Hmmm.... WD40 as a scenting agent....
Everyone talks about major pollution causes, but a couple are always overlooked due to ‘who they are’ and the ‘cost’ of correcting the problem. All of us are the cause and the solution… every little thing we do will either be another hole bored or plugged in the ecological boat we are sailing on. It is ‘our’ choice if we sink or swim.
As everyone should be aware, three of the major polluters of the Willamette/Lower Columbia are the cities of Eugene, Salem, and Portland with their ‘accidental’ over flows of their sewage systems every time it rains. Add to them all of the small municipality’s along the rivers mixed with the various small businesses that dump ‘tons’ of pollutants into our watersheds due to uncontrolled waste water runoff. These alone amount to far more contamination than even the Exxon Valdez did.
Several years ago, I was part of an ecological survey group that took water samplings from all around Oregon and Washington. Most of what we found was as expected, with groundwater contamination from both agricultural and population centers being #1 with a bullet. The surprise is the pollution we found in many high mountain lakes and streams. In some of the more remote lakes along the Pacific Crest Trail, we found significant trace levels of the aromatic hydrocarbon Benzene (N6H6), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), carbonyl sulfide (H2S), ammonia (NH3), and several other miscellaneous liquid effluent petrochemicals that are the by-product of spent Jet Fuel(s). Now, if mentioned out loud you will hear a roar of protest stating that it is just ‘pre-existing’ chemicals present everywhere. Our findings however indicated severely increased levels along the jet paths used by commercial airliners.
Bottom line is it is up to you if you decide that ‘little’ amount of WD40, few drops of oil leaking from your outboard motor, that slow drip from your engine block, that plastic bottle you filled with water and let sink, or that wad of fishing line you toss into the water is really polluting or not. As for myself (and many others), I maintain my equipment, do not use products that may add to the problem, and clean up after myself and others when on, in or around the water.
You know that old saying, “ don’t sh___ where you eat!” well , think about it for a minute BEFORE you toss that cigarette butt out the window of your car or over the side of your boat.