Raise the Hammer

It's interesting (although frankly, I've only read half the comments) that no one is mentioning any of the other contaminants in our tap water -- everything from prozac to estrogen-analogues is in there, as is rust from the inside of pipes (zomg, iron poisoning!), lead (zomg, get your pipes replaced to the city supply, except if you're renting, then suck it), goo from Randle Reef (yo, cap that crap already), human, fish and bird poo (you really believe that the waterworks are 100%? our city has undercapacity waterworks as it is -- and it's not reverse osmosising all the water we use to flush toilets, water lawns and put out fires) AND EVERYTHING ELSE THAT ANYONE HAS FLUSHED INTO THE GREAT LAKES FROM CHICAGO THROUGH TO ST. CATHERINES.

In the water / water treatment biz (I've been exposed to it through my work on security in control systems) there is a very simple statement -- dilution is the solution. As long as the level of contaminant is sufficiently low, the water is considered good.

Civilization is always a balance between staving off the darkness of pre-history and celebrating the success of being a tool-using animal who dominates and wilfully changes her environment. Not all of civilization is good. Not all of pre-history is bad. I prefer upholstery, running water and the occassional mindless sitcom in exchange, I'm willing to accept the fact that I haven't had a cavity in over 30 years, none of my children have died before the age of 10 due to a completely preventable disease (yay vaccination! Go walk around the older parts of the cemetary and just imagine burying even one - let alone 3 or 4 of your children before the age that we send most of ours off to school - and then realize that the last child buried was buried the same day as it's mother and the story repeats on the next headstone and the next and the next), and I haven't had to scrabble in the dirt for the next meal to feed my family while I fight off the wild animal that sees me as a particularly delicious snack.

I'll say this though - if you're freaking out about government additives to your food and water (or the horrible dangers of low-level non-ionizing radiation), there's a solution for you too - airlift to a random lake north of Churchill and live like civilization doesn't exist - we'll miss you, but the bears need a snack now and then. Good luck with that flint chipping you've been practicing.