‘Eating too much protein makes (people) pee a polluting problem in the US’ – ‘May contribute to warming’ – Do you enjoy that?
Marc Morano
The new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
Scientific American: “In America, people eat more protein than they need. And while it may not be harmful to human health, this excess actually poses a problem for the country’s waterways. The country’s wastewater is filled with leftovers from protein digestion: nitrogen compounds that can feed toxic algae blooms and pollute the air and drinking water. …
Once it enters the environment, the nitrogen in urea can cause a series of ecological impacts known as “nitrogen cascades”. Under certain chemical conditions, and in the presence of specific microorganisms, urea can decompose to form oxidized nitrogen gas. These gases enter the atmosphere, where nitrous oxide (N2O) can contribute to warming through the greenhouse effect, and nitrous oxide (NOx) can cause acid rain.” …Patricia Glibert, an oceanographer at the University of Maryland, suggests that consumers could switch to a “dictatorship” diet – an approach that focuses on reducing meat and dairy consumption..
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Climate Depot’s Morano: “They won’t give up. They will continue to scare you into climate change in every way, and every conceivable way. Now when you pee, you’re supposed to be a human pollution machine heating the planet. Emptiness of your bladder must be restrained for the sake of the planet! So say “Science”! ”
Via: Administrators – Total climate inventoryJuly 29, 2022 4:39 pm with 0 comments
By Sasha Warren
In the US, people eat more protein than they need. And while it may not be harmful to human health, this excess actually poses a problem for the country’s waterways. The country’s wastewater is filled with leftovers from protein digestion: nitrogen compounds that can feed toxic algae blooms and pollute the air and drinking water. New research shows that this source of nitrogen pollution is even comparable to that of fertilizer from food crops.
When we consume too much protein – whether it comes from lentils, supplements or steak – our bodies break down the excess into urea, a nitrogen-containing compound that is eliminated from the body through urine and eventually ends up in wastewater. Maya Almaraz, a biochemist at the University of California, Davis, and her colleagues wanted to see how much of this nitrogen is being released into the U.S. sewage system as a result of a high-protein diet. The researchers combined population data and previous research on excess protein eaten by the average American and found that most of the nitrogen pollution found in wastewater — about 67 to 100 percent — is a product by-product of what people consume. “We think a lot about nitrogen in wastewater. We knew it was a problem,” said Almaraz. “But I don’t know how that’s really affected by the choices we’re making upstream — when we go to the grocery store, when we cook a meal, and what we take out. into the body.”
Once it enters the environment, the nitrogen in urea can cause a series of ecological impacts known as “nitrogen cascades”. Under certain chemical conditions, and in the presence of specific microorganisms, urea can decompose to form oxidized nitrogen gas. These gases enter the atmosphere, where nitrous oxide (N2O) can contribute to warming due to the greenhouse effect, and nitrous oxide (NOx) can cause acid rain. Other times, algae and cyanobacteria, photosynthetic bacteria also known as blue-green algae, feed on urea directly. Nitrogen helps them grow much faster than normal, clogging vital water supplies with blooms that can produce toxins that are harmful to humans, other animals and plants. And when the algae finally die off, the problem isn’t over. Microorganisms that eat dead algae use up all the oxygen in the water, leading to a “dead zone,” where many aquatic species cannot survive in rivers, lakes, and oceans. The blooms from Puget Sound to Tampa, Fla., caused mass fish deaths.
However, Almaraz and her team suggest that curbing nitrogen pollution could be approached faster than changing dietary habits that could save billions of dollars in the long term.
Their new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, broke down protein needs by age (adults 50 to 70 years old need the most) for the current U.S. population and projected future population through 2055. By mid-century, the country’s population is expected to be larger overall and to have a greater proportion of older adults. The researchers calculated how much nitrogen would enter the environment if people followed the average American diet today, and if they instead reduced protein intake to just what is nutritionally necessary. . This dietary change alone could reduce nitrogen intake to aquatic ecosystems by 12 percent today and nearly 30 percent in the future, the study found. Such a change could also help reduce harmful nitrogen pollution while wastewater infrastructure catches up.
“Many people think we all need to switch to vegetarianism. Obviously, that’s not realistic. That’s not what’s really going to happen,” said Glibert. Instead of cutting out any foods entirely, she suggests consumers could switch to a “dictatorship” diet — an approach that focuses on reducing meat and dairy consumption, which currently accounts for about 2 Three-thirds of protein is eaten in the U.S. “Enjoy your steak, enjoy your burger but cut back on your meat consumption in your next meal,” she says.
Sasha Warren is the 2022 AAAS Mass Communications Commissioner at Scientific American. They are currently doing PhDs in planetary science at the University of Chicago. Follow them on Twitter @space_for_sasha
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