Sorry about the lack of specifics, but what I have read about the legionnaire's bacterium (CDC's site) says it's an artifact of using packaged potting soil. In other words, It happened as a part of the industrial process, via contaminated water, in the making of a supposedly sterile product. There are two cases (I think) out of 300 million or so people in the USA. Playing cards is more hazardous.

Supposedly potting soil is dead and lifeless. Garden soil is a dirty nasty filthy septic bug-ridden fungus-rotten bacteria-laced living ecosystem you get your hands in just before biting your nails. It's not something that harbors legionnaire's. That bacterium doesn't stand a chance. It's too civilized.

I enjoyed reading your reply! thank you. So to clarify to my over active imagination that's a "no, you don't have to wear a mask to pour worm poop on your garden!"

This post was edited by tan235 on Fri, Sep 12, 14 at 2:57

While the bacterium that causes Legionnaires disease does live in the soil most all of the cases have been caught from droplets of warm water from things such as water falls in atrias or splash from a water cooling tower. Highly unlikely anyone would contact it from vermicomposting.

Here is a link that might be useful: About Legionnaires Disease

There are no significant health risks from gardening for healthy people as long as you use common sense, including washing your hands when you're done.

Gardening is a good healthy occupation, mostly, but there are risks such as Tetanus from a soil borne pathogen and the possibility of lung diseases from many air borne pathogens or particles that you do not ever want in your lungs. Even many of the "safe" organic products pose danger when improperly used or mistakenly Inhaled.
Common sense should rule and due care exercised by the gardener to be sure proper protection is used depending on what the job is.

Tan, you seem to be so worried about bacteria and gardening. Maybe you should just go to a farmers market and wash your fruits/veges well.
I'm not trying to be rude. But people dig in the dirt all the time and usually don't get sick.
My kids' Dr even encouraged them to play in the dirt! Helps with the immune system! Nancy

Anthrax and Botulism are both caused by soil-born organisms. They are probably in every garden on the planet. Has your child had chickenpox yet? That's a Herpes virus that attacks the nervous system and remains alive in your nerve tissue for life. Look forward to the neurological conditions it can cause forever, especially if your immune system is depressed by excess worrying.

The fact that there are millions of other species in the soil, taking up most of the space, eating the microbes that make humans sick, is the safety factor. Getting an assortment of harmless germs on your hands and breathing normally, I argue, is safer than walking around a hospital or working in a crowded office. That's where there are high concentrations human-specific pathogens. Sanitizing everything in those areas also eliminates most of the competition that keeps the bad germs in check.

Your garden is your happy place, not your mortuary.

I have a worm bin. A large one. I'm worried about inhaling the powdered lime and the rock dust that I put in it and on the garden, but my only negative reaction to my worms is the 'gross' factor.

I regularly harvest buckets of liquid that drains from my worm bin so that I can water plants with it. Pouring it from the bucket into my little watering can normally results in getting some on me and everywhere. Not dead yet. My dog drinks the worm juice when I'm not looking. The only days she acts sluggish or sick are after she gets her shots at the vet. After playing fetch with her for a while, I sometimes rinse the slobber off of my hands in the bucket of worm juice. (I do rinse them in the sink once I get back in the house though)

I think the last time I got sick was in 2002. I was in Army basic training, under a lot of stress, sleep deprived, and sharing space with people from all around the country. People carry disease-causing germs in concentrations that can cause disease in healthy people, healthy soil does not.

The stress of worrying about disease is arguably more harmful to your health than dirt. Humans have been farming by hand for something like 10,000 years or so before the queen of England declared she takes a bath once a week and thus made wash tubs common household items. Germ hysteria has probably done more to harm human health than guard it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Chicken Pox

You may be interested in the opinions of persons at Vermicomposting Forum - GardenWeb - vermiculture--the raising of earth worms for the creation of a healthy soil.

I think its hard to get legionella to lungs when pouring the juice. Because its not gonna mix into the air like in shower or waterfall. As far as i understand, the risky thing about legionella in gardening is, the dry dust of "compost". Because compost is actually a bacteria farm, it gets warm and watered constantly to raise the bacteria population. Which is also the perfect environment for legionella to bacteria to thrive just as all the others. But its almost impossible to inhale it when wet. Only if it gets dry and its dust raise into the air when lets say pouring it from a bucket onto the ground, you may inhale the dust and that may cause a risk. So what you should do is, always dampen the unsterile material before pouring them and i guess you would be alright.

What about using the worm tea as a foliar spray. I think I may have a lung

Geeze - I hope you have a lung...preferably two of them!!

My mom used to say "garden dirt is clean dirt"

I have a suppressed immune system with a fatigue problem. Two years ago I decided to open up a new 34' x 65' veggie garden. I built a fence around it; 12' tall. Some of the 14' posts I cut from trees in the woods. It took me 3 days to get one too fat oak post up out of the woods. In between posts were metal posts. The tall posts held up 3 strands of wire.

My doctors weren't positive about my idea; nor was DW. I dug it all with a spade and many, many breaks in a chair that's always nearby. I improved the clay soil with very well composted horse manure and lots of mushroom compost. The horse manure I loaded into a rental pickup; and unloaded it here myself. The mushroom manure was delivered. There was a tiny bit of compost we made here.

The worms love the garden. Big fat night crawlers. They're always under the potatoes. Do they do that for light protection?

I feel much better, Didn't catch the flu, the covid, not even a cold. I have more energy; can walk straighter. I call it gardening therapy. Recommend it.

"What about using the worm tea as a foliar spray. I think I may have a lung"

While as noted, Legionnaire's Disease is spread by airborne dry spore, it's not clear about what you mean and I'll certainly avoid being flippant about it. I'll presume, "lung disease," however, for the purposes of the post.

Most foliar sprays wouldn't be a problem in that capacity with some additional care, but depending on your condition(s) and what infections you worry about, you would definitely want to check with your doctor first, of course, long before taking any advice you might receive off the Internet. Because duh, of course. :-)

You may wish to wear a mask just to be certain at the absolute minimum, but fortunately those are easily available these days. Your doctor may recommend better protection if your condition is severe, but that's for her or him to decide.

My father had lung problems severe enough to restrict him indoors for many days of the year because he simply couldn't tolerate anything other than excellent air quality, having only one lobe remaining that actually functioned well.

In my case, my "lung problems" amount to mild congestion due to allergies and are of no concern and result in no restrictions, so problems can certainly run the gamut from mild to devastatingly severe.

Keep in mind, you should have your tetanus inoculation updated when you garden, too. Just another thing to check with your doctor about, and keep track of. It's something you don't have to die of (painfully and slowly) if you simply take care of it beforehand.