Chemicals in the Fox River
There are many chemicals that end up in the Fox River. Chemicals that end up in bodies of water affect all the organisms that live in or near it.
Polychlorinated biphenyls are mixtures of up to 209 single chlorinated compounds. There are no known natural sources of PCBs. PCBs are either oily liquids or solids that are clear or pale yellow. Some PCBs can exist as a vapor in the air. No one knows if they smell or taste like anything.
PCBs have been used as coolants and lubricants in transformers, capacitors, and other electrical equipment because they don't burn easily and are good insulators. The manufacture of PCBs was stopped in the U.S. in 1977 because scientists found that they build up in the environment and can have harmful health effects. Products made before 1977 that may contain PCBs include old fluorescent lights and electrical equipment containing PCB capacitors, old microscope and hydraulic oils.
PCBs enter the air, water, and soil during their manufacture,
use, and disposal; from accidental spills and leaks when they
were being moved, and from leaks or fires in things containing
PCBs. PCBs can still be released to the environment
from hazardous waste sites, illegal or improper disposal of industrial
wastes and consumer products, and leaks from old electrical devices.
Small critters and fish in the water take in PCBs. Other
animals further up the food chain eat these sea critters as food
also take them in. PCBs build up in fish, reaching levels
that may be many thousands of times higher than it should be.
These dangerous levels are toxic to the organisms.
Another
measurement of stream health is the amount of phosporous present.
All living things need phosphorous and it is a mineral found
in nature. It is also found in fertilizers for gardens. Plants
like algae use the phosphorous to grow, and when too much growth
takes place the water turns green. When the plants die, they
decompose and feed the bacteria in the water. This causes the
bacteria to reproduce quickly using up the oxygen the fish and
other organisms need.
Those are a few of the many chemicals and pollutants that can harm the Fox River. There are many more chemicals but it would take a billion pages to write all that so I just figured that I'd tell you about the biggest issues.