Monday, May 7, 2007

Should Lakefront Communities Test The Water For Fireworks Toxin?

Seems that fireworks can discharge toxins into bodies of water over which the colorful displays are fired, a recent study has found.

(Note: The link above has been updated and corrected.)

The toxin is perchlorate. One source put the need for more scientific consideration this way:

"The study "helps to emphasize the fact that perchlorate exposure is not always from a well-documented contamination issue," says Andrew Jackson, an environmental engineer and perchlorate expert at Texas Tech University."

Probably wouldn't be a bad idea for communities like Milwaukee that draw drinking water from Lake Michigan, which absorbs major fireworks residue throughout summer, to check it out.

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