Toxic Sludge

Do I care that there are toxins in our environment? Of course I care. But do I think that we should try and clean up these toxins, specifically from mining? It'd be nice, but it would be ridiculously expensive and hard to carry out. Not only are these toxins still leaching into our system, they are also locked up in our system. Organisms have stored these toxins and continue to pass them on in the food chain. Heavy metals like mercury don't just go away, they have to go somewhere. Some are flushed into the ocean, others are absorbed by organisms. So I don't know if we truly could do something about the mercury pollution in our environments. How bad does it have to get before we do something about it? Unfortunately, pretty bad. We tend to be shortsighted and don't really give attention to areas that need it until they are screaming at us to do something. Where are we going to put these wastes if we do clean them up? Well, you could make a LOT of thermometers with all the mercury...........I'm not exactly sure where you would put a heavy metal like mercury. Lock it up and sink it? Shoot it to the moon? Store it underground? Who knows. The last question is my favorite. How can we avoid adding more toxins into our environment? There are a few simple things. Choose organic produce to minimize pesticide, fungicide, insecticides and other harmful chemicals. Use better cleaning products that don't have harsh, environmental pollutants. Make sure you are disposing of waste properly (ie, disposing of oil properly, disposing of batteries properly). It's all about prevention and each one of us has the ability to act responsibly.