Disease

BOTTLEMINER · Feb 5, 2004

I was talking with my wife about diging bottles and she was concerned about picking up and old Flus that used to destroy whole towns. I dig mostly ghost towns and have never heard of anyone geting sick but any information would be helpful I live in Colorado.
Thanks Bryan K[X(]

Gunsmoke47 · Feb 5, 2004

Pitfinder and I have been digging an old Indian Wars period Military Fort off and on for about a year and we have been digging in the hospital dumps. We had that same thought when we first started but niether of us have suffered any ill effects and we have dug many different bottles that still had the original contents in them. Kelley

IRISH · Feb 5, 2004

I sometimes think about that, I've dug in some tips in towns that had a lot of people killed by all sorts of horrible disease's and the tips are so dry that almost all the bottles still have the lables on and bones look like they where just dumped only they are dry and 120 years old [:-] .
I am told that some things like Anthrax spores (killed a few people in N.S.W. in the 1880s) can stay active in the ground for over 100 years [X(] .
As we are on the subject of things that can hurt you, I was told that bone spores are dangerous if they are inhaled I don't know if there's any truth in that but I'm always very carefull in dry tips.

Edit= typed that hours ago but damn computer wouldn't send it [

] .

Pontiled · Feb 5, 2004

I'm not sure about the longer lasting ones, but any bacteria would be long gone, however the viruses (virii) may be around. One thing you should be aware of is a site where there are the remains of bird droppings, for example where pigeons were caged. We all know of sites that are very dry and even labled pieces are found. The particular one I'm thinking of is the cause of Hystoplasmosis (sp?). It attacks the lungs. He caught it and they at first thought he had lung cancer. Fortunately, he caught it early.

Harry Pristis · Feb 6, 2004

Those of us in the desert SW and interior valleys of California should be aware of coccidiomycosis or "desert fever." This is caused by fungus that lives in the topsoil in these areas.

You can pick up this infection (and many people do) simply by breathing in the spores in the dust blown by the wind. It can have serious consequences. (I know a woman who required surgery on an infected lung.)

If you are grubbing in the topsoil in the SW, and you don't already have an immunity from an earlier infection, you may want to use a filter mask.

------------Harry Pristis

BOTTLEMINER · Feb 6, 2004

Thanks for all the information, I have never heard of anyone geting sick from diging and old dump or privy, but its a question that I have heard every now and then.

Disease

Welcome to our Antique Bottle community

Be a part of something great, join today!

BOTTLEMINER

Member

Gunsmoke47

Well-Known Member

IRISH

Well-Known Member

Pontiled

Well-Known Member

Harry Pristis

Well-Known Member

BOTTLEMINER

Member

Similar threads

Latest posts

Members online

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page

Online statistics

Forum statistics