The solid material collected in the sewer pit in the Topeka Correctional Facility is placed in plastic bags and put in with the regular trash and disposed of with no special treatment. Is there anything wrong with putting the solid sewage into the regular trash going to the dump?

According to the Hazardous Waste Generator Handbook 1999 published by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, "Domestic sewage, and any mixture of domestic sewage and other wastes passing through a sewer system to a publicly owned treatment works" is exempt from hazardous waste.

The fecal matter collected from the sewer pit of the Topeka Correctional Facility does not pass through a sewer system to a publicly owned treatment works.

The Hazardous Waste Generator Handbook 1999 explains why the Topeka Correctional Facility has been able to keep skirting the law:

[T]he ultimate responsibility for complying with the laws remains with the generator of the waste. For this reason, it is important for all generators of hazardous or potentially hazardous wastes to become familiar with the statutes and regulations that apply to them.

If the inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility don’t get a chance to sleep in the dark, what difference does it make? It can prevent them from getting a good night’s sleep. Rest is important for the body to function properly. In Exodus 20:8-11 the fourth commandment prohibits work on the seventh day even for slaves and cattle.

Humans are much more sensitive to light than previously thought and show bodily responses even to dim indoor lamps, scientists said Wednesday. Two reports in the scientific journal Nature indicated that it could be easier to treat jet lag and other disorders of the 24-hour circadian rhythm than doctors have believed.

Diane Boivin and colleagues working in the sleep disorders division of Harvard Medical School exposed young male volunteers to varying levels of indoor light and measured their body temperatures to see how they responded.

Body temperature usually falls as the light level drops and is usually lowest at about 4 a.m. They found even dim indoor light reset the body clocks of the volunteers.

"Our results clearly demonstrate that humans are much more sensitive to light than initially suspected," they wrote. "The present study is consistent with the observation that light as dim as 100 to 500 lux (the level of standard indoor lighting) can significantly reduce the nocturnal secretion of melatonin and delay its onset time."

The hormone melatonin is known to regulate body rhythms. It is secreted as night falls—or as light dims—and doctors say that melatonin can be used to help overcome jet lag and some sleep disorders.

Exposure to light sets off a complex response inside the bodies of animals and humans, including secretion of hormones and chemicals inside cells.

Elaine Monaghan, Report finds people react even to indoor light, Reuters, February 7, 1996.

Research from Harvard Medical School and elsewhere suggests that exposure to normal indoor lighting can disrupt your brain’s notion of light and dark, putting you in a state of constant jet lag. "As a species, we are designed to be alert by day and to feel tired at night. Normal indoor lights can confuse this natural process, much like when you cross time zones," says Quentin Regestein, M.D., director of the Sleep Clinic at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Russell Wild, The 10 hidden causes of fatigue, Vol. 12, Men’s Health, March 1, 1997, page 68(2).

Many non-smokers have been in restaurants with smoke blowing in their faces from another table. This doesn’t happen too often anymore since most restaurants are now required to have both smoking and non-smoking sections for their patrons. How would a non-smoker like to be forced to sit in the smoking section? It would not be a pleasant experience. For inmates of the Topeka Correctional Facility living in cells where they cannot keep out second-hand smoke, it is not only unpleasant, it is harmful.

Second-hand smoke is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States of America. Second-hand smoke results in an estimated 53,000 premature deaths each year. 37,000 from heart disease, 3,700 from lung cancer and 12,000 from other forms of cancer. Only active smoking (420,000 deaths per year) and alcohol (100,000 deaths per year) result in more deaths. The health effects of second-hand smoke have been reviewed extensively in scientific literature. There are more than 3,000 scientific articles on environmental tobacco smoke. These articles have been summarized in a series of reports done by the Surgeon General, the National Research Council, the Environmental Protection Agency, and most recently by the California Environmental Protection Agency. Just last week new evidence showed that ETS damages the cardiovascular system of exposed non-smokers.

Tobacco Smoke and the Environment: Gregory N. Connolly, D.M.D., M.P.H. Director, Massachusetts Tobacco Control Program, Congressional Testimony, April 1, 1998.

"Cigarette smoking, and probably second hand smoke is a serious health risk," notes John D. Folts, Ph.D. "It increases the activity of our platelets; it impedes the functioning of our blood vessel linings; and it speeds the oxidation of cholesterol. These are three of the primary mechanisms that contribute to the development of coronary artery disease."

Second hand smoke is not only dangerous, it is pervasive. According to the Canadian Cancer Society, roughly 25 percent of Canadians are exposed to second hand smoke in their work area. Approximately 39 percent of Canadians live in a household with at least one smoker—putting themselves at increased risk of heart disease.

Platelet aggregation—or so-called "stickiness""—refers to the blood’s tendency to form clots and adhere to imperfections in the walls of blood vessels. Clots may form temporary blockages that reduce or stop the flow of blood through blood vessels. High levels of platelet aggregation have been shown to be a contributing factor for heart attack and stroke.

Dangerous Cardiovascular Effect of Second Hand Smoke May be Reduced by Drinking Purple Grape Juice, Canadian Corporate News, April 19, 1999.

What is wrong with inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility just giving their hands a quick water rinse after using the toilet? In the past few years news articles emphasizing the importance of hand washing with soap have proliferated everywhere from magazines and newspapers to many television news shows. They are trying to educate the public on proper sanitary measures to prevent illness. Parents used to teach this to their children after potty training.

"I never wash my hands in the ladies’ room, because I think I’m much better off not going anywhere near the sink," says Michelle Brooks, 28, a marketing manager from Washington, D.C. She’s wrong, of course, says Dr. Goldberg, "because more infections are passed by dirty hands than any other way. And in terms of preventing the spread of germs, hand-washing is one of the greatest discoveries of medical science."

Sherise Dorf, Flush, already! (ladies’ bathrooms), Vol. 223, Cosmopolitan, October 1, 1997, page 170(2).

Washing thoroughly with warm water and soap after using the toilet and before eating are essential infection-control measures that every individual can take.

Dr. Zinner says. "By washing, you can prevent transmission of other bacteria or cold-virus germs. But you can’t effectively sterilize your hands, nor should you, nor need you. We don’t think people need to be compulsive or panic-stricken."

So why wash? To get rid of the occasional bad germ that you might pick up from feces, raw meat or a handshake with someone who has a cold.

Feces, Dr. Zinner explains, is 99.9 percent bacteria; most of these bacteria are harmless inside the gut but can make you sick if they get somewhere else. Many diseases, such as hepatitis A and shigella, are transmitted by the fecal-oral route: feces on the hands getting into the mouth. And true washing is not accomplished with a quick pass under the water. "Water without soap does very little," Dr. Mermel says. "Soap disrupts the membranes of the bacteria. . . . And the physical act of rubbing your hands together is important. Washing for more than just a few seconds is important."

Felice J. Freyer / Providence Journal-Bulletin, THE WASH WORD: Health experts are stressing the importance of clean hands, The Dallas Morning News, January 5, 1998, page 3C.

What’s wrong with mice in the cells of inmates of the Topeka Correctional Facility or a few bugs in their food? Stomping on mice is probably a good aerobic exercise and raises the quality of the mouse gene pool. As for roaches in their food, they should just flick those bugs off their biscuits and slap on that butter. Mmmm, good. Why should a little extra crunch affect their appetite? The news is full of the harm that can be done by those unwanted pests. Cleanliness appears to be the best solution to getting rid of these pests.

Rodents don’t respect the status of their human housemates. They "have no socioeconomic boundaries," says Steve Meek, a wildlife damage-control specialist who serves a seven-county area, including Dallas County, for the Texas Animal Damage Control Service.

Mr. Meek says the most important factor is cleanliness: if denied food, rodents will move on. Far from being the cute and charming characters of cartoons and children’s stories, mice and rats are dangerous creatures.

"They have the potential to carry more than 30 different diseases," Mr. Meek says. "Rats and the fleas they carry have been known to carry bubonic plague; mice droppings can carry fatal viruses and can become airborne as they dry. And if that’s not enough, mice strip the insulation off electric wiring, causing a fire hazard."

Says Mr. Miller: "Anytime [people] remove any kind of droppings from the home, they need to have a respirator on and wear gloves because there are things in the droppings [of] rats—and birds, too—that are very dangerous to humans."

Kate Seago / Staff Writer of The Dallas Morning News, Rat patrol: When Rodents want to share your space, The Dallas Morning News, January 31, 1997, page 1G.

Health officials say that the best way to prevent infection from mouse droppings is to keep them from drying out or flying around as dust—not vacuuming them. The droppings should be thoroughly wetted with a disinfectant solution—1½ cups bleach for each gallon of water—and then placed in double plastic bags for disposal.

Rebecca Blumenstein, Don’t Panic, Just Get Rid of Mice, Newsday, May 12, 1995, page A24.

Rats and mice frequent sewers, rotting garbage, cesspools, and similar sites where pathogenic bacteria thrive. The intestines of rats and mice contain high levels of pathogenic bacteria. Rodents can contaminate stored foods, silverware, dishes, or food preparation surfaces. Their droppings teem with pathogens, such as Salmonella.

Cockroaches typically carry and spread approximately 50 different pathogenic microorganisms, such as salmonella, Vibrio cholerae, and poliomyelitis. They spread bacteria in a way similar to flies. When they bite, chew, walk on, and defecate on food they contaminate it.

Cockroaches prefer high carbohydrate foods (grains, bread, cereals), but will feed on anything humans eat. They also eat human waste, decaying materials, dead insects (including other cockroaches), and paper and wood materials. They are most active in dark areas and at night, where they encounter less disturbance from humans.

Cockroaches multiply rapidly by monthly production of small egg cases that may contain more than 30 eggs. They typically live about one year, so a single cockroach can create a large infestation.

Solution: Proper overall sanitation, preventing their entrance to your operation, and working with a pest control operator are the keys to controlling and eradicating roaches.

Lance Bolton, The battle against pests, Vol. 81, Restaurant Hospitality, April 1, 1997, page 116(3).

"Under favorable breeding conditions, a single female cockroach can produce 250-350 offspring in her lifetime, which translates into an infestation of more than 100,000 adult cockroaches," said Dr. James Wedner, professor of medicine at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo. "This can lead to a dramatic increase in health-related problems where cockroaches are present. In residences severely infested with cockroaches, the roaches die and their bodies become part of the environmental dust in that dwelling, which leads to allergic reactions in 60 percent of the population."

Besides allergies, cockroaches also transmit nine strains of Salmonella and other harmful viruses.

Banner Year Expected for Disease-Carrying Insects, Business Wire, April 28, 1998.