Despite the Boston Celtics’ “utter destruction of the LA Lakers,” as an ABC commentator said the night of NBA Playoff Game 6, the California city is not completely hopeless.
The City of Los Angeles, in an effort to combat a carcinogenic water supply, signed an agreement with Allentown, PA-based Orange Products to cover the Ivanhoe Reservoir with 3 million non-toxic, anti-radioactive, plastic recyclable black balls.
Maybe you heard of this already.
The balls (comprised of the same HDPE plastic as tupperware) were designed to protect the 10-acre, 58-million gallon reservoir from sunlight, of which ozone had mixed with disinfectant chlorine and naturally-occurring bromide ions, to fight cancer-causing bromate.
Donna Barstow, who lives nearby in Griffith Park, provides local commentary on her blog, citing telephone calls and scientific studies on the inefficiency and environmental hazards of the balls.
Jeff Ventura of Clusterflock agrees.
The reservoir is the water source for 600,000 residents in downtown L.A. and adjacent areas.
The LA Times filmed this neat video about the balls dropping into the reservoir two weeks ago.
Via 37 signals and Gizmodo.
Related, check out 17 big pictures showing water and how everyone in the world counts on it. These are impressive and awe-inspiring!
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Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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The balls (comprised of the same HDPE plastic as tupperware) were designed to protect the 10-acre, 58-million gallon reservoir from sunlight, of which ozone had mixed with disinfectant chlorine and naturally-occurring bromide ions, to fight cancer-causing bromate.
Bromate is not a *human* carcinogen, only a couple of species of mutant rats. Potassium bromate causes renal cell tumors in them. Sodium bromate has been tested, for years, and in high doses, and has not shown carcinogenic effects.
Please stick with “suspected human carcinogen”.
I saw that there are outstanding petitions into the EPA for the agency to remove bromate as a carcinogen, so I understand what you mean. Thanks for the comment!
The black balls are cool! The brain power in the field of environmental engineering is incredible. How in the world do you think that people come up with ideas like that? In their sleep?
Surely black plastic balls coating a reservoir in hot weather under strong sunshine are going to degrade rapidly and leach plasticizers and other stuff into the water, not to mention the fact that they could provide a nice comfortable growing medium for the likes of Cryptosporidium and other nasties. All very silly. I hope it’s a spoof.
No spoof, David.
And, Andy, what sort of inventive ideas do you dream up and never file patents for?
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