5 ms·

Have you seen the video of the US army disposing of 10 tons sodium by dumping it into an eastern Washington lake? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY7mTCMvpEM h

Have you seen the video of the US army disposing of 10 tons sodium by dumping it into an eastern Washington lake? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY7mTCMvpEM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY7mTCMvpEM

dylan604 5y ago
Clearly, there's nothing wrong with that, just listen to the music. If it was bad stuff happening in the film, they would have used scary omninous music.
shortsightedsid 5y ago
That's the most hilarious video I've seen. The lack of concern for safety, environmental impact etc.. is just amazing. To think how much our views have changed in just 70 years.
- jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
  Here's another classic one from 50 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34
maxerickson 5y ago
The lake was already alkali and didn't have fish, mitigating the impact (sodium reacts with water to form lye, but the lake was already basic enough that it likely didn't have a large impact on the PH). https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/tons-sodium/96/i49 https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/tons-sodium/9...
- dendrite9 5y ago
  Very cool, I never honestly thought about the state of the water before the disposal. I'm a bit surprised that fish and amphibians can live in the lake now. Thanks for the link!
rainbowzootsuit 5y ago
Next time on Cody's B Lab...
bpodgursky 5y ago
As compared to other environmental hazards the US army has wrought, this honestly seems relatively well thought-out and harmless.
dghughes 5y ago
They should have dropped barrels of sodium on Nazi dams instead of bombs.
- hulitu 5y ago
  Sodium is harder to transport than bombs.
- mschuster91 5y ago
  The problem: a war in which you take away the ability to live on the land ("scorched earth") leaves a lot more refugees and resentment behind. Do you really think Germany would be the lighthouse of democracy and economic powerhouse that it is today, had its foundations been destroyed post-WW2?
  - rdc12 5y ago
    What happened to Germany (territory shrinkage and economic sanctions) after WW1 incidentally shows this story pretty well.
hulitu 5y ago
The army never, in any country, had any problem with pollution.

dylan604 5y ago

Clearly, there's nothing wrong with that, just listen to the music. If it was bad stuff happening in the film, they would have used scary omninous music.

shortsightedsid 5y ago

That's the most hilarious video I've seen. The lack of concern for safety, environmental impact etc.. is just amazing. To think how much our views have changed in just 70 years.

jasonwatkinspdx 5y ago
Here's another classic one from 50 years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6CLumsir34

maxerickson 5y ago

The lake was already alkali and didn't have fish, mitigating the impact (sodium reacts with water to form lye, but the lake was already basic enough that it likely didn't have a large impact on the PH). https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/tons-sodium/96/i49 https://cen.acs.org/environment/sustainability/tons-sodium/9...

dendrite9 5y ago
Very cool, I never honestly thought about the state of the water before the disposal. I'm a bit surprised that fish and amphibians can live in the lake now. Thanks for the link!

rainbowzootsuit 5y ago

Next time on Cody's B Lab...

bpodgursky 5y ago

As compared to other environmental hazards the US army has wrought, this honestly seems relatively well thought-out and harmless.

dghughes 5y ago

They should have dropped barrels of sodium on Nazi dams instead of bombs.

hulitu 5y ago
Sodium is harder to transport than bombs.
mschuster91 5y ago
The problem: a war in which you take away the ability to live on the land ("scorched earth") leaves a lot more refugees and resentment behind. Do you really think Germany would be the lighthouse of democracy and economic powerhouse that it is today, had its foundations been destroyed post-WW2?
- rdc12 5y ago
  What happened to Germany (territory shrinkage and economic sanctions) after WW1 incidentally shows this story pretty well.

hulitu 5y ago

The army never, in any country, had any problem with pollution.