Mount Rainier snow has pesticide traces

TACOMA – Scientists have found tiny amounts of agricultural pesticides in the otherwise pristine winter snow at Mount Rainier and other Western national parks.

Although the pesticide residue includes some products banned in the United States, researchers say there is no immediate risk for humans – even if they lick the snow. They are still studying the consequences for plants, fish and wildlife in the park.

“We thought these areas were pristine, and they’re not,” said Barbara Samora, Mount Rainier National Park biologist.

Researchers also found pesticides in winter snow at three national parks in California, Colorado and Montana. They said the results mostly relate to regional pesticide use, but they did not rule out the influence of pollution from other parts of the world.

Snow samples from all the parks showed tiny concentrations of pesticides, measured in fractions of nanograms. A nanogram equals 1 billionth of a gram.

“These may well be the cleanest snows anywhere in the U.S., so the exposure we receive in urban areas is probably higher,” said Dan Jaffe, a University of Washington atmospheric chemist who read the report.