Representatives from multiple indigenous tribes in the Northwestern United States are traveling to Washington, D.C., this week to discuss an issue of international consequence: The government of British Columbia is planning to increase mining in the province, in areas bordering Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Washington.

A number of existing mines are already affecting U.S. watersheds with measurable increases in toxins. The main threat comes from tailings, the finely ground rock or sand that remains after the valuable minerals have been extracted. Tailings contain toxic chemicals and are often stored in lakes, held in place by earthen embankments known as tailings dams.

Erin Farris-Olsen, regional executive director for the Northern Rockies, Prairies and Pacific at the National Wildlife Federation, said the planned increase at the Copper Mountain Mine will result in one of the largest such dams in the world.

"They plan to increase production by 70% and raise its tailings dam from 492 feet to over 850 feet," she said. "So, this would make that operation alone the second or third tallest tailings dam in the world."

The mine sits in the Columbia River watershed, and Environmental Protection Agency testing in 2019 found elevated levels of selenium in water and fish in the nearby Kootenai River and concluded it is being impacted by upstream mining in British Columbia.

In 2016, British Columbia's Auditor General issued a report on compliance and enforcement in the mining sector. It noted that if the Canadian Ministry of Environment was unable to effectively enforce regulations on selenium levels in the cross-border Lake Koocanusa, it could be a violation of the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. That agreement stipulates that waters crossing the U.S.-Canadian border will not be polluted on either side to the injury of health or property.

Farris-Olsen said selenium and mine waste pollutants in general are a threat to the ecosystem.

"They stay in the stream for a long time," she said, "and they affect the fish and spawning of fish in the stream, and then animals that utilize those fish for food and the ultimate success of the fish populations themselves."

Among the tribal leaders meeting with the EPA and Interior Department officials are representatives of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes. Richard Janssen Jr., who heads the tribes' Department of Natural Resources, said the selenium contamination is already a problem.

"This selenium is having detrimental effects to our resources, which we hold dear," he said, "namely our fish, our wildlife, our cultural resources, our plant resources and our water."

He said he wants the mines to delay expansion until the mining company fixes the existing problems.

National Poison Prevention Week is coming up, and the staff at the Illinois Poison Center is getting the word out to be aware of toxic substances around the house.

The nonprofit organization provides both assistance and education on what to do if you suspect poisoning, and courses on identifying poisonous substances.

Last year, the center handled nearly 70,000 involving potentially harmful substances, ranging from minor to severe.

Dr. Michael Wahl, medical director for the center, said almost 40% of those cases involved children age five or younger.

"This is kind of the hallmark week for us to get the word out of the importance of poison prevention planning in the house, in the home, to prevent those unintentional ingestions or exposures to potentially harmful products," Wahl explained.

Wahl pointed out the Illinois center was one of the first of its kind in the nation and has been a resource for almost 70 years. It is staffed 24 hours, seven days a week, every day of the year, and can be reached at 800-222-1222.

Wahl noted the center deals with many substances, including drug overdoses, medication errors or reactions, plants, household chemicals, automotive products, insect stings and bites, lead, carbon monoxide and more.

He added the most dangerous time for children can be a visit from a grandparent.

"We recommend keeping the medications in their original containers and childproof caps," Wahl emphasized. "But grandparents will often keep their medications in pill minders. Those are not in child-resistant caps, and it is not uncommon that kids will get into them."

The center provides helpful information and guides, including stickers and refrigerator magnets with its toll-free number, at no charge. But Wahl stressed for those who need immediate help, there are experts standing by.

"Our line is staffed by nurses and pharmacists, so it is medical professionals -- they're not volunteers -- and they are specially trained in medical toxicology, to really answer and help with recommendations on a wide variety of potentially harmful exposures," Wahl emphasized.


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Most Texans take breathing for granted - unless the air is polluted. It's a health issue the Biden administration hopes to mitigate through new restrictions on one of the deadliest air pollutants - soot.

The Environmental Protection Agency wants to tighten national air-quality standards for soot - also known as fine particulate pollution - which haven't been updated since 2012.

Texas is among the top five states for soot pollution, but Elena Craft, senior director, Climate and Health at the Environmental Defense Fund, said a national solution is needed.

"It really impacts every community across the country," she said. "It is harmful because of its contribution to heart ailments, lung disease, asthma attacks - even cancer."

The EPA's rule would reduce the limit on industrial fine soot particles from an annual average of 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air to between nine and 10 micrograms. Public feedback on the proposed new rules is being accepted through March 28.

Soot pollution comes from power plants, vehicles and refineries, and Craft said it's more concentrated in certain parts of Texas than others.

"Houston, Dallas, El Paso - you do see higher ambient concentrations of particulate matter in some of the larger metropolitan areas, for sure," she said, "and also in some of the industrial areas - so, along the ship channel and the Gulf Coast."

Craft said there are also disparities as to who is most affected by soot pollution - with communities of color more likely to live near industrial facilities, railyards and other polluting facilities. She said it's also an issue for children.

"They breathe more air per pound of body weight than an adult," she said, "and so they are at higher risk, as well as the elderly."

According to Craft, the new standards proposed by the EPA are a welcome improvement, but the Environmental Defense Fund would like to see even stricter rules. The standards are expected to be finalized this summer.

Lawmakers in Maine are considering a bill to compensate farmers for the widespread use of state-sanctioned PFAS, or "forever chemicals" on their land. The chemicals are a byproduct of sewage processing once used as fertilizer and have caused irreversible damage to soil and water resources on at least 50 farms in the state.

Heather Spalding, deputy director of the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, said while struggling farmers deserve help, the bill may be getting ahead of a special state fund already set up to identify the extent of the problem.

"We just really want to support this PFAS Fund Advisory Committee and let them do their work," she said. "They're working incredibly hard to figure out where the funds need to go."

While the majority of farmland is not contaminated, hundreds of farms still require further testing, Spalding said.

Maine became the first state in the nation last year to ban the land application of PFAS sludge. Governor Janet Mills set aside $60-million to help farmers recoup lost income, pay for any needed health monitoring and set up a buyout program.

The current legislation would put a specific dollar amount on Maine farmland into a statute that she's reluctant to support, Spalding added.

"The goal is not just to buy up all the land and put farmers out of business. The goal is to work with farmers and make sure they can keep producing," she said.

Spalding added a lack of federal standards related to PFAS limits in food and water does not help. The governor's PFAS committee is expected to release its report in March and Spalding said funds could start to reach farmers this summer.