The snow exposed to cars is covered in grimy residue, while the snow away from traffic remains clean.

  • how_we_burned@lemmy.zip
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    24 hours ago

    He isn’t wrong

    Cars exhaust contains nitrogen, carbon dioxide, water vapour, oxygen, argon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, unburnt hydrocarbons, methane, ammonia, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, lead, platinum, palladium, rhodium, nickel, copper, zinc and chromium. These drift around, settling on roads. Albeit in trace amounts.

    These are in turn washed into storm waterways and creeks where the heavy metals end up in the sediment.

    Car tires and plastics used in roads (cats eyes for example) are also causing major microplastic pollution, again because it again washes into waterways and accumulates.

    In 2004 it was confirmed that creatures at the bottom of the food chain ie bivalves, polychaete worms, sea cucumbers, amphipods, isopods, lugworms, oligochaetes, chironomid larvae and deposit feeders etc are eating that shit up.

    Which, when consumed by predators, bio accumulates in their flesh which we in turn eat.

    Incidentally asianometry just released a video on this incredibly fucked up and depressing topic.

    https://youtu.be/Th1tBdDl5CY