Over the weekend, I took a 7-mile walk on the trails that follow alongside Clear and Ralston Creeks.
I kept noticing garbage floating in the water. Sure, we had just been through a nasty storm and things were collecting, but it seemed like a whole lot.
I remember thinking: Imagine all the pollutants I can't see – the fertilizers and cancer-causing PCBs, E. coli, industrial runoff and toxic chemicals.
Near the creek, beside a white plastic bag tangled in the branches of a low-hanging tree, was a family of foxes. They must have strong immune systems, I thought to myself, if they drink from THAT.
Tonight at 8, "
Frontline: Poisoned Waters" takes on the dangers of water pollution, looking at how two coastal estuaries – the Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound – may be contaminating the food supply and
drinking water for millions of people.
It's hard to imagine that people who drink from the same water source as frogs born with six legs and gender mutations are
NOT being affected. Not to mention the fish and wildlife that populate the area.
Scientists are discovering that we are all to blame – not just big business. Our
prescription meds, kitchen cleaners and household products are making their way into our waterways and could be causing damage. The fish kills and amphibian mutations, they say, are a real warning call.
How confident are you that our drinking water is safe? How do we hold ourselves – and agricultural giants/big business – accountable?
The Clean Water Act, which passed more than 3 decades ago, didn't seem to do the trick. Let's hope the new administration puts up a
tough fight.
-Elizabeth Mayer, RMPBS
Check out
rmpbs.org/health for real-life health care stories, blogs and resources.
