Remembering Grand Junction Colorado’s ‘Toxic Snow’ Panic of 2014
Spend a little time surfing Youtube, and you'll encounter a handful of videos focusing on Grand Junction, Colorado's "toxic snow." What is it, and have you encountered it lately?

Not-So-Investigative Report: Grand Junction Colorado
Along with a couple of locally produced videos explaining toxic snow, you'll find at least one which debunks the theory.
According to the person behind the videos, when subjected to a cigarette lighter, the snow in question "...turns black and smells like burning plastic."
In the video, a person places a lighter under a ball of compacted snow. In moments the snow begins to turn black. In addition, the snow fails to melt, even after prolonged exposure to the flame.
This Was a Big Deal Back in 2014
Do you recall when this topic was making local and national news back around 2014? According to WUSA9, "Some people believe the government is churning plastic snow on your walkway."
Here's the Explanation
Science writer Phil Plait explained to WUSA9 why the snowball didn't melt from the flame. He states snowballs are porous, and as a result, water molecules are reabsorbed, just like a sponge. How about the part about the snowball turning black? Well, the snowball turning black is simply the result of the soot from the butane lighter.
Check out another Grand Junction-produced Youtube video. In this case, the video debunks the myth.
Well, there you go. So much for the theory of government geo-engineered poisonous snow. Even with this evidence, I wouldn't recommend eating the snow currently on the ground in Grand Junction. For starters, it's 19 days old. While it probably wasn't "toxic" to begin with, it probably is by now.
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