D24—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 13,1981 WASHINGTON, D.C. - War ning: Nature may be hazardous to your health. Sometimes on its own it can even violate federal pollution standards. A natural accumulation of mercury has contaminated fish m a Utah lake. Acidic runoff has left some Appalachian streams lifeless. Unusually high ozone levels have been detected in rural air. But so far there appears to be no evidence of “killer trees.” When it comes to polluting the environment, nature has to take second place behind the combined forces of man, industry, and the automobile. Across the country, however, scientists recently have begun to try to assess nature’s role in the contamination of air, water, and soil. “We are looking at things we’ve never looked at before, partly because of the continuing problem of carcinogens,” explained Dr. Clarence Lance, nation research program leader for environmental quality at the Department of Agriculture. YOUR MILK QUALITY GUARDIAN J Mueller HiPer the com automatic milk cooling system for progressive dairymen Durable HiPer-Form Model "OH” and "MHL” Milk Coolers feature large radius corners and smooth stainless steel welds for easy cleaning. Cooler capacities range from 300 to 6000 gallons. With the flip of a switch, Mueller-Matic' Automatic Washing System cleans the cooler interior with jet-spray wash mid acidified rinse. Ask us for details on HiPerForm milk coolers FOR MORE INFORMATION. CONTACT; mtnmrs refrigeration service 1122 Woodstock Road Fayetteville. PA 17222 Ph0ne:(717)352-2783 SALES & SERVICE Difficult to Measure In trying to sort out the sources of pollution, man is finding it difficult to take a measure of nature. Some scientists believe that nature in certain cases con tributes to pollution, but they still don’t know how much. Alone, they generally agree, nature does not appear to have done too much damage so far, except in some isolated instances. But when the chemicals it naturally releases combine with what man puts into the air, for example, the results under certain circumstances can be harmful enough to affect living things. “Even if the entire country were covered with forests, the trees by themselves could not produce ozone,” said Dr. Joseph Bufahm, an environmental sciences research chief with the En vironmental Protection Agency. “But add emissions from automobiles or power plants or herbicides, and then the hydrocarbons the trees naturally ESBESZ3E3B93EsI 1 HiPerForm 1 "OH" USED TANKS 300 Gal. & Up Nature, too, can 7\ • l. , “MHL" release can act as an agent to produce the harmful ozone.” EPA recently authorized a $114,000 research project to study how certain kinds of trees con tribute to the formation of ozone, an irritating form of oxygen. It is a major component of smog. The idea of delving into “natural” or “background” pollution - to find out what con taminants, if any, are already there - is a long-range and con troversial issue. “Nature must be taken into consideration if we are to know how hazardous pollutants are building up ui the United States,” Bufahm said. “Ther has to be a starting point to properly assess long-range pollution trends.” Blaming It on Nature Industry also has taken an in terest in discovering the extent of nature’s own pollution in an at tempt to turn attention away from the industrial contribution. In some already heavily polluted pollute regions, for example, industry officials have actually calculated the number of trees that could be cut down to offset the anticipated additional pollution from a proposed new industrial plant. And on the campaign trail last year, Ronald Reagan added fuel to the fire by pointing out the “polluting” powers of trees and volcanoes. Within the scientific world, there is some disagreement over whether something that is naturally present in the en vironment can legitimately be labeled a pollutant. What are some of the possible natural causes of pollution? In the air, hydrocarbons, ozone, radiation, and, particularly in marshland, sulfur compounds. Some scientists, for example, are attempting to measure the amount of ozone that may be seeping down from the stratosphere, where it is a necessary shield of the sun’s ultraviolet, rays, into the lower atmosphere, where it is harmful. In water, the steady stream of sediment from natural runoff, metals such as mercury and copper, and salt. Metals and salt are more commonly found in nvers and ground water m the West. Along the coast there is natural seepage of oil from the ocean floor. In soil, there can be deposits of salt and metals such as lead, calmium, iron, and uranium. And there are the more dramatic examples: sulfur dioxide spewed into the air by volcanic eruptions like Mount St. Helens; thermal and chemical contamination from the many forest fires that are touched off by lightning; the well-known haze in the Great Smoky Moun tains that may be caused by the trees themselves; and the widespread proliferation of pollen. Dr. William L. Graf, an associate professor of geography at Arizona State University, is investigating what he calls “a classic case of natural pollution”; (Turn to Page 025) ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦s | HOG PRODUCERS! | I Get Top Price | ♦ for Your Hogs at w Ww ♦ ♦ New Holland APQPf ♦ + ''> *** > ' ♦ ♦ Sold in sorted lots the auction way. See ♦ X them weighed and sold and pick up ♦ yourcheck. X I SALE EVERY MONDAY ■ 8:00 Alt | I NEW HOLLAND SALES STABLES, INC. | i Phone 717-354-4341 J X Daily market Report-Phone 717-354-7288 ♦ « Abe Diffenbach, Manager + H Volcanoes and Pollen
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