There's been a lot of history published this week about the 50th anniversary of our Buffalo National River, the nation's first so-designated stream.
That's as it should be, especially considering how challenging it was to achieve that distinct honor in 1972 when my late uncle, John Paul Hammerschmidt, was instrumental in preserving this magnificent river that flowed through his 3rd District.
In the year before his passing, John Paul told me he considered that act among his proudest accomplishments in Congress. The vast majority reading I believe would agree.
But becoming America's first national river wasn't sufficient to prevent a Cargill-sponsored large-scale hog factory from quietly gaining state a permit from the then-Department of Environmental Quality under former Gov. Mike Beebe's administration--unbeknownst even to Beebe.
When serious concerns over huge amounts of toxic hog waste being regularly spread along and near the karst-lined banks and watershed of a major Buffalo tributary 7 miles from the river's confluence emerged, Beebe called the agency's approval the biggest regret of his administration.
I chose to become involved in writing consistently for two years about the potential pollution problems not with the factory itself, but with its inappropriate location.
Thankfully, the state under Gov. Asa Hutchinson's direction eventually chose to make the factory's owners financially whole by buying them out and closing the operation.
My determined concerns for the river were rooted in a childhood spent wading and fishing the river only 30 minutes from my hometown of Harrison and because it was the right thing to do for the sake of all who love and enjoy such a magnificent natural treasure that couldn't speak for itself.
The Newton County family who legally established the factory had done nothing amiss and deserved to be fairly reimbursed by our state for the difficulties and public perceptions they had to endure. The fault for all of it rested squarely on the shoulders of a few state agency numbskulls who chose to issue the permit.
Mercury risen
Speaking of contamination, the year was 1994 when I was on the phone in the Asbury Park Press newsroom interviewing a doctor about the high levels of dangerous mercury present in some seafood such as swordfish.
It was one of those mornings when my allergies had been acting up. I was stopped up and hitting the nasal spray hard in an effort to keep my sinuses open. Seems I enjoy breathing freely.
Our conversation went something like this:
"So doctor, what levels of mercury ... [squirt, squirt] ... do you believe are dangerous to those who consume seafood, especially pregnant women? [Squirt, squirt.]
Him: "Well, first, it sounds like you're using lots of nasal spray to breathe easier. Have you read the back of that bottle to see what's used as a preservative? My guess is you've been squirting a mercury-based compound into your nose where the relatively thin layer of tissue separates your sinuses and brain.
"In other words, you've been unknowingly shooting a derivative of mercury into a very sensitive region adjacent to the blood-brain barrier. The question is whether trace amounts of mercury have been possibly crossing that barrier and into your brain."
Sure enough, when I examined the inactive ingredients, there was indeed a form of mercury used to preserve the active ingredients. I'd later learn that was because it was a relatively inexpensive way to preserve the contents.
As difficult as it was to believe the Food and Drug Administration would allow such a potential public health hazard, it nonetheless was clearly there, causing me to wonder just how much I'd been pumping with every squirt for years immediately alongside the only brain I have.
I've since read in a 2017 story on OrganicConsumers.org, headlined "Hiding in Plain Sight: Mercury Still Lurks in Many Common Pharmaceutical Products," that there reportedly were 130 FDA-approved pharmaceutical products containing mercury that year.
"The typical amount of mercury in these products is 50,000 ppb [parts per billion] To put this in perspective, the EPA requires liquid waste which exceeds 200 ppb of mercury to be sent to a special hazardous waste landfill and, according to the EPA, drinking water cannot exceed 2 ppb of mercury," author Lyn Redwood wrote. "So, technically, if these products are not used, they must be disposed of as hazardous waste.
"What makes the fact that mercury continues to be used in medical products even more disturbing is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized the inherent risks from the use of mercury in medicine since 1975 when they convened an expert panel to review its use in over-the-counter products. The FDA published proposed rules in the Federal Register Vol. 47, No. 2 on Jan. 5, 1982, that found mercury containing products were toxic, caused cell death, and in the case of thimerosal, were only as effective as water when used as a preservative," the story read.
Panel members concluded that all mercury-based preservatives in over-the-counter products should be labeled as category II, "not being generally recognized as being safe or effective," Redwood's story continued. Despite the recommendation, the FDA did not act until it published "Status of Certain Additional Over-the-Counter Drug Category II and III Active Ingredients" on April 22, 1998.
In its final ruling, Redwood wrote, "the FDA states that 'safety and effectiveness have not been established for the ingredients (mercury-based preservatives) included in this current final rule and manufacturers have not submitted the necessary data in response to earlier opportunities. Consumers will benefit from the early removal from the marketplace of products containing ingredients for which safety and effectiveness has not been established.'"
Hmmm. Ya think?
So what about all those years I'd unwittingly used the stuff along with millions of others?
Redwood wrote, "One might understandably ask how it is possible that one division of the FDA that regulates over-the-counter products recognizes that there is absolutely no safety or effectiveness data available for the use of mercury in medical products and bans its use in those products, while other divisions within FDA continue to allow the widespread use of mercury in over 100 prescription products including vaccines. Given this double standard, it's clear that consumers must become educated on the topic so they can make the safest choices possible when using pharmaceutical products."
I checked my latest bottle of nasal spray and saw it didn't contain mercury. The only lingering question: How well can a human brain properly function after years of exposure?
Perhaps I finally have an excuse for my behavior and the words I write.
Deceptive hooks
Please assure me I'm not alone in my latest peeve. I've told you previously about my disdain for all the unnecessary and intentionally profane cursing that litters Netflix, Amazon and practically other streaming service. I've yet to see even one instance where adding an unnecessary GD to the script added anything.
I've also become fed up with clicking on yet another medical advice ad on Facebook that promises a remedy for everything from defeating obesity to ending blood sugar woes by watching what's touted as a brief public service video, yet after 20 minutes of droning, I still am not informed about the supposed solution (that's only a come-on to separate me from my earnings).
And as for those streaming services' endless GDs--obviously designed at social engineering across a Judeo-Christian society--I strongly suspect that when our final breaths are drawn, those responsible will be asked about the need for intentionally choosing that particular defamatory term.
In cold blood
Someone who has never sprayed mercury alongside their sensitive brain-blood barrier for years please enlighten me on the difference between brutally slaying thousands of innocent men, women and children and murdering an innocent person with a knife or pistol?
How can this kind of unprovoked slaughter of Ukrainian children, their parents and grandparents in indiscriminate, cold-blooded murder (and dismissing them as "casualties") legitimately be considered "warfare"?
Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.