Did you know that dangerous toxins exist in the bed of some lakes, with the water above it protecting us from exposure? It's true - and
as some of these lakes dry up, these deadly substances release into the air, where the deadly dust poisons nearby communities.That is the case with the
Great Salt Lake in Utah.
But not all people are being exposed and sickened equally. Instead, Latinx and Pacific Islander communities are being poisoned at a much higher rate.
But there is a way to tackle this. The drying-up of the lake is primarily due to large factory farms and mining operations siphoning off water. The state of Utah must ban this usage, and also invest in better infrastructure. It must keep the Great Salt Lake water-rich and its residents safe! Sign the petition!In addition to arsenic and lead, another specific type of particulate matter lingers at the bottom of the lake, a substance known as PM2.5.
There is no level of exposure to PM2.5 that is considered safe - in other words,
any and all exposure is dangerous. Coming into contact with the particulate matter has been known to lead to
cancer, respiratory conditions, circulatory diseases, and death.And lots of people have been coming into contact with it. Around 80% of the state's population lives around this lake. That's 2.4 million people!
As PM2.5 has been releasing into the air it's been turning into dangerous dust storms that sweep through neighborhoods. But not all neighborhoods are being hit equally hard. And each time the lake dries out further, the racial gap in impact has been widening. Right now, Pacific Islander and Latinx residents are exposed to 1-2 points more micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 than white neighbors. But researchers expect that discrepancy to widen to 5-6 points in the near future.
The lake would not be drying up at this rate if it weren't for greedy corporations diverting water away from residents to fuel their profit-hungry mines and factory farms. It is unacceptable for corporations to be poisoning communities in this way and then turning a blind eye!
Utah must ban corporations from stealing water from residents and leaving them poisoned and sick. It must also invest in improved infrastructure. Sign the petition now!