Author: 20robertsg

Who We Are

Get Your Water Tested!

HMS Stamping Mad Gremlins
We are a group of eighth grade students at Houghton Middle School. We are taking part in a national competition called the Lexus Eco Challenge. Our round 1 efforts of experimenting with phytoremediation and educating others on the negative effects of copper-rich stamp sands earned us an invitation to participate in round 2.
As we continue, we continue to work with stamp sand, testing its permeability in order to assist with the design of a permeable barrier to be placed within the banks of Huron Creek. We also want to raise awareness of fluoride and uranium in our local groundwater. Thank you for making time to read this brochure.
To learn more or contact us visit :
http://hmsstampingmadgremlins.weebly.com/#/

If you are a U.P. resident and use well water, you may want to consider getting your water tested for uranium and fluoride. To contact the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department visit:
WUPHD
Phone: 906-482-7382
http://www.wupdhd.org/contact-us/

The Effects of Fluoride and Uranium in Upper Peninsula
Groundwater

The Effects of Fluoride
In Drinking Water

Where Uranium and Fluoride
Is Found in the U.P.

The Effects of Uranium
In Drinking Water

Fluoride is in our water and can have bad effects on our health. Here are some of those effects.
Fluoride can cause dental fluorosis. This is a brown staining of the teeth and can cause pitting of permanent teeth in young children.
If you are exposed to levels above 4.0 mg/L over a long period of time you may get skeletal fluorosis, a crippling bone disorder.

Uranium has been located in groundwater in several Upper Peninsula counties including: Baraga, Houghton, Ontonagon, Gogebic, and Keweenaw counties. The likely source of the uranium is shale stone layers found in association with the (larger) sandstone deposits in these areas.
The levels here exceed the maximum level for safe drinking water. It will be monitored although it does not violate mine permits. Uranium has also been found in the Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It maybe there because of shale deposits that run inconsistently through Jacobsville and Freda sandstone formations.
Fluoride in our water has been located along Lake Superior shoreline between McLain's State Park and Five Mile point. There are higher levels in private wells in the Stanton, Hancock, Allouez, Portage, Eagle Harbor townships. There is between 4.0 mg/L and 10.3 mg/L in these wells.

Uranium in our water is harmful to our health, here are some things that can happen if you consume uranium in your water.
Uranium in water can cause cancer
If water has a lot of uranium in it can cause kidney problems.
There was also a study done the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry found that potential damage may occur in the reproductive system.
Uranium levels over .03 mg/L in of water are considered unsafe to consume