Ashamed of Humans

[Donald G]

Queen K

Mining is little more than taking mixed chemicals or elements from one underground location of the earth and moving it to a different location on the earth where some of the chemicals and elements are "refined" out of the natural ore and the remainder returned to the earth "from whence it came". In doing so the residual chemicals and compounds are, by definition, moved to a different place on the same or a different water table.

Through geologic distribution all of the elements you have listed were in an existing water table. All of them are found in various existing water that we routinely use. All of them are also found in every human body.

It is only the quantity and ratio that the (mostly) heavy metals listed by Dasboot become hazardous when taken INTO the human body. Otherwise they simply remain laying about the earth as they have done for millions of years.

Very little "natural" surface water is safe to drink until it is treated for the very elements, chemicals, compounds and bacteria that poses a hazard due to the "dam" failure near Terrace ... pun intended.

[Queen K]

Oh Thank God! Someone, you, are willing to go up there and be the first person to drink the water and let us all know how it went.

[Donald G]

To Queen K ...

Having spent time in that country I was not willing to drink the untreated water from the lakes or rivers up there (or anywhere else) under any conditions. Too many unknowns and only one chance at a healthy life.

Were you under the impression that people could drink the water from the lakes and rivers up there before the spill? IMO, anyone who is willing to drink the "natural" surface water does not know much about nature.

[Queen K]

Everyone knnows to treat water before drinking from wild sources.

But now it's got something extra special that just wasn't there before, right? Go ahead. You're claiming it's all natural and all.

[Donald G]

Please reread what the second last sentence in my 2:25 post says. That is hardly saying it is safe to drink since the levels of the various NATURAL substances is unknown and the human body can tolerate only so much of each chemical, element or compound before suffering repercussions. That includes pure water poisoning.

What it is saying is that everything in it would seem to be a natural substance found in nature.

[atenbacon]

Oh Thank God! Someone, you, are willing to go up there and be the first person to drink the water and let us all know how it went.

I would be happy to take that challenge.

As soon as the water is put through the same filtration system our City water that comes out of the tap is put through. That includes screening, coagulation and settling, filtration, and disinfection.

Once that is done it would certainly be just as safe to drink as the tap water we have now. Some folks would go the extra mile and use a reverse osmosis system even after that. The systems we have stop bacteria, and minerals.. hell, the tap water we have today has less bacteria than the bottled water most morons waste their money on.

Only a frigging idiot would drink the water straight out of the tailings pond overflow. For that matter, if you are drinking straight out of a river, lake, pond or stream without treating (Bare minimum boiling the water) you may need a little help once you lose control of your bodily functions.

As for this "HUGE DISASTER" all will be back to normal in short order seeing as the heavier minerals will settle, be screened and filtered by the sand and rock and will slowly return to the Earth.

I'm ashamed of humans too, it's just that I am ashamed at the over dramatized reports of the end of the world, or in this case the entire Western Hemisphere according to some.

Yeesh!

[StraitTalk]

To the OP (Ginnis),

I suggest picking up a copy of Carl Sagans Cosmos and reading it cover to cover. I also suggest joining a sports team and volunteering now and then with a social program. There is lots of bad stuff in this world we live in but there is lots and lots of good going around as well. Be part of the good.

Sure are a lot of environmental disaster experts in this thread!

[Donald G]

To StraitTalk ...

In many ways the earth has been in a state of environmental disrepair ever since the big bang. And certainly since the Sumerians began writing legible history around 12,000 BPE.

Various studies involving various disciplines have been able to identify that the same evolving earth surface has merely travelled from one world size disaster to another with (fortunately for humans) periods of moderation in between that has enabled humans to evolve and carry on in a multitude of cultures displaying one cultural lifestyle after another.

We are the first generation that ever lived who, through technology, has been able to outstrip and thus directly affect nature.