-rich organic plant food can be found here.
Fertilizers nourish soils, fortifying plants so they can withstand insects and disease.
Their nitrogen content makes lawns green and lush, and promotes flowering and
growth.
But synthetic fertilizers used by commercial farmers and home gardeners extract a
heavy toll on the environment and may even contain contaminants such as dioxin and
heavy metals. These toxics are absorbed by plants and impact the long-term quality of
soil.
Excessive amounts of nitrogen contribute to global warming, ozone destruction and the
ruination of habitats. One form, nitrous oxide, which emanates from fertilizer, is a major
greenhouse gas. And high levels of nitrogen pollution from farm runoff and sewage
deaden waterways through an oxygen-depleting chain reaction: A massive flow of
nitrogen down the Mississippi River has created a transient 16,000 square kilometer
dead zone off the Louisiana coast, an important fishing ground. The largest source of
this nitrogen is fertilizer used on crops, particularly corn, according to Don Goolsby of
the U.S. Geological Survey.
Some companies are "recycling" hazardous wastes into fertilizers. Loopholes in federal
toxics laws permit steel companies, for example, to send toxic smokestack ash to
companies that make zinc fertilizers.
Between 1990 and 1995, more than 450 fertilizer companies and farms received over
270 million pounds of toxic waste containing lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and
dioxin, according to Factory Farming: Toxic Waste and Fertilizer in the United States, a
report by Environmental Working Group (EWG).
In 1998, tests of home fertilizers conducted by The Seattle Times revealed that 15 out
of 20 contained higher levels of heavy metals than found in Washington soils.
Resource: National Geographic, August 29, 2002
Mineral-rich organic plant food can be found here.