Super Eco

Photo credit: Robert S. Donovan, flickr

Drink up, because it's "thyme" for Thanksgiving—and you'll taste it in your drinking water. Researchers from the University of Washington have found seasonal "pulses" of cooking spices and and flavorings in the waters of nearby Puget Sound. At Thanksgiving, scientists found thyme and sage in the local waters. Cinnamon persists all winter long, chocolate and vanilla pop up every weekend, and waffle-cone and caramel-corn remnants sprinkle the Fourth of July holiday.

Sounds festive, really ... Until you consider all the not-so-festive substances researchers are also finding in so-called "fresh" waters. From pharmaceuticals to spices to rocket fuel and even cocaine, water supplies worldwide are being contaminated by substances bringing all sorts of negative consequences to humans, wildlife and the environment. Clean drinking water is rapidly becoming an impossible achievement, as the runoff of modern society covers the planet with a healthy (or in this case, not-so-healthy) dose of chemicals and other toxic byproducts.

Water treatment plants do their best to remove contaminants, but many substances persist, including seasonal cooking spices. According to an article at National Geographic News, "The region's sewage runoff contains more than 14 milligrams of vanilla per liter. This would be like spiking an Olympic-size swimming pool with approximately 10 4-ounce (113.4-gram) bottles of artificial vanilla." Sweet!