The Great Big Stink

Why y is human waste harmful when people don’t have a safe way to get rid of it?

• Human waste contains microscopic bacteria which can lead to diseases.

• Human waste just smells bad.

• Human waste isn't harmful, but it isn't something you want around.

• Human waste is gross to look at.

What do experts worry may happen to older sewer systems in cities around the world?

• Experts aren't worried.

• Experts think that the old sewers are just as efficient as new sewer systems.

• Experts fear that if older sewer systems aren't replaced then cities will have a bigger mess to clean up.

• Experts think cities will be okay with the old sewers systems a little while longer.

Choose TWO pieces of text evidence that best show that human waste in the Thames River in 1858 was not only smelly, but also harmful:

• “Poop is crawling with microscopic germs that can cause dozens of diseases, including cholera.”

• “As you will soon discover, the entire city is caught in the grip of a stinky crisis.”

• “Over the past 50 years, tens of thousands of people have died from drinking the polluted water of the Thames River.”

• “All you can think about is the overpowering, stomach-turning, eye-watering smell of poop.”

Choose TWO pieces of text evidence that best show how London’s increased population contributed to the Great Stink:

• “But in the 19th-century, London—and all of England—was changing.”

• “By the middle of the century, London was the biggest city in the world, with 2 million people.”

• “Soon, there was too much night soil to collect and not enough farmers to buy it.”

• “More and more people were forced to empty their cesspools into the city’s creaky old sewers.”

Choose THREE pieces of text evidence that best explain how waterless toilets can help the environment.

• . “The whole process produces enough electricity to power the toilet, as well as other, small devices . . .”

• “. . . liquid waste—aka urine—is filtered into clean water that can be used for watering plants . . .”

• “. . . Human waste is kept in a container attached to the toilet.”

• "Eventually, what’s left can be used as fertilizer in gardens and backyards.”