Minnesota

A veritable hodgepodge of chemicals — including cocaine, synthetic estrogen and antidepressants — have reportedly been found in isolated Minnesota lakes.The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the findings indicate that some contamination has become the norm for virtually all of the waters in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." Among the 50 lakes across Minnesota that were randomly selected and tested for 127 compounds, all but three tested positive for varying concentrations of one of more chemicals. Cocaine was found in 32 percent of the lakes, while the insect repellent DEET was found in 76 percent of the waters."That was astonishing," Mark Ferrey, lead researcher of the new report released Monday by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, told the newspaper. "We need to look in the mirror. No matter what we use, it finds its way into the environment."Ferrey said the impact of the contaminants on aquatic life and humans is far less understood. A growing number of studies have found that s...

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