Habitat Contamination

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Brad Walsh"
>
> You make the point better in two paragraphs than I did in an
essay. I
> definitely fall on the side of the argument that asserts that an
orbital
> colony would become (whether intended or not) an ecosystem from
the moment
> it was created, and that designers would probably have a complex
job just
> cataloging which nano-smurfs had gotten aboard, much less trying
to control
> them.
>
> I think this thread started when someone brought up quarantine
requirements.
> The author seemed to think that an orbital colony could be made
entirely
> disease-free with just some well-thought-out policies. While I
agree that
> keeping infectious diseases at a minimum in an orbital colony
would be
> desirable, I didn't want to see anyone betting the orbital farm on
a 100%
> microbe-free citizenry--it would be neither possible nor desirable.

I'm questioning if it would indeed be desirable. I think it would
but I'd like to read the rebuttal to my point. I'm not advocating a
microbe free environment. Many microbes are beneficial. But is there
a need to import viruses, molds, etc that are pathogens? Consider
Fusarium head blight which affects wheat, barley and oats and
produce mycotoxins such as deoxynivalenol (DON), also know as
vomitoxin. Why not screen it out from the seeds we import from
earth? At the same time, import beneficial molds, those needed for
penicillin, those needed for making cheeses, those needed for wines,
for agriculture, for human health.

>
> What about a hypoallergenic colony for the highly allergic? Or a
low
> bacteria colony, for a immune-compromised colonists? Or a wine-
making
> colony with just the right noble rot molds on board to sweeten the
ripening
> grapes? It's worth a try some day.
>
> Brad W
>
> PS for the latest on cruise ship gastroenteritis outbreaks I
recommend the
> CDC website, www.cdc.gov
>
> >From: "Ed Minchau "
> >Reply-To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
> >To: spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com
> >Subject: [spacesettlers] Re: Habitat Contamination - Warning:
Rambling
> >Ahead!
> >Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2002 21:52:48 -0000
> >
> >Hi everyone,
> >
> >There is a larger point being missed here. In a large orbital
> >colony, there would be an entire ecosystem. Humans, fish,
animals,
> >chickens (heyyyy...could chickens fly at 1/2 gee?), a wide
variety of
> >plants, bees, perhaps even houseflies. Hopefully no rats.
> >
> >I don't think it will be possible to keep the common cold out of a
> >space colony, at least not by disinfection/isolation. At best,
that