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02/29/2008: "Contaminants travel far from source"

Pesticides, heavy metals and other airborne contaminants are raining down on national parks across the West and Alaska, turning up at sometimes dangerously high levels in lakes, plants and fish.

A sweeping, six-year federal study released Tuesday found evidence of 70 contaminants in 20 national parks and monuments — from Denali in Alaska and Glacier in Montana, to Big Bend in Texas and Yosemite in California.

The findings revealed that some of the Earth's most pristine wilderness is still within reach of the toxic byproducts of the industrial age.

"Contaminants are everywhere. You can't get more remote than these northern parts of Alaska and the high Rockies," said Michael Kent, a fish researcher with Oregon State University who co-authored the study.

[ Apparently, most people no longer spend enough time in nature to observe how ecosystems radically distribute water and air for the purposes of keeping it refreshed. Amazing, but good to see in print, underlining the fact that "global warming" may be the least of our concerns. ]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_sc/park_contamination