LETTER: Begin removing Great Lakes toxins without delay

To The Telegram:

I was hardly surprised to read that the Centers for Disease Control unnecessarily delayed the release of a Great Lakes report investigating potential links between toxic hotspots in the Great Lakes and health problems such as cancer and premature birth in the Duluth-Superior harbor.

Having fished, walked the beaches and swam in the water of the Great Lakes for many years, it is clear to me they are essential to the economic and cultural identity of our region.

Instead of delaying the release of scientific research about the health of the Great Lakes, our government agencies need to be cleaning up toxins. We have manageable solutions at hand to restore the health of the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes Legacy Act, for example, funds projects that get rid of toxic contaminants in Great Lakes, rivers and harbors. Congress should fully fund it and renew the program this year so we can make progress in getting rid of pollutants that threaten our families.

Every day we wait, the problems get worse and the solutions get more costly. It is time we use these solutions to protect our drinking water, our economy, our health and our way of life.

— David Vitse,

Madison

Tags: great, lakes, toxins, harbor, cdc, pollution