Editorials

<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   HAVE YOUR SAY Feel strongly about something? Share it with the community by writing a letter to the editor. You’ll need to include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) We reserve the right to edit letters, but if you keep yours to 250 words or less, we won’t ask you to shorten it. If your letter is published, please wait 30 days before submitting another. Send it to: E-mail: letters@heraldnet.com Mail: Letters section The Herald P.O. Box 930 Everett, WA 98206 Fax: 425-339-3458 Have a question about letters? Contact Carol MacPherson (cmacpherson@heraldnet.com or 425-339-3472).   Published: Friday, February 29, 2008 Pristine areas reveal pollution's ugly reach No two snowflakes are alike. One may contain mercury, for example, while another may float gracefully to the earth carrying pesticide. A massive, depressing study of 20 Western national parks and monuments shows that remote areas we hold dear as "pristine" are actually contaminated with industrial-age pollutants. Researchers say the pollution can be found in the water, fish, dirt, plants, etc. "We're looking at some of the most pristine areas left in North America that are under the protection of the national parks and we're finding some alarming results," Dixon Landers, a EPA scientist, told the Seattle P-I. The study found evidence of 79 contaminants in 20 national parks, including Washington's Olympic, Mount Rainier and North Cascades parks. Fish in lakes at the Olympic and Mount Rainer parks had mercury levels well above the standard that would cause the EPA to trigger warnings for people. The concentrations are also a danger to the wildlife that eat the fish. The fish at Mount Rainer had the highest amounts of flame retardants called polybrominated diphenyl ethers, or PBDEs. Researchers believe the chemicals probably came from Seattle and other urban areas. Much of the other pollution is thought to be from overseas, such as from coal plants in China and mines in South Africa. Local power plants, such as the TransAlta coal plant in Chehalis, are also suspected as contributing to the problem. Researchers also found substantial contamination from the use of legal pesticides, especially around farming areas. They also found chemicals that were banned decades ago. University of Washington atmospheric researcher Daniel Jaffe said scientists used to think banning substances like DDT would lessen the persistence of chemicals in the environment. "We replaced them with pesticides with much shorter lifetimes in the environment," Jaffe told the Associated Press. "But in places like the Central Valley of California, we are applying many, many tons of these every year … We now know they can move substantial distances." So, past and present practices, locally and globally, are to blame. The study loudly sounds the alarm that much stricter anti-pollution measures are needed, and quickly. As Northwesterners, we naturally take pride and joy in the region's breathtaking environment. But our affection can't be superficial , ignoring the poison that is invisibly harming the infrastructure of the earth's pristine beauty, and life.

1. Waves wash away Explosion's title hopes 2. You've got your pick of Fourth of July fun 3. Snohomish entrepreneur bounces back with new venture 4. Inslee downplays fears Boeing will send second 787 line elsewhere 5. Popular park changing hands 6. Deputies shoot armed man near Arlington 7. Why, governor? 8. Edmonds backs off red-light cameras 9. Vehicle that killed girl was Chevy Astro minivan 10. Arlington buys up more water rights 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Warriors looking for balance • Three Scots vying for QB slot • Jackson looks for another title • Decorated veteran continues to serve as active volunteer • City Council reviewing sign regulations • Wildcats get a peek at newcomers • Lynnwood still in rebuilding mode • Shoreline feels a kindergarten growth spurt • Leave the patriotic pyrotechnics to professionals, cities urge • Trading dollars for kilowatts New PUD energy conservation programs save ... • By John Wolcott SCBJ Editor • Record crowd at Paine Field’s General Aviation Day as FHC Celebrate ... • Celebration of aviation's history and future presented in multiple venue ... • The time is ripe for small businesses to take no prisoners • EPA proposal to regulate global-warming gases would be costly for small ... • Innovation helps the town of Forks to offset tough economy • Powering the people