Posted March 31, 2010 :: Rose George fell into human waste.

That's how the author described her interest in the topic of sewage, sewers, and sanitation, a curiosity she has attempted to satisfy for more than three years.

"Lots of people do tend to fall into sanitation," she joked, "and they do tend never to leave it because it is such a fascinating, invisible subject."

That introduction set the stage for Ms. George's March 23 lecture at the Great Lakes Science Center in front of nearly 300 guests. George is the author of The Big Necessity: The Unspeakable World of Human Waste and Why It Matters, an account of her travels through the intriguing but neglected world of the disposal of human waste.

Her use of creative, honest, and sometimes blunt language is exactly why the Sewer District sponsored her visit, and is exactly what the topic needs, she says.

"I do get frustrated with euphemisms. Euphemisms contribute enormously to the fact that poor sanitation is the world's biggest unaddressed, unheralded, neglected public health crisis."

George has studied sanitation issues and practices around the world, and in many cultures, it is not a socially acceptable topic of conversation. In America, she believes that may be one of many reasons why wastewater infrastructure is crumbling, despite its critical importance, but George believes the unspeakable is becoming more speakable.

"People want to hear about it. And the industry is realizing it's time to come out and say, 'You need to pay attention to us.'  There needs to be more innovation, more resource recovery, and more public appreciation of what they do."

In a post-lecture interview, Rose George referenced the anonymity of the wastewater-treatment industry and its professionals. "It's understandable. They're underground, and whoever works underground it's 'out of sight, out of mind.' Sewer workers, I think, they sort of accept this, and they don't really fight for recognition. Maybe they just want to get on with their job. But I think they realize their job really isn't understood. It's a dangerous job, and it's a very skilled job. I mean, if you're trying to drag a man out of the sewer when he's overwhelmed with gas, that's a very skilled thing to do.'

We've posted several highlights of Rose George's lecture on our YouTube page. To learn more about her books and her work, visit rosegeorge.com.