Urine can also be used safely as a source of nitrogen in carbon-rich compost. The health risks of using urine as a natural source of agricultural fertilizer are generally regarded as negligible, especially when dispersed in the soil rather than on the part of the plant that is consumed. Urine can even be distributed via perforated hoses buried some 10 cm under the surface of the soil among crop plants, thus minimizing risk of odors, loss of nutrients, or transmission of pathogens.