Now that we know so much about the world around us and how we affect it, it seems that almost everything we do in our daily lives has some kind of environmental impact – and usually a negative one. According to this article, due to holiday baking, traces of vanilla and cinnamon have been found in the Puget Sound’s waters.
Theses spices end up in the Puget Sound after first passing through our bodies when we eat them, then being passed through a sewage plant and eventually being released into the water as treated sewage. Thankfully, even though the water has been “spiced up” there isn’t any real environmental issue because there isn’t a large enough concentration of the substances. At the most, the fish may be picking up a small vanilla or cinnamon scent during the holidays.
However, there is a darker side to the situation. While the Puget Sound gets cinnamon and vanilla flavoring through its sewage system, many other bodies of water can be found to contain antibiotics, caffein, contraceptives, perfumes, painkillers, and antidepressants coming in from the sewage system. Obviously, many of these things are necessary for humans so the blame cannot be totally on us for letting these dangerous substances into bodies of water. I think it’s necessary for sewage treatment facilities to improve their treatment techniques in order to ensure that only completely harmless sewage is let into contact with the clean water. Holiday spices are one thing, but when harmful substances are being released into natural habitats, a change to the system must quickly be made.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061227/ap_on_sc/cinnamon_sound
