Monday, February 2, 2009

culinary adventures

If you do environmental work, at some point you may find yourself in an overgrown, nearly forgotten contaminated site. This contaminated site may appear to be an oasis of wilderness (or at least second growth), and if you’re at the site at the right time of year, you may find a profusion of wild berries. I’ve run into blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, and grapes myself.

These particular berries may look utterly innocuous. In fact, they may look downright luscious, especially if you’re a little thirsty and it’s been several hours since you last ate. And they will taste terrific (as I know from, um, experience).

But do not eat the contaminated berries! They drink contaminated water! You wouldn’t drink the groundwater you’re sampling, so ignore them.

1 comment:

Vicki said...

Evil tasty berries! But it is a great reminder because it would be easy to be tempted by such things.