On 12-2695, KATHY JOHNSON wrote to TOM WEISS:
 KJ> Uh, Tom? How do I put this? You're making it sound like you WANT to
 KJ> sniff bird poop dust! 
Huh?  That's silly .  I've stated that foreign material is unhealthy in 
the lungs ... I may have put it as "certainly not heatly to breath *any kind* 
of dust".  Guess the thought got lost ... sigh ...
 KJ> What kind of data do you need?
Sound scientific data would be fine.  I would also tend to believe if one 
could point to more than a few becoming (suspected) sick from poop dust -- 
allergies aside.  Until then, I will be CASUAL around (minor amounts of) poop 
dust.
NOTE: I just did not say that I want to sniff poop dust!
 KJ> Common sense should tell you all you
 KJ> need to know. I can't quote chapter and verse of a written document
 KJ> (can't find anything written about it right this minute), but see if
 KJ> the following makes sense to you.
 KJ> Think about it--poop always contains bacteria, and also possibly
 KJ> viruses and/or internal parasites;
So does dirt, the air around US and the fresh fruits I eat off the trees in 
my yard.  In fact, our bodies cannot live without viruses and/or internal 
parasites.  What's your common sense say about that?
You're probably thinking of harmful bacteria that we should watch out for, 
huh?  Are you saying parrots harbor unhealthy (to humans) bacteria? If so, 
that's data for your argument.  I could accept that.  I was thinking that as 
a practical matter (Parrot Fever aside) very few common diseases were 
transmitted from parrots to humans.  Cite that data, please.
As an aside here, last month my Medical Doctor, GP told me he had seen one 
case of parrot fever in his entire 30 + year career.
 KJ> To the otherwise healthy casual bird owner, this might never be a
 KJ> problem. But to anyone whose lungs are compromised by any other kind
 KJ> of illness, allergy, or just plain advanced age, the dust can be
 KJ> devastating. Lung problems can also develop in people who are
 KJ> healthy but are regularly exposed to high quantities of dust (owners
 KJ> of large indoor aviaries, for example).
Yep and these same folks should not live off of a dusty gravel road, or 
become a carpenter, or live on a farm or ... go uninsured ;(
I doubt that there is published objective data on the hazzards of poop dust 
... sigh ...
Any substance ... even water (or poop dust!) can be shown to be hazzardous if 
exposure is great enough ... I didn't realize your image of my perch cleaning 
activities was *that* dusty.
Forgive me (now and in the future) for challenging 'opinions' stated as fact.
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