[pct-l] Back to chemicals, heavy metals

[be hope]

Please excuse my delay in responding to Dennis' reply.  Been mostly
off-line, experiencing a delightful time in Thailand, hanging out with Thai
coworkers and friends from Peace Corps days.

*“**Toxic metals: Coal waste is contaminated by 10 metals classified as
toxic by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry : Antimony,
Arsenic, Beryllium, Cadmium, Chromium, Cobalt, Lead, Manganese, Mercury,
Nickel and Selenium. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
(ATSDR ) [1]”*
Source: http://www.nrdc.org/energy/coalwaste/methodology.asp\


Despite the phasing out of some old coal fired plants and the
implementation of stricter emissions controls (including mercury emission
reductions in some places) in the US, the number one mercury polluter in
the US comes coal fired plants. And we know what happens when heavy metals
move up the food chain.  A couple of years ago I read a report on residuals
from East Asia coal fire emissions, including several heavy metals, finding
their way into Sierra lakes. (I misplaced that link ~~ rats!)  While
determining mercury sources in lakes is somewhat complicated, there seems
to be some kind of consensus in the scientific community that some-to-most
of that mercury comes from coal fired plants.  Check out the
reports/studies on mercury pollution in the Great Lakes.  Wish I knew the
long term health effects of chemicals ( deet / sun screen / Gold Bond /
eucalyptus-lemon / permethrin) and heavy metals showing up in those
lakes:   I don't.  Maybe in 50 years PCTers will pack water filters
that extract chemicals and heavy metals.

For more:  http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/t3/fact_sheets/hg17th.pdf

Cheers,

be hope


On Sat, Mar 30, 2013 at 7:30 PM, <surferskir at aol.com> wrote:

>  I don't think you'll find heavy metals in coal fire plants emmissions.
> It a a fossil fuel, mostly carbon, and carbon is not a heavy metal.
> These heavy metal thngs are like lead, chromium, mercury, copper, etc.
> But I agree all that deet, soap, sunscreen, lip blam, etc. will
> contaminate the high apline lakes.
>  --Dennis--
>  -----Original Message-----
> From: be hope <bh.csuchico at gmail.com>
> To: PCT MailingList <pct-l at backcountry.net>
> Sent: Sat, Mar 30, 2013 4:52 pm
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Mosquitos
>
>  Ounces of Deet carried/used from Campo to Manning Park:  zero.  I did carry
> two ounces of the eucalyptus-lemon spray; used one ounce; in the future
> will carry no bug spray.   Gloves, headnet, long pants (with the zip-offs),
> and gloves works for me.
>
> Thinking about Ernie’s reminder in a recent post to ”Leave nothing but shoe
> prints”, one time I observed lake water where a hiker just emerged from a
> bath and detected what appeared to be a newly formed chemical sheen on the
> water.  A chemical concoction of deet / sun screen / Gold Bond /
> eucalyptus-lemon / permethrin?  Given that many alpine lakes, including the
> ones in the Sierra, have some degree of heavy metal contamination from
> global emissions from coal fired plants, I wonder about the long term
> hiker/societal impacts from chemicals & heavy metals on those lakes:  more
> than “shoe prints?”
>
> be hope
>
>
> Date: Fri, 29 Mar 2013 10:04:20 -0700
> From: Diane Soini of Santa Barbara Hikes <diane at santabarbarahikes.com>
> Subject: Re: [pct-l] Mosquitos
> To: pct-l at backcountry.net
>
>
> >. . . . . . . mosquitos
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