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Auto Industry Will Brake for Salmon

Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:17 pm
by Rope-Pusher
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Can Salmon clutching be far behind?

Brake pads today contain about 15% copper; every time brakes are applied, a small amount of copper scrubs off the pads and lands on pavement, eventually washing off during rainstorms and finding its way to rivers, streams and coastal waters.

Phytoplankton eat the copper dust, and salmon feed heavily on the plankton. As a result, researchers say copper upsets a salmon’s sense of smell, making it vulnerable to predators and unable to find its way to spawning streams.

Although copper is used extensively for electrical wiring and in many other sectors of the economy, the legislation affects only the auto industry because copper in storm water runoff has been tied directly to vehicles.

http://wardsauto.com/suppliers/auto-ind ... ID=1325527