Entry #5: Troubled Waters

What I think about National Geographic's Strange Days of Earth: Troubled Waters

               The main concept I learned from watching this movie is that chemicals end up in waters all around us- marshes, creeks, lakes, rivers, oceans, and even the water we drink.  There have been numerous studies on the effects of chemicals on animals and plants. 

               One study was in the marsh waters in Eastern Wyoming on Northern Leopard Frogs.  After many experiments, researchers found that the chemical atrazine is causing the male frogs to develop eggs in their testes, becoming hermaphrodites.  The atrazine is flowing into the water from the corn fields in that area.  The researchers also found that if they gave the frogs high doses of atrazine, then it didn't affect them because their immune system would react to it, but their immune system didn't notice the atrazine in small doses and it has had harmful effects.  The movie noted that at least 20 frog species have disappeared worldwide, even though frogs have flourished for more than 200 million years previously.

               Other studies have been done in the St. Lawrence Marine Park in Canada.  It's in a location far from any town, but it still has our chemicals flowing into it.  This body of water has white whales that have been getting cancer lately.  The researchers found that the mixture of the chemicals in the whales' bodies are hurting their immune systems and causing cancer.  Their bodies usually have more than twelve different types of chemicals in them.  This is very disturbing.  It's also very disturbing that these chemicals are also found in the tap water we drink.  As Shanna Swan said in the movie, "If it affects any animal, it will affect us."  And it has.  Studies have also been done on women who drink tap water with high levels of chlorine by-products and found that these women had high rates of miscarriages.  Humans are drinking toxic chemicals and animals are swimming in toxic chemicals!

               Thankfully, there are researchers and scientists who have found ways for us to help this dire situation.  Richard Meagher, who has seen changes over the years at Lake Hartwell, Georgia, now has a plant that can be planted on banks and coasts to soak up mercury to prevent it from getting into the water.  Vince Vitale, from Queensland, Australia, has been planting trees along his coast to help prevent insecticides, herbicides, nitrogen fertilizers, and fungicides from getting in the ocean and causing damage to the Great Barrier Reef, plants, and animals. 

               We need to take action, and not just trying to prevent more chemicals from getting into the waters, but developing ways to get the existing chemicals out of the waters.

~Max G.