Environmental Science 2000 Blog 4

Andrew Ball 7639321

Assignment #7: Blog 4

1. Reading Summaries

Selection 12

            We need to change our ways to fit the needs of the environment. This should include everything from government policy, to the economies of countries, to the attitudes that people have towards environmentalism. Governments apply legislation to dictate what can and cannot be done to harm the environment. Countries have to change to stop overproducing goods for economic benefit. The key to all of this change is attitude. People are the ones making the decisions in government and business. Once people stop viewing environmentalists as hippies or tree huggers, such changes that need to happen can begin. This reading really hit home for me. I spend a lot of my time trying to get my friends, family, and anyone who will take a second to listen, to better understand what needs to happen and why these changes are so important. Too many people value reality TV ahead of independent news that features important events like environmental issues that affect us every day.

Selection 31

            It is the common assumption that only things that cause cancer are smoking, radiation exposure, or the disease “running in the family”. There are other sources in our daily lives that can have a negative affect us. These are called aromatic enzymes, which are carcinogenic. They can be found in many products from pesticides sprayed on your food, to the clothes you wear, to the drugs given to you by your pharmacist. Not only does the article promote more research into the causes of cancer in your environment, but also encourages people to get tested regularly. Cancer is something that needs to be detected early before it spreads and becomes fatal.

 

Selection 32

            This article is about hormone disrupters. Scientists have been looking into wildlife and marine life and have discovered some very negative effects on hormonal systems linked to chemicals used by humans. Because we share that same environment, and sometimes even eat these creatures, we are bound to be exposed as well. The article states that all mammals have similar hormonal systems. If the developing fetus of an animal is being altered or changed, then a human fetus is also at risk. Therefore, the scientists released the “Wingspead Statement”. This stated that from the facts gathered and the tests run, humans are in direct danger from the chemicals that have been disrupting hormones in animals from around the world.

Selection 34

            The attention environmental issues get stems from the ecosystem or from the demographic that is most directly affected by it. The smaller the voice of a community, the easier it is for that community to be discriminated against. Racial or social minorities often find themselves the target of waste disposal or hazardous wastes from industry. This is called “Environmental Racism”. It is the direct or indirect negative effects on a community of race or color by legislation or policies of government. During the late 60’s the environmental movements gained momentum and this included human safety as well as environmental concerns. Multiple lawsuits ranging from Monsanto’s PCB dumping in Aniston, Alabama to a Shell chemical plant in Norco, Louisiana were enacted not only due to human rights concerns over health risks, but also due to the fact that the neighborhoods were predominately African-American. The article says that for our communities to be safe and clean for their residents, it must not discriminate on where it applies its regulations. All demographical minorities must be respected; black or white, rich or poor.   

Selection 10

            Salt marshes are habitats that are dying off at a rapid rate. The reasons for their destruction are mostly needless and careless. Human activity will destroy little bits of each for water access and even conservation use, but it is mostly pointless destruction. A lot of salt marshes are used as landfills or dug up for expanding cities. This leaves them with a disgusting sulfur smell. A natural marsh would smell mildly of salt water, sulfur, and decaying plant life. These habitats not only filter sea water but act as a habitat for water fowl and amphibious creatures. The best way, according to the article, is to have government step in at multiple levels. Business will always push to build on these areas due to overpopulation of people, but every saved salt marsh is a victory.

Activity

The Nature of Things with David Suzuki: Save My Lake

(CBC Winnipeg, April 3, 2011, 7:00-8:00pm)

            I decided to do this activity when I read in the Winnipeg Free Press that the documentary would be airing on Sunday. I knew it would be important to me because Lake Winnipeg is close to home, I have spent summers at Grand Beach and Victoria Beach, and the quality and sustainability of our water resources is a crucial environmental issue.

            According to David Suzuki, there have been only two major studies done on Lake Winnipeg, one in 1929 and the other in 1969. Both of these concluded that it was a normal healthy lake. It was ignored for decades until the 1990’s when algae blooms began to be a common occurrence on the lake. In 1997 the water quality became an issue after the Red River Flood.  In 1998 the NAMO research ship began mapping the ecology of the lake in order to understand the causes of algae blooms that were appearing. Victoria Beach was often unusable, covered in green sludge, with an unbearable stench. The full extent of the problem was only visible from outer space. In some years, the blooms covered 10,000 to 12,000 square kilometers and during one year covered the entire surface of the lake which is more than 25,000 square kilometers. It indicated a massive problem because Lake Winnipeg is the tenth largest fresh water lake in the world. It is the one of the largest drainage basins in Canada with water coming all the way from the Rockies, throughout most of western Canada and from the Dakotas in the U.S.

            University of Manitoba biologists began to monitor Lake Winnipeg and noticed changes in the lake organisms, some doubling and tripling in size and quantity. Others biologists were taking core samples of the lake sediment and found huge amounts of dead algae on the bottom. Something was altering the food supply to unnaturally favor algae. Chlorophyll concentrations were larger than any other lake in the world. Veteran fisherman reported catches in unheard of quantities. They had to increase the size of their nets to accommodate six to seven pound fish. Unfortunately, there was nothing natural about the increase in fish population and size. Because it is a consequence of nutrification, the population collapses as the lake becomes a dead zone with no oxygen in the water. The deoxygenated water moves through the lake killing things that cannot move. The Blue-Green algae on the surface could take over the lake and become lethal to humans causing neurotoxins and liver failure. It would become the “Perfect Storm” of factors putting the lake and its inhabitants at risk.

            Similar conditions were created on Lake 227 which is a remote test tube lake. Adding phosphorus to the water, like those found in detergents, fertilizers, sewage, and pig farm runoff caused similar algae blooms. University of Manitoba scientists determined how more runoff from farmer’s fields in times of floods put more phosphorus into the watershed. Ducks Unlimited said it was like dumping the equivalent of 144 bags of lawn fertilizer straight into the lake. They also noted that potholes, the prairie’s natural cleaners were being drained. This loss of about 70% of the wetlands was causing huge water quality issues. All the extra nutrients were flowing directly downstream instead of being locked into the marshes. Naturalists also saw the marsh at Netley turn into a deadzone with no ducks or geese nesting because there were no plants available for breeding sites. Marshes need times of droughts for seeds to germinate. Biologists blamed an increase in water levels on the hydro electric dam that affected the normal outflows of the lake. Nutrients were no longer being flushed out and all the phosphorus was going directly into the lake.

            At the end of the documentary, David Suzuki said there was good news for Lake Winnipeg. Although there is no one single solution, a series of small changes could be implemented that would have a positive effect on the massive watershed, the marshes and the lake itself. One of these would involve injecting pig manure at least four inches into the soil to prevent nutrient runoff from the farms. Another solution would involve the creation of many small marshes with little dams that would act like natural beaver dams. This would allow for a 90% decrease in phosphorus with the slowing down of runoff. Another suggestion was to recycle the phosphorus trapped in plants. Cattails absorb huge amounts of phosphorus and other nutrients. These could be harvested and reused on farms. Finally, eco-friendly sewage lagoons could be created to treat sewage and control the rate they flow thought the filter basins.

            David Suzuki calls it a simple problem with simple solutions. The damage is reversible if we do the right things. We have the ability to save Lake Winnipeg and follow the very definition of sustainable development to ensure its survival for future generations.

Reflection

            I have taken some time to examine my core values, and it seems I am not living up to my full potential. The basics of my ideas are in humanism and environmentalism. I have looked at the pros and cons of such things as fair trade and sweatshop free products, and products that do less environmental damage like phosphorus-free soap. Unfortunately, those products are harder to find and usually cost more, so I end up taking the easy way out and buying things that don’t necessarily support my core values. If I adjust my spending so that I have a bit more in my wallet by making smarter choices and spending less on non-necessities, I will be able to live by such values.

            Fair trade is an issue I have though a lot about. I wondered what the frog symbol on several coffee products was. In grade twelve I saw a video in my World Issues class about the coffee and chocolate industries. It showed how companies like Nestle run plantation operations that are completely unfair to farmers. A farmer will toil to grow and harvest the coffee and cocoa beans. A middle man called a “coyote” will buy the beans from the farmers for super cheap due to their monopoly on the industry. The coyote will roast the beans, using a cheap and easy process, and sell them to the producer of the foods for a decent price. The roasted beans are then sold in stores by a company such as Nestle for a slightly higher price, which also gains them a profit. Neither the food producer, nor the middle man, have to do a lot of work to gain a large profit. The farmers on the other hand are stuck selling to a monopolized industry which leaves them barely getting by after doing all of the work. Fair trade products eliminate the middle man so that the farmer gets a living profit from their toil. So now when I see the fair trade symbol of the frog on a product, I know that the product I am buying is socially responsible. Also, farmers who make more profit from their practices will be able to use more sustainable growing and irrigation methods. It’s a win-win situation for everyone who deserves it.

            Nuclear power has been praised over the years for being “clean” because it does not produce CO₂ emissions. This is very important because of the increasing greenhouse effects created by burning fossil fuels and the possibility that we could be reaching Peak Oil (maximum extraction rate of oil). The dark side of nuclear energy has reared its ugly head recently in Japan. Not only was it shaken with an earthquake but was also hit by a tsunami. The Fukushima power plant, which was built back in 1971, suffered greatly during the shaking and when the tsunami hit on March 11^th. The crisis is not as bad as Chernobyl yet, but the news seems to get worse every day. The problem, on the other hand, is that it could be worse than Three Mile Island. The cooling systems are offline and the containment core has cracked. This has caused thousands of tonnes of radiation to leak out into the ocean every day. Not only is the radiation outside of the containment zone, but it has been found as far as the east coast of the U.S. All of this radiation leakage has sparked protests around the world about the safety and future of nuclear power. Although it is clean in a carbon sense, the devastating effects of radioactive wastes and possible meltdowns seem almost not worth the risk.

            Since I began this course, I have been more conscious about the products that my family and I buy and use. My parents are currently painting the house. When they left to go buy paint I asked them to see if they could find paint that was eco-friendly. They found a type from Pittsburgh Paints that has an ecologically friendly latex compound. It is used by architects in “green” buildings, since it contains no VOCs (volatile organic compounds). These are the “carriers” of the paint which allow it to stay in liquid form. Once the VOCs have evaporated, the paint is left on the wall to dry. The problem with VOCs is that they have acute affects on human health and can contribute to air pollution. The latex form of paint is water based so when the paint dries; only harmless water vapor is released.

            We are also far more careful about what we throw away as garbage and what can be recycled or reused. I make sure that all possible material is put into the composter that I built. The other day I explained to my parents what e-waste was. Some companies have a higher rating for sustainability, according to the Greenpeace scale. In the future we will try to buy products that will have a better rating. The things that we have discussed in this environmental science course have had a great effect on me, but also on the daily choices that my family is making as well.      

Environmental Science 2000 Blog 3

Assignment #4: Blog 3

1.      Reading Summaries

Selection 29, 41, and 9 Summaries

            The first selection summary for this blog is selection 29. This article compares organic farming with conventional farming. It brings to light the problems with heavy pesticide and herbicide use common in farming today. These chemicals end up in the rivers and streams, as well as massive amounts of fertilizer. The idea is to use multiple types of farming to benefit the other. Instead of manufacturing animals in factories, you let them graze casually over plots of land. The grazing acts as a natural weed killer and the manure acts as fertilizer. Another option is using legume based crops which are “green-fertilized” by winter cover crops. The myth that conventional crops are needed to “feed the world”, is shattered.

            The second reading is selection 41. The main purpose of this article was to expose the tie between women’s role in society and biodiversity. In indigenous cultures women play a role that is as important as men. Traditional subsistence and native cultures live with the land, not off of it. This preserves biodiversity and maintains heterocultures in nature. With the industrialized capitalist mindset of nature, men are seen as more important. This goes with monocultural beliefs that do not work with nature. In fact, nature will try to stop monocultures (eg. disease or weeds).

            The third reading for this blog is selection 9. All organisms on earth have an effect on their environment and ecosystem around them. Humans on the other hand, have done far more to alter their surroundings. Due to technology and carbon burning we have had seemingly irreversible changes. Not only has the land we live on been transformed, but the oceans, water cycle, and nitrogen cycles have been affected.

       

2.      Activity

Al Gore’s new thinking on the climate crisis

 http://www.ted.com/talks/al_gore_s_new_thinking_on_the_climate_crisis.html

Al Gore was a vice president of the U.S. under Bill Clinton, but he is probably better known as an environmentalist who won a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The video is a lecture/slide presentation where Gore details his action plan for the climate crisis. He begins by quoting M. Gandhi by stating that you must become the change you wish to see in the world. He wants to push the message of optimism by advocating for more than just belief – he asks for new behavior. Although he believes all the small changes like solar panels, energy efficient light bulbs, and geothermal heating are important, the only way there can be major and lasting results is if we change the laws. He uses the analogy of an all out global war that requires a new way to allocate resources, create new organizational models and mobilize political will.

Gore uses some very graphic example to get his message across. He shows how the polar ice cap has been shrinking at exponentially larger and larger rates. He compares the carbon levels for the earth and Venus which are roughly the same, but on Venus it is all in the atmosphere. The Earth now is 59 degrees but Venus is 855 degrees. A change from underground carbon to atmospheric carbon could raise our average temperature just like Venus. Another example that he uses comes from worldwide contest for eco-commercials. It enables us to see what it really means when the US put 6.1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide into the sky in 2005. This would be the equivalent weight of 1.2 billion elephants!

Although the wealthy countries are the greatest users, the developing nations are catching up at an alarming rate. Gore believes that we have the technology and the brains to integrate plans that would not only assist in the struggle against poverty but also cut harmful emissions in to the atmosphere. He makes proposals like concentrating solar and renewable energy plants linked in a super grid between the wealthy countries and the poverty stricken nations. He advocates for a “price on carbon” that would see a CO₂ tax replace the tax on employment. Gore suggests that investors move from portfolios that are crammed with carbon (like investing in the tar sands) to portfolios where capital is invested in alternative energy sources and conservation. He advocates for change now instead of a response to a catastrophic events like the drought in Australia.

Al Gore believes that we need a “hero generation” that creates a mission of change. He states that diverting the funds spent on one week on the war in Iraq to the environment would make an incredible start in eliminating the climate crisis. He hopes that we can rise to the occasion and show we have the capacity to respond to a great challenge. This change must be huge in scope driven by news laws and the will of every citizen to not accept anything less. He finishes with an old African proverb that states if you want to so something quickly – go alone, but if you want to far – go together.

3.      Refection

            The first blog reflection is about our current food system. I think that we need dramatic and fairly rapid changes to our diets, which starts with food production. When you go to the supermarket to buy food, you are getting vegetables that have been heavily sprayed and meat and dairy products that came from factory farms. Although growth hormones allow for huge productivity, they are monocultures, which are breading grounds for disease. To combat the problem livestock that are held must be given constant antibiotics. The low dosage is not only unhealthy for humans (as are the hormones), but they only kill of the weak pathogens. This could eventually lead to superbugs that could potentially create a pandemic in the food industry. Not only are these foods unsafe, but the nutrition of processed foods is much lower than organically farmed ones. I also think on the other hand, that shipping organic produce far distances is also incorrect. The transportation time and fuel are definitely cons. The way for the food industry to be sustainable is buying organic produce and livestock products from local farms, but also doing some backyard farming yourself.

            The second blog reflection is about zoos. The ethics and education value of taming animals is a two sided coin. Scientists such as David Suzuki have been trying to get society to reconnect with nature, therefore we will respect it more. To see animals in the wild, especially exotic species is difficult. Zoos provide education and excitement for youth. On the other hand, some animals do not do well in captivity and some require large ranges in their habitats. Keeping a polar bear or caribou in a tiny zoo exhibit for pleasure seems cruel and unethical. I personally think that children should learn of exotic species in school. Then later in life, instead of going to California or Florida for crowded public beaches and Disneyland, they should take their families on trips to distant parts of the globe. There they can witness animals in the wild without disturbing the natural cycle of the species.

I was very intrigued by the chemical compound, Bisphanol A. It was sparked a lot of controversy around plastic bottles, especially baby bottles. I watched a CBC News In Review DVD that went along with what I had learned in class. According to the show, the compound is used to make hard but transparent plastic for liquid storage, but can also be found in the lining of cans and lids. Studies have found that though urine testing 9 out of 10 Canadians had BPA in their system. The substance only remains inside a person for 6 hours, so it is therefore constantly being added to your daily living. The substance has been linked to cancer, diabetes, and fetal development problems. BPA was banned in baby bottles in Canada, which was a radical step globally, but the compound can still be found everywhere in your home.

BPA baby bottles and water bottles

                 

 http://www.viewzone.com/plasticpoison.html

Glass jars with lids that contain BPA (white underside)

      

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/is-there-bpa-in-your-home-canning.php

New “Nalgene” unbreakable water bottles without BPA

            

http://foodsafety.suencs.com/archives/13904   

Recycling sign that means your plastic container has BPA in it

       http://explore.outdoorsica.com/accounts/profile/rob/gallery/bisphenol_a_bpa/1488/

Environmental Science 2000 Blog 2

Andrew Ball 7639321

Assignment #3: Blog 2

1.      Reading Summaries

Selection 6, 4, 26, 15, 16, 28 Summaries

Selection six of the required readings was about the traditional way humans have treated nature. Judeo-Christian thought is based around the idea that Earth is a gift from God which we can exploit for our pleasure because humans are the dominant species. This approach is used around the globe, but is based out of the “western world”. The idea of conquering nature instead of respecting it has lead to environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity.

The second reading is an answer to the problem of anthropocentrism. It says that humans must work with nature instead of using nature to live. The author, Aldo Leopold, writes about how he killed a wolf because he had been taught that it was only a pest. As he witnessed its loss of life he realized that predators like wolves are an important part of the chain of life and that nature is balanced for a reason. They trim the herds naturally, and killing them is only taking over their place in the place in the food chain.

Selection twenty six describes greenhouse gas emissions and their effects on climate change. It states there is a natural greenhouse system that operates in our atmosphere. Carbon emissions alter the system by increasing the thickness of the layer, so the process of solar radiation being bounced back to earth again is sped up significantly.

Section fifteen describes how businesses can take advantage of this green revolution. Efficiency (more production with less energy used) of producing goods is achieved as well as money saved by the consumer. Mileage gained from reducing weight and not paying high costs at the gas station provide more income available for drivers and businesses that rely on transportation of their goods to market. This is just the business side of the change to renewable energy sources, not to mention the environmental factors that are at play.

Selection sixteen is an important reading because it provides insight into how the world can change its economies to sustainable and renewable energy. The authors suggest a switch to a locally focused energy economy (mainly consisting of solar and hydrogen sources). For example, if an area is a hot and sun drenched landscape, it would be a prime source of solar energy.

The final reading was selection twenty eight. This chapter explains why food has become a scarce resource. Environmental degradation and massive population booms have created a need for more food, with less fertile land available due to destruction of natural resources. Soil becomes overused so it cannot support agriculture, and the amount of fresh water is diminishing rapidly from pollution and misuse.

2.      Online Activities

Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring

YouTube movie – 6 parts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-NAUkyIg-M

Rachel Carson was an unusual woman who was a feminist before her time. She was a biologist in the 1920’s when women were not encouraged to even have a career. She received her master’s degree in zoology, taught university and worked for the National Wildlife Service in the U.S. She wrote Under the Sea Wind as a voice for conservation, advocating for the preservation of all the resources on the earth.

Silent Spring was written as response to what she termed “biocide”, the overuse of pesticides that were destroying the balance of nature on earth. World War II saw the rise of new technology and chemicals that were used in everything from plastics to drugs to fertilizers to insecticides. One of these was DDT. Although it was instrumental in saving lives during the war because it stopped the spread of typhus fever, overuse of the chemical and its impact on wildlife was seen as early as 1945. It became the chemical of choice and was widely used to control even mosquitoes in the suburbs. Both government and the science community, backed by the influential chemical companies, told the public it was safe. But Carson was convinced she needed to write about the effects of DDT that she saw as a poison to nature and a violation of our fundamental right to a healthy environment. She believed that nature was the best to regulate itself and that eradication of all insects was going to seriously upset the balance. Her research showed the harmful effects of DDT and other chemicals like Dieldrin, a nerve gas that was even available on grocery shelves.

Even though she was constantly ill with arthritis, ulcers and ultimately cancer, she weeded through massive amounts of information to prove her case against the use of chemicals on the environment. Her book was published in 1962 after excerpts were printed in the New Yorker magazine. Carson herself was immediately under attack from everyone from American Medical Association and government’s scientists to the big chemical companies like Monsanto. She appeared on television to defend her opinion and the message was passed. The Senate held hearings on the use of pesticides. Carson attended and encouraged the government to take a leadership role. She made it clear that she was not against the use of chemicals, but against their overuse, misuse and lack of controlled use. As a result the government enacted legislation that created laws to protect the environment from chemicals.

Rachel Carson’s book made people aware of the toxicity of chemicals. It forced them to think about the environment in a new way and it gave rise to the concept of ecology. Wouldn’t it be sad if we woke up one morning to a “silent spring” where there were no birds singing or insects buzzing?

3.      Blog Reflections

The first thing to reflect upon from class is the Alberta Oil Sands Project. As rumors of the possibility we have reached “Peak Oil”, which is the maximum global oil extraction rate, loom over the media, we are tempted to look for new sources of oil. It has been stated that there is more oil that can be removed from the oil sands, than what is left the Middle East. The debate about the Alberta Oil Sands has many possible futures. Huge economic gains can be made at the expense of the local environment as well as the atmosphere, some minor mining could be done while keeping the work heavily regulated, or the project could be abandoned while new alternative fuels are being researched. I personally think that a balance between the second and third options is best. From taking courses at university, as well as my own research, I have found that the environment is the most important thing humanity has now. The only implication that stands between a clean future, is economics. Simply stopping all oil drilling would leave your oil dependant society inoperable. The best option would be to have drilling minimized slowly with environmental regulations while working on alternative fuels in the meantime. This way the environmental damage could be minimal, but also the economy and infrastructure would not collapse.

            The second thing to reflect on would have to be the multiple opinions of how humans relate to nature. They are anthropocentric, biocentric, and ecocentric. Anthropocentrism is based on ancient and often religiously based thought of how humans are the most important creature on earth. We have the right, possible God given, to exploit the earth’s resources at our pleasure. The second view point is biocentrism, which places humans as important as every other creature. So to destroy another living thing for no reason is wrong. The third opinion of how humans relate to nature is ecocentrism. This view of nature is that of a “greater good”. Individuals are not as important as the whole integrity of the system. My personal view is a mix of all. Humans are the most important creature because we are not only the one species capable of rational thought, but are the only ones capable of altering or changing the entire world. This puts the onus on humanity as a nurse or caretaker. We must show respect to the environment and every species, using our special capabilities to protect biodiversity because our survival, just like all the other species, is dependent on the natural system.

            The third reflection is the issue of national parks. Wapusk National Park is a prime example because it has a mandate of both protection and accessibility. Biodiversity is crucial to the natural balance of life, but if humans cannot enjoy the wonderful gift of nature we will become isolated. David Suzuki describes this as a “disconnection” with the natural world. When we do not see the natural beauty, and are surrounded with civilization and concrete jungles, we will have little problem with letting it be destroyed. I believe the best solution to both of the mandates can be a compromise. Camping and tourism allow people to reconnect with nature, as long as they respect the natural environment while they are there. Instead of building fancy resorts, ecotourism activities should be encouraged in designated areas in the parks.         

4.      Environmental Science In The Media

Around the news I have found some interesting stories on from David Suzuki, to polar bears and arctic ice, to antibiotics in livestock. The first article I found was one on the world renowned scientist David Suzuki. At a ceremony where he was given a lifetime achievement award, David spoke about how the world is going “backwards”. Too much carbon has gone up into the atmosphere, the waters of the world are being polluted, and biodiversity is being lost. He urges the youth of today to listen to the lessons of the past and correct the mistakes made by his generation.   

The second article I found from the Winnipeg Free Press (February 9, 2011 A5) is a story about polar bears breeding habits appeared. According to the article, polar bears require lots of ice in order to fish. If they do not get enough food for fat storage, they will not have cubs that year. The melting of sea ice could potentially mean the end for the polar bear species.

Another story I found in the media was also a recent class topic. It was in The Winnipeg Metro (February 9, 2011 p. 22). The manufacturing of livestock has changed the industry from lots of small family run farms, to concentrated corporate breeding facilities. There is little room to move and the sanitary issues for animals makes the issue of disease and bacteria more prevalent than on a regular farm. To compensate, these antibiotics are used constantly. This has a positive feedback loop because the low dosage antibiotics kill the weak strands, but make surviving strands of bacteria stronger. This not only has possible health related issues for humans who eat the meat and drink the milk, but could eventually create an epidemic that could destroy an entire section of livestock farming.