-14- 



Table 5. - Concentrations of Heavy Metals Through Composting Process, 

 Durham, New Hampshire, 1973 to 1976* 



*Samples dired, passed through 2 mm sieve, and sent to Technological 

 Resources, Camden, N. J., for analysis. 



A much more emotional concern, perhaps, is the potential for pathogen 

 survival, which could conceivably create a health hazard. The major patho- 

 gens present in human wastes fall into four broad categories: 1) ova of 

 helminths (intestinal worms), 2) protozoans, of which the dysentery-causing 

 organism Entamoeba histolytica is an example, 3) bacteria, which include 

 salmonella, and 4) viruses, which cause a variety of diseases including 

 flus, colds and polio (Burge, Cramer and Epstein, 1976). All of these 

 organisms can be destroyed by the heat generated in composting, making mon- 

 itoring of temperatures within the pile vital. 



Berge, Cramer, and Epstein (1976) state: "Of all treatments, compost- 

 ing is the only one that greatly reduces pathogen levels and also stabilizes 

 sludges sufficiently so that they can be utilized without the generation of 



