Coco, Liz and I have decided to become the proud mothers of a thousand oysters (in the meantime only 650) by joining the NY/NJ Baykeeper - River Project - Harbor School Oyster Gardening Volunteer Program. When we signed up after a lecture by the very knowledgeable Meredith Comi of Baykeeper, we got a bucket with tiny oysters, called spat, which we proceeded to put into a multi-storied net and submerged in the New York Hudson River. The oysters will grow in our net for a year until they are big enough to be placed on one of the newly established oyster reefs by Baykeeper.

Oysters are quite amazing little creatures. They are tough. They can live out of the water for quite a while (if the temperature and humidity is right and you put them deep shell down). They grow really old (if we would let them, some say 12 others say 50 years). But most amazingly, one adult oyster filters 50 gallons of water per day, removing suspended particles from the water making it clean & clear. As most of you know the Hudson could use some clean and clear, as it used to be when it boasted the largest oyster beds of the world. New York was the oyster capital until the early 20th century until the human population and its waste grew dramatically and killed the oysters (raw sewage, oil spills, over-harvesting, other ‘new’ industrial pollution).

The oysters we are growing now could help revive the Hudson’s ecosystem. Clearer water allows for more biological activity at greater depths. Oyster reefs make for a safe great home to baby fish and other marine creatures. Oyster reefs also prevent coastal erosion and with higher tides coming at our vulnerable coast line (due to global warming and isostatic rebound), it’s a very good thing. Anyone who is interested can help grow oysters at different locations in the city. Important things to remember, contact Baykeeper first ; ), they have permits for putting floats and nets. The floats and nets have to be at locations where regular folks cannot get to them or see them because if anyone shall eat one - they will be very very sick and die (maybe). You have to commit to checking up on them once a month and take them out of the net, count some, measure some, remove predators, observe and record other marine organisms (like tons of tiny shrimp, sea squirts, fish etc.).

It’s tons of fun. Click on the image and see more on our flickr page. This one up here shows Liz measuring our babies.

Also if you want to find out more about the history of oysters in New York, I recommend the very interesting, entertaining, fabulous book by Mark Kurlansky, The Big Oyster.

When I first started to hear about resistence to antibiotics, I felt a tremendous amount of guilt about all the times I pleaded with my doctor to give me a prescription ‘just in case’ when really, the infection may well have been viral. (and even if it hadn’t been, a bit of bed rest & TLC would have done the trick - as the NHS - National Health Service in the UK would prescribe).

The real problem is the misuse of antibiotics in agriculture, specifically in farm animals produced for their meat such as pigs, cows and chickens. The Environmental Defense Organization produced a report back in 2001. These animals are medicated for several reasons including accelerated growth as well as fighting off disease due to the cramped and unsanitary conditions in which they are kept. And it gets worse.

Science News published a short article in its September 9th issue (Vol. 170, No. 11) on the appearance of drug-resistant DNA in the environment. In short, the misuse of antibiotics has led to these resistant genes which are now showing up not only in our rivers but also in treated drinking water. A group of environmental engineers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins have tracked the spread of these genes and found that the highest concentrations were in waste collection lagoons on dairy farms near the river. They then made their way thourgh the irrigation ditches to the rivers.

These days, we are faced with more than just one inconvenient truth. The sentience of the animals we consume for food and clothing should definitely hold the same title, but as the Abrahamic view of man’s inherent right to dominate the land and everything both on and in it holds strong in even the most adament atheist, I ask you to embrace this alternative reason and think twice before opting for the cheaper pack of chicken cutlets: consume less meat and when you do buy it, spend a little more and go for the organically produced, free range option.

PANIC!
I read in the reputable german ecological comsumer report (öko-test) that San Pellegrino sparkling water (consumed In USA as well as in Germany) has some of the highest levels of URANIUM (think nuclear) in them. Uranium levels in water are not regulated in Germany but are regulated by the EPA in the US. Uranium is quite unhealthy, not only because it is radioactive but also because it’s a heavy metal with consequences like lead.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) suggested in 1998 to set the level of acceptable Uranium in drinking water at 2 micro grams per liter.

San Pellegrino has 5 to 10 micro grams per liter. Evian is close to 2.

The WHO recently changed its recommended limit to 15 micro grams, more than seven-fold the original without much explanation or a new study – mmh. The EPA in the US says 30 micro grams in a liter of water is okay (seven fold times two!), based on the same studies the WHO used except they used a different body weight as average (which could be legitimate since Americans might be a bit heavier but on the other hand fat is the most efficient storage of waste and so larger people already suffer from more toxicity in their bodies). The WHO used an average of 132 pounds or 60 kilos, and the US EPA used 154 pounds or 70 kilos). The problem with radioactive heavy metals is that they don’t flush out of the body but get comfortable and (bio)accumulate over ones lifetime.

The consumers of water have no lobby, which may be the reason for the limits of acceptable uranium consumption going up instead of down. The article in ecological comsumer report (öko-test) mentioned that as the uranium levels in the water get higher, the acceptable limits are also set higher by our authorities, thereby making the water safe to sell but without any regard for what is safe to digest.

The good people of Finland did some studying themselves and found that limit should be well under 2 micro grams, which would eliminate a lot of water sources we currently consume from.

Tap water can also contain Uranium and other radioactive substances. One way these substances get into the water could be through contaminated fluoride, a pesticide added to our New York driking water and most communitites in the USA. The Fluoride supposedly strengthens teeth (much evidence exists to the contrary) but since it is not a natural mineral but an industrial grade chemical it contains traces of heavy metals, including radioactive ones.

The Environmental Working Group, a reputable watchdog in D.C. has done some research on the issue and you can go to their website and click on the different contaminants (e.g. Uranium-234, Radium-226, etc.) and see which communities are contaminated. To see all the contaminants in the New York (or any other state) water go to the state report.