Love That Dirty Water: But, seriously, do NOT drink from the Gowanus.

Image via popsci.com/Dan BracagliaPopular Science published the scariest thing you will read this Halloween season: An in-depth look at the Gowanus Canal, which specifically attempts to answer the question, what would happen if you drank water from the Gowanus canal? Don’t take my word for it, here are some direct quotes:

“ In 2007, a 12-foot-long baby minke whale swam into the Gowanus. Healthy at first.. Its health deteriorated rapidly and it died after a few days.”

“boy, is the Gowanus ever full of E. coli”

"We found that everything we threw at it, every kind of imaginable pathogen, was growing there."

“The EPA recommends people avoid the canal water, the land around it, the air above and adjacent to it, and anything that swims or crawls in it.”

“ Arsenic is a poison, plain and simple, and the dissolved concentration of arsenic in the Gowanus reaches nearly 60 times the human health screening value.”

Reading the profile made me wonder why anyone is even allowed to live near the Gowanus Canal. It’s also going to give me absolutely terrifying nightmares of falling into and/or being forced to drink the water. Still, this is a great read and I think everyone living in the vicinity of the Gowanus Canal should read it. Feel free to share any horrifying stories you have about the Gowanus in the comments.

VIA POPSCI.COM