Would you eat vegetables grown with human urine?

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by MrsRosencranz

In arid areas the salts might matter but not in areas of lots of rainfall.

Human urine is used in permaculture as a compost accelerator. It leaves the body sterile. The smell is when airborne bacteria mixes in and reproduces because the urine is rich in nutrients, mainly nitrogen. When placed in the compost it quickly breaks down into it's chemical components by the bacteria and microbes that consume it and release it into the compost as their own waste product. All productive soil has as one of it's components this microbial waste. All soil. Even the soil that the plants you buy in the grocery store is grown in.

Nightsoil is feces. Urine is not called nightsoil. Nightsoil can be used on plants after two to three years of composting. But not before. Cow and horse manure is supposed to be composted for a year. Field contamination is tied to livestock waste in runoff.

Yeah, in the winter I use urine to keep the compost pile cooking. No medications in my supply and by the time I use the compost the urine itself is non-existing.

I used to tell my husband to take a whiz on the compost pile whenever it was convenient. It could always use a bit more nitrogen.

[43north87west]

I said yes, since I already have.

[krmb]

Well, maybe this is just the squeamishness of a Westerner, but we don't need to use human pee when animal pee is readily available and contains many of the same nutrients. There are too many disease risks with human pee, a person could have Hepatitis or some other disease that is transferrable to people if the wrong situation arises. Plus, urine also sometimes contains prescription or non-prescription drugs that can probably be absorbed by the roots or the soil. I'm thinking they consider animal waste fertilizer but raw sewage a health risk for a reason, so I would say don't do it.

[OwlKaMyst]

Originally Posted by OwlKaMyst
Peeing in your garden does not mean peeing on the fruits.
Having a large garden, in the middle of nowhere, the growers (myself and husband) have been known to take a break in the garden. We don't pee ON the plants, so the concern of contaminated food is, well, not a concern.

Those food borne pathogens found in the commercial food supply comes from pickers not washing their hands, not from using fields as a toilet.

Originally Posted by Stagemomma

Well, if they are pooping in the field, where exactly do you think they are washing their hands?

You missed something here. Urine is sterile, no need for hands - one can drip dry.
Fecal matter is the offending substance and requires 'hands on'. Take a dump in the field, take a dump in a port-a-potty....either way, it's likely there is not a hand washing station in proximity.