11/29/18
Film Review: BioSludged

by Ned Beecher

A crazy new video bashing biosolids was released online for free viewing on November 28, 2018.  This film was anticipated almost 2 years ago; see NEBRA news. 

I watched “Biosludged” the evening it was released. I was able to view it without having to enter an email address, but I am not sure how. I’m glad not to share any info with Mike Adams and his online mischief. I have a copy (he gives access and encourages downloading it); contact the NEBRA office for access.

“Biosludged” may not be worth your time. It is a conspiratorial rant. The most telling part is the long monologue Mike Adams does at the end, where he emphasizes one theme of the film, that biosolids land application is or could be bioterrorism intended to wipe out most of us, most of the population, poison us… that’s the plan of colluding industry and government. The rant ends, as expected, with a sales pitch to send him money and buy his products. Remember that, while this guy is good at selling stuff online and supposedly has a lot of hits on his myriad websites, he is widely known for his pseudo-science quackery and conspiracy thinking. See this compilation of critiques: https://geneticliteracyproject.org/glp-facts/mike-adams-natural-news-everyones-favorite-uber-quack-1-anti-science-website/

This film is glossy but empty. It is not as effective as some prior anti-biosolids films (e.g. Crapshoot and Sludge Diet (Taboue). And it makes such outrageous claims that I can’t imagine any thoughtful person considering it to be at all reliable as a source of information. And, if you look closely at some of the images in the video, such as random emails with redactions, they are meaningless and unrelated. It bashes EPA a lot, as part of its Mike Adams anti-government posture. And it focuses on Austin’s Dillo Dirt and Milorganite as examples of biosolids products, and hits on New York City for spreading biosolids across the country (which the City is not doing now; the funny thing is that the graphic showing lines of NY City biosolids distribution emanate on a map from South Carolina! it’s silly!).

NEBRA has abundant information debunking the less absurd claims in “BioSludged,” as well as some context about the other characters in the film (David Lewis, Caroline Snyder, Craig Monk, Sam Shepherd (apparently of “Triceratops Ranch, WY”), etc). See our “Resources” pages.

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Allegations of harms from biosolids are not new; they pop up here and there, now and then.
They are not substantiated with evidence, but, unfortunately, they cause people to question biosolids use. Read more….