The taste of cow slurry!

[Globalti]

Went out for a quick blast after work yesterday with a pal and very soon after leaving Whalley we passed downwind of a farmer spraying cow slurry over his field. Too late we realised that a cloud of fine brown mist was drifting across the road and we rode straight into it.

Now I know what cow slurry tastes like. My riding glasses were half-obscured by tiny brown droplets and my kit stank. We stopped up the road and washed our mouths then carried on taking care not to lick our lips. As soon as got home my clothes went in the wash and I went straight into a shower.

Will I die? I'm still alive 12 hours later....

 

[recycling]

Yes, I'm afraid you will still die. It's not a magic potion.

 

[MichaelW2]

You won't die but you may develop webbed fingers.

 

[Pale Rider]

Went out for a quick blast after work yesterday with a pal and very soon after leaving Whalley we passed downwind of a farmer spraying cow slurry over his field. Too late we realised that a cloud of fine brown mist was drifting across the road and we rode straight into it.

Now I know what cow slurry tastes like. My riding glasses were half-obscured by tiny brown droplets and my kit stank. We stopped up the road and washed our mouths then carried on taking care not to lick our lips. As soon as got home my clothes went in the wash and I went straight into a shower.

Will I die? I'm still alive 12 hours later....

One or two stories of cyclists falling very ill from animal urine/faeces splashed on to the top of low mounted water bottles.

Doing stuff like not licking your lips or rubbing your eyes with your ringers are worthwhile precautions.

My medically unqualified view is such illness happens quite quickly, so if you are still feeling fine 12 hours later you have avoided any serious consequences.

 

[NorthernDave]

That sounds gross. Fingers crossed that you both escape any further consequences.

Surely the farmer has a duty of care to prevent this happening? If nothing else it must be a public health issue?

 

[Alex H]

You won't die, but you may grow a few cm / ins.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Is the bike OK?

 

[Ajax Bay]

Just be thankful you weren't in Malaysia feeling fraternal luv..

 

[Dirk]

.....Will I die? I'm still alive 12 hours later....

There's a lot of very nasty stuff in slurry including:

E. Coli

E. Coli is found in the intestines and feces of both animal and humans and is extremely virulent. One particular strain Escherichia coli O157:H7 is found specifically in the lumen of cattle raised in CAFOs.

Because cattle are fed corn in CAFOs instead of grass, this changes the pH of the lumen so that it is more hospitable to E. Coli. Grain-fed cattle have 80 percent more of this strain of E. Coli than grassfed cattle.

Cryptosporidium

Cryptosporidium is a parasite that causes diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps and fever. It is particularly problematic because it is resistant to most lagoon treatment regimens. In a study performed in Canada, 37 percent of swine liquid-manure samples contained Cryptosporidium.

Some other common pathogens (and their symptoms)

• Bacillus anthracis, otherwise known as Anthrax (skin sores, headache, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting)
• Leptospira pomona (abdominal pain, muscle pain, vomiting, fever)
• Listeria monocytogenes (fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea)
• Salmonella (abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, chills, fever, headache)
• Clostirdum tetani (violent muscle spasms, lockjaw, difficulty breathing)
• Histoplasma capsulatum (fever, chills, muscle ache, cough rash, joint pain and stiffness)
• Microsporum and Trichophyton Ringworm (itching, rash)
• Giardia lamblia (abdominal pain, abdominal gas, nausea, vomiting, fever)
• Cryptosporidium (diarrhea, dehydration, weakness, abdominal cramping)
• Pfiesteria piscicida (neurological damage)

http://toomuchslurry.co.uk/news/

But I shouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[fossyant]

Been there got the badge - don't go drafting one of those big tractors full of the stuff - my god we stank. Also flying sludge/poo, when your mate in front goes through a patch of it.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

You'll be fine, the main concern at slurry time is hydrogen sulphide produced at the mixing stage in tanks.

200 PPM - headache and dizziness

500PPM - disorientation, collapse, death through exposure

700PPM - rapid death

 

[Tin Pot]

HTFU

 

[Turdus philomelos]

700PPM - rapid death

VX?

 

[Banjo]

If it was that dangerous half the british cycling population would be wiped out.(The other half only ride in London where they suffer other forms of pooh)

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

VX?

" The VX victim, whom Shoko Asahara had suspected as a spy, was attacked at 7:00 am on December 12, 1994 on the street in Osaka by Tomomitsu Niimi and another AUM member, who sprinkled the nerve agent on his neck. He chased them for about 100 yards (90 metres) before collapsing, dying 10 days later without ever coming out of a deep coma. Doctors in the hospital suspected at the time he had been poisoned with an organophosphate pesticide, but the cause of death was pinned down only after cult members arrested for the subway attack confessed to the killing. Metabolites of VX such as ethyl methylphosphonate, methylphosphonic acid and diisopropyl-2-(methylthio)ethylamine were later found in samples of the victim's blood seven months after his murder."

Hydrogen Sulphide exposure for 5 mins will kill