Trace amounts of DEET in the lake? Sure, that's believable, but cocaine? Well, there are a lot of lakes in Minnesota, and it's not so crazy to think cocaine has found it's way into some of them.
A cornucopia of man-made chemicals — including cocaine, DEET, synthetic estrogen, antibiotics, antidepressants and plastics derivatives — are finding their way into even isolated Minnesota lakes, an indication that some contamination is becoming the norm for virtually all the state’s waters.
Scientists studied 50 lakes across Minnesota chosen at random and tested them for 127 compounds. All but three tested positive, with varying concentrations of one or more chemical. The insect repellent DEET was found in 76 percent of the lakes, and cocaine, in a finding that stunned the researchers, was found in 32 percent.
"That was astonishing," said Mark Ferrey, lead researcher for the new report, which was released Monday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (PCA) and is the most comprehensive to date in a series of studies examining chemical contamination in Minnesota lakes and rivers.
"We need to look in the mirror," he said. "No matter what we use, it finds its way into the environment."
More at: Star Tribune
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