Farm chemicals, sewage, diesel fuel, pesticides (and more) bite back

Be warned: Not only could you drown in the floodwaters in much of Iowa but the water could kill you in another hundred ways.

“They (floods that have destroyed a large supply of their drinking water and many homes) have spread a noxious brew of sewage, farm chemicals and fuel that could sicken anyone who wades in.”

[Click here for recent news report from The Associated Press]

Barry Commoner, biologist, environmentalist and former candidate for the presidency of the USA once said:

“Sooner or later, wittingly or unwittingly, we must pay for every intrusion on the natural environment.”

I’m not suggesting the flood or the millions of mosquitoes that are spawning in hectares of standing water are payback for what Iowans have done to the environment.


(Unless the little skeeters are drawn to tonnes of man-made chemicals).

“Also mixed into the floodwaters [along with 200-litre drums labelled “corrosive” and propane tanks] are pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers from Iowa’s vast stretches of farmland.”

We know that chemicals are poisonous. We know that accidents happen. We know there are millions of tonnes of hazardous materials in every state in the US and every province in Canada.

And we know the benefits do not outweigh the risks if toxic chemicals can ruin our water.

Be warned.

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