Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Toxic Ship Sank - Will We Too?

The mountains are brighter today but so is the light brown haze on the horizon. :(

Just like my view, we can't see all the bad stuff, but it's out there.

A ship carrying 80 barrels of very toxic chemicals sank in the Pacific in June. The warning is huge, the call for rescuing the barrels is immediate, there is no current leakage according to water test. So what is this stuff? Here is the quote because I can't say it any better:

The DENR Environmental Management Bureau said DTI is a main ingredient in the production of flexible polyurethane foam and other polyurethane applications including synthetic leather, coated fabrics, paints and adhesives. It said the substance is toxic and should be recovered as soon as possible.

“The chemical has a long term carcinogenic effects on human,” said a report of the DENR EMB dated July 3.

DTI, a clear, pale yellow liquid with a sharp, pungent odor is “extremely toxic from acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term) exposures,” according to the US Environmental Protection Agency Technological Transfer Network Air Toxics Website (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/toluene2.html).


Yikes. So this stuff is sitting in the bottom of the ocean with this kind of EPA alarm. But wait. Don't we then use this stuff to make things and put it on more stuff that we humans actually use, sit on, breath, wear, etc? So if it is so toxic sitting in the ocean, why is it okay for later use and consumption? I doubt that it becomes inactive. So where were these toxic barrels headed for anyway? What were they going to be used for? Am I missing something here?

These toxins don't end their life once they come off the ship. They get shipped to us! And we don't even know it. Time to demand more information about chemicals and toxins in the products that surround us. I hope it's not too late.

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