According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the chemical and animal waste runoff from factory farms damages our water system. Animals produce 130 times more waste than humans do. To give you an estimate, factory farms produce one billion tons of waste. This waste is converted into concentrated liquid sewage and is stored in lagoons. While in the lagoon, the gases from the waste seep into the air and the ground. The then contaminated water has killed millions of fish and is responsible for about 60% of polluted rivers and streams in the U.S. A common bacteria found in the water from this runoff is called pfiesteria. This particular bacterium causes open sores, nausea, memory loss, and fatigue. We are very lucky in New York to have a great water source, so we tend not to think about water as an issue. But for states like California, where factory farming is a way of life, it is a major issue for the homeowners who live there.
However, it is not just fresh water that we should be concerned about. The ocean is in great danger as well. The ocean now has what are known as dead zones. These dead zones are areas of coastal water where nothing can live. It is caused by contaminated water that leads to a lack of oxygen.
A majority of the grain produced in the U.S. is not fed to people, but to animals. Because so many of these animals are fed grains, grain farmers use an extensive amount of land. This practice has destroyed many ecosystems just to create new farmlands. Today, 30% of the earth’s surface is occupied by livestock. Species are now in danger of being extinct at a much faster rate than in the past.
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