United States: Two men from New York died after using bat poop, or guano, as fertilizer to grow cannabis. The bat poop released a dangerous fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum, which caused pneumonia. This fungus can spread through the air when bat poop is disturbed, and it is what led to the men’s deaths, according to reports from Live Science.
According to Oxford Academic, their symptoms were persistent coughing, fever, Sepsis and collapse of the respiratory system. The men, aged 59 and 64, were hospitalized and administered with antifungal medication On Dec.4, the published medical journal stated that the men died from the infections.
As reported by the people.com, of the two men, one had purchased the guano through the internet, the other discovered the poop in his attic following a realization that he had a “dense” bat colony.
Cannabis Business Times reports that bat guano is one of the most preferred sources of nutrient supply to cannabis plants because it contains the exact nutrients needed by plants, which include nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium.
According to Live Science, the case demonstrates the need for increasing the level of people’s awareness of the fact that bat guano is a lethal fertilizer.
Considering recent legalization with an anticipated upswing in home cultivation of cannabis and the increased promotion of bat guano for this, the public should be informed of the dangers associated with bat guano as fertilizer, the outlet noted.
It also pointed out the dangers of many articles that describe guano as a natural superfood for cannabis by providing additional fertilization.
The doctors who treated them opined that their deaths should be an indication to anyone who uses bat guano as a manure for any kind of plants. This may be a particular casualty for cannabis growers, for example.
Volmer and colleagues stressed the importance of public education about the bat guano risk especially given home cultivation of cannabis which was legalized recently and is expected to rise, with the promotion of bat guano for the purpose.
The authors also pointed out that they identified a lot of articles which described bat guano as a ‘superfood’ for cannabis plants because it contains high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous.
