We are talking about subjects I find extremely disheartening. Dupont
poisoned the nearest river to my home. (It takes me 10 minutes to drive
to nearest canoe launch.) Fifty years ago, the company dumped mercury
from a fabric plant (Waynesboro, Va.) into the South Fork of the
Shenandoah River. The element is now a *permanent* part of the river
ecosystem.

The state of Virginia has only recently posted warning signs at boat and
canoe launches. The state recommends adults limit their consumption of
fish from the river to one meal a month (some sections of the river are
under a total ban on fish consumption). Pregnant woman, women planning
to become pregnant, and children are warned not to consume *any* fish
from the river.

The poisoning is insidious. To look at the river, you'd never imagined
the ecosystem has been plundered, pillaged and poisoned. The poisoning
is, for all practical purposes, permanent and forever. The state has
admitted there is no way to resolve the problem without making it worse.
Here is a picture of the river from a recent canoe trip. Much of the
length of the river looks just like this:
http://www.user.shentel.net/riburr/sfshenandoah043006.html

Further downstream is the Avtex Superfund site (Front Royal, Va.). This
company manufactured rayon for NASA and the Defense Dept. (I think it is
used to make rocket motor casings, among many other uses.) The
government granted exemptions from pollution regulations. The company is
now closed, gone, but their legacy remains. Downstream from where the
plant was located, there is a *total* ban on fish consumption due to PCBs.

This isn't long ago, or even recent history. This is *now*. Americans
have become ignorant of environmental pollution. The problems are
increasing, but public awareness is diminishing. Most think the
environment is improving. I don't know how they've become so deluded.

Fred