Toledo's toxic faucets

By Shaima Al-Khalili

It finally happened…what scientists and enviros have been trying to get citizens and governments to see finally became undeniable.  Twenty days ago today, eutrophication in Lake Erie finally entered the consciousness of the everyday citizen…through their drinking water.

Citizens of Toledo, Ohio and surrounding areas were feeling the wrath of Erie first hand. Approximately 400,000 people rushed to stock up on their water supply in supermarkets, corner stores and anywhere else they could get their hands on that liquid gold…including neighbouring states! Why not just boil it? Why the drama? Well…you CANNOT boil the toxins out of the water. So drink at your own risk, you know, if you have a thing for diarrhea, nausea and a whole other array of ailments.

As avid readers of our website know, Sierra Club Ontario has been tackling this issue via public awareness and research for a while. Maybe now that it has adversely effected the human population, the issue will be a much hotter priority? Forget the precautionary principle, people need illness and death to finally take action. Walkerton anyone?

Image: NASA Earth Observatory

 
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