Benezene Cache Traditional Geocache
Wis Kid: No response from owner. If you wish to repair/replace the cache sometime in the future, just contact us (by email), and assuming it meets the current guidelines, we'll be happy to unarchive it.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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30,000 Evacuated After Toxic Spill (Don't worry, the area is safe now).
I decided to place this cache so people could see where the actual spill took place. Plus it is practically in my back yard. The terrian can get a little muddy in wet weather but it is a fairly easy to get to cache.
Here is the story:Approximately 2:55 a.m. on June 30, 1992 a Burlington Northern railroad tank car plunged into the Nemadji River releasing a mix of deadly toxic compounds into the river, air and eventually into Lake Superior. Spilling more than 20,000 gallons of aromatic concentrate containing a 45% mixture of benzene, the deadly mixture moved along the river killing wildlife and invading the homes of the Duluth-Superior area. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), EPA and other government agencies responded with a "don't worry" attitude as heavy rains flushed the toxic compounds past the "containment booms" while hundreds of fish and other wildlife floated lifelessly out into Lake Superior. Although area officials and the WDNR contend that there is no serious risk and benzene does not bio-accumulate, the EPA report titled, "Ambient Water Quality Criteria for Benzene" clearly states that Benzene does bio-accumulate and can be fatal within minutes of a single exposure. The report by EPA also discusses other effects of acute benzene poisoning such as respiratory and cardiac failure, coma, paralysis, lung hemorrhages, and cerebral edema. The long-term effects are not clearly understood but the report does discuss mutagenicity and clearly states benzene is a proven hematotoxin and has been related to blood cell disorders and a form of leukemia.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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