Rich Read wrote a four part series in the Oregonian on how China affects Oregon's environment. The first in the series was titled "China's dirty exports: mercury and soot" and subtitled "Dust plumes blow across the Pacific from cities and factories and dump pollutants on the Northwest." He wrote:
"The enormous dust clouds gather in the Gobi Desert. They sail on Siberian winds to China. They pick up mercury, aerosols and carbon monoxide spewed by Chinese coal plants and factories.
"Then every five or six days in spring, eastern China flushes like a gigantic toilet. The dust plumes, now as large as countries, ride high over the Pacific Ocean, pushing hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and ozone.
"They reach Oregon in less than a week, sullying springtime views at Crater Lake and scattering dust as far as Maine."
As the world seems to grow smaller, nations become more interrelated.
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