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[DANCE MUSIC PLAYING]
- POM-PONS ARE A TIME-HONORED TOOL OF CHEERLEADING USED
ALL ACROSS THE NATION,
BUT I BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT NOAA SCIENTISTS ALSO USE POM-PONS,
THOUGH THEIR USE IS QUITE A BIT DIFFERENT.
MOST POM-PONS ARE MADE OF PLASTIC,
AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT PLASTIC COMES FROM?
OIL.
POM-PONS ARE DERIVED FROM THE VERY SAME STUFF
THAT RUNS OUR CARS.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THAT'S EXACTLY WHY THEY HAVE
EVERYTHING TO DO WITH CLEANING UP OIL SPILLS.
OIL, PLASTIC, AND THEREFORE POM-PONS
ARE ALL HYDROPHOBIC.
THAT'S "HYDRO" MEANING "WATER" AND "PHOBIC" MEANING "TO FEAR."
SO OIL AND PLASTIC DON'T MIX WITH WATER,
BUT THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO EACH OTHER.
IN THIS WAY, THE OIL AND POM-PONS STICK TOGETHER,
AND INCREDIBLY, OIL IS MOPPED UP RIGHT OFF THE WATER.
- WHOO!
- THIS STICK-TOGETHER RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN POM-PONS AND OIL
MAKE THE POMS QUITE A DIVERSE TOOL.
FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN THERE'S AN OIL SPILL ALONG THE SHORES
OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER NEAR NEW ORLEANS,
POM-PONS ARE TIED TOGETHER AND LAID ALONG SHORELINES
SO THAT IF THE WATER RISES OR WAVES PUSH THEM AROUND
THEY WILL BIND TO ANY REMAINING OIL,
REMOVING IT FROM THE RIVER.
THESE OIL SNARES ARE ALSO STRUNG OUT AWAY FROM THE BANKS
TO CAPTURE OIL FLOATING DOWN CURRENT,
BUT POM-PONS AREN'T THE ONLY WAY TO CLEAN UP SPILLS.
MILES OF BOOMS CONTAIN OIL ALONG SHORELINES
WHILE PUMPS AND SKIMMERS ATTACHED TO THE FRONT OF BOATS
SUCK IT UP, AND JUST LIKE AT HOME
WHEN YOU WASH YOUR GREASY HANDS,
SOAP AND WARM WATER CLEAN UP OILED ANIMALS.
OIL IS ALSO TOXIC TO US, ESPECIALLY IF IT GETS
INTO FRESH WATER THAT WE DEPEND ON FOR DRINKING,
LIKE THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.
IT'S A BUSY PLACE, SO YOU MIGHT EXPECT
THE BIGGEST THREAT HERE COMES FROM THESE OIL TANKERS,
BUT THE MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI ALSO SERVES AS THE MAIN DRAIN
FOR MOST OF MIDDLE AMERICA.
OVER HALF THE OIL THAT REACHES THE OCEAN WORLDWIDE
COMES FROM NEIGHBORHOODS AND WORKPLACES.
RAIN CLEANSES OUR CITIES BUT CARRIES THE RUNOFF INTO OUR WATERWAYS.
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THIS
AND TO MAKE SURE WE DISPOSE OF OIL PROPERLY
SO WE CAN PLAY OUR ROLE ALONG WITH POM-PONS
TO KEEP OUR WATER CLEAN.