--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I grew up on Lake Michigan during the PCB…" description: "\"I grew up on Lake Michigan during the PCB explosion, and I remember seeing the sick, dead fish with tumors, the weird deformed seagulls, the scum and t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/mark-ruffalo-3142_explosions_i-grew-up-on-lake-michigan-during-the-pc_1697876.jpg" --- # I grew up on Lake Michigan during the PCB explosion, and I… ![“I grew up on Lake Michigan during the PCB explosion, and I remember seeing the sick, dead fish with tumors, the weird deformed seagulls, the scum and the filth floating. We couldn't go swimming.” quote by Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/mark-ruffalo-3142_explosions_i-grew-up-on-lake-michigan-during-the-pc_1697876.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/mark-ruffalo-3142_explosions_i-grew-up-on-lake-michigan-during-the-pc_1697876.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7d/mark-ruffalo-3142_explosions_i-grew-up-on-lake-michigan-during-the-pc_1697876.jpg) > “I grew up on Lake Michigan during the PCB explosion, and I remember seeing the sick, dead fish with tumors, the weird deformed seagulls, the scum and the filth floating. We couldn't go swimming.” [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He recounts severe pollution in Lake Michigan, describing dead fish and deformed wildlife, highlighting environmental degradation. **In simple terms:** Lake Michigan suffered heavy pollution and wildlife damage. Key Takeaway Advocate for environmental protection and cleanup. Themes pollution environment public health activism Mood concerned urgent Type environmental activist When to use this quote - community health - policy reform - conservation efforts Key Concepts ecosystem collapse industrial waste Questions to Reflect On - What actions can restore the lake? - How does pollution affect human health? A Different Perspective Complex causes may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dead Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-fish-791031/) [Explosions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explosions/) [Filth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filth/) [Filth Floating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filth-floating-1120860/) [Fishes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishes/) [Floating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floating/) [Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew/) [Grew up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grew-up/) [Lake Michigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lake-michigan-1120859/) [Lakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lakes/) [Michigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michigan/) [Michigan Pcb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/michigan-pcb-1120857/) [Pcb Explosion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pcb-explosion-1120858/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Scum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scum/) [Seagull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seagull/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Sick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sick/) [Swimming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swimming/) [Tumors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tumors/) ## Related quotes > [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) > [I grew up with a big backyard that led to the sand dunes of Lake Michigan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/borns/i-grew-up-with-a-big-backyard-that-led-to-the-sand-dunes-of-lake/) [Borns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/borns/) > [I had woven a tapestry of obscenity that as far as I know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-shepherd/i-had-woven-a-tapestry-of-obscenity-that-as-far-as-i-know-is-still/) [Jean Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-shepherd/) > [A star is born in the teeth of the Lake Michigan wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-musburger/a-star-is-born-in-the-teeth-of-the-lake-michigan-wind/) [Brent Musburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-musburger/) > [“Lake Michigan had tempted her. It was a clear emerald green, and she could see to the bottom. The sand looked soft.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-power/lake-michigan-had-tempted-her-it-was-a-clear-emerald-green-and-she/) [Susan Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-power/) > [My paintings repeat a feeling about Lake Michigan, or water, or fields...it's more like a poem...and that's what I want to paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-mitchell/my-paintings-repeat-a-feeling-about-lake-michigan-or-water-or-fields/) [Joan Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-mitchell/) > [I've surfed on Lake Michigan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-howard/i-ve-surfed-on-lake-michigan/) [Ben Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-howard/) > [“Go up along the eastern side of Lake Michigan, steer northeast when the land bends away at Point Betsie, and you come before long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-catton/go-up-along-the-eastern-side-of-lake-michigan-steer-northeast-when/) [Bruce Catton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-catton/) > [“Sandy beaches still rim the lakes, but if Lake Michigan, for example, were drained it would now be possible to walk almost the entire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-egan/sandy-beaches-still-rim-the-lakes-but-if-lake-michigan-for-example/) [Dan Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-egan/) > [“Shortly before school started, I moved into a studio apartment on a quiet street near the bustle of the downtown in one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-amory/shortly-before-school-started-i-moved-into-a-studio-apartment-on-a/) [Daniel Amory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-amory/) > [Each summer, as Lake Michigan finally begins to warm, I think of the men of the World War II cruiser Indianapolis and the worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-stanton/each-summer-as-lake-michigan-finally-begins-to-warm-i-think-of-the/) [Doug Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-stanton/) > [“Nur tote Fische schwimmen mit dem Strom. Only dead fish go with the flow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nur-tote-fische-schwimmen-mit-dem-strom-only-dead-fish-go-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ In ten years \[i.e., 1980\] all important animal life in the sea will be extinct. Large areas of coastline will have to be evacuated… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-r-ehrlich/in-ten-years-i-e-1980-all-important-animal-life-in-the-sea-will-be/) [Paul R. Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-r-ehrlich/) > [People say 'go with the flow' but do you know what goes with the flow? Dead fish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-keane/people-say-go-with-the-flow-but-do-you-know-what-goes-with-the-flow/) [Roy Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-keane/) > [“Only dead fishes go with the flow.. I guess that make me a dead fish!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanai-campbell/only-dead-fishes-go-with-the-flow-i-guess-that-make-me-a-dead-fish/) [Shanai Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanai-campbell/) ## More by Mark Ruffalo > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I try to do the things that speak to me in one way or another, and sometimes I'm even drastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-try-to-do-the-things-that-speak-to-me-in-one-way-or-another-and/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I got into acting because I wanted to act and I love acting. That's my true north: to be creative and to be challenged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-got-into-acting-because-i-wanted-to-act-and-i-love-acting-that-s-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I have a bag full of stuff that I give to people when they come to my house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-have-a-bag-full-of-stuff-that-i-give-to-people-when-they-come-to-my/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [When you have to fight for the things you love, you have to measure the value of those things in ways you may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/when-you-have-to-fight-for-the-things-you-love-you-have-to-measure/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I'm very nervous in the beginning and then I get in there and start doing my work and I feel more comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-m-very-nervous-in-the-beginning-and-then-i-get-in-there-and-start/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [We only gain collectively by acting now. We gain by one day not having to pay a thing for fuel. We gain by having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/we-only-gain-collectively-by-acting-now-we-gain-by-one-day-not-having/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I didn't really have any interest in producing anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-didn-t-really-have-any-interest-in-producing-anything/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [But, the relationships that I see work - As long as they're telling the truth, and saying the things that you don't ever want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/but-the-relationships-that-i-see-work-as-long-as-they-re-telling-the/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [For some reason, my whole life has been, 'You can't do this, you can't do that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/for-some-reason-my-whole-life-has-been-you-can-t-do-this-you-can-t-do/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I still feel like I'm trying to make it. It's hard to shed the struggling actor thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-still-feel-like-i-m-trying-to-make-it-it-s-hard-to-shed-the/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [A leader in America or anyone who says they truly care about this nation without taking some kind of action is either a liar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/a-leader-in-america-or-anyone-who-says-they-truly-care-about-this/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [There's a level of trust that you have to have with somebody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-s-a-level-of-trust-that-you-have-to-have-with-somebody/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I don't like this idea of Method. I come from that school, but what I was taught was that it's your imagination. You do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-don-t-like-this-idea-of-method-i-come-from-that-school-but-what-i/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [I like to think the movies that I've picked have something worthwhile to say. Something relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/i-like-to-think-the-movies-that-i-ve-picked-have-something-worthwhile/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) [Explore all 138 Mark Ruffalo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) ## More Explosions quotes > ["Summer Sisters" is probably my least autobiographical book. The whole idea started with rowing down the pond. And I heard an explosion. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-blume/summer-sisters-is-probably-my-least-autobiographical-book-the-whole/) [Judy Blume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-blume/) > [The explosion was good. It sent a message to the rest of the world that the time of the big star getting all this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sumner-redstone/the-explosion-was-good-it-sent-a-message-to-the-rest-of-the-world/) [Sumner Redstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sumner-redstone/) > [“Three Moonie 65-megaton hydrogen bombs exploded nearly simultaneously at very high altitude. With no air around the bombs to absorb the initial blast of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hg47/three-moonie-65-megaton-hydrogen-bombs-exploded-nearly-simultaneously/) [@hg47](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hg47/) > [There are three things in this world that will survive a nuclear explosion: Twinkies, cockroaches and Dean Ambroses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-ambrose/there-are-three-things-in-this-world-that-will-survive-a-nuclear/) [Dean Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-ambrose/) > [I don't really care for or that much about Chat Roulette. I think the phenomenon of it and like the first wow factor which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-neistat/i-don-t-really-care-for-or-that-much-about-chat-roulette-i-think-the/) [Casey Neistat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-neistat/) > [I don't want to be in a movie with 20 minutes of dialogue and then stand around while the robots start explosions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hopper/i-don-t-want-to-be-in-a-movie-with-20-minutes-of-dialogue-and-then/) [Henry Hopper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hopper/) > [There were two, three or four French Revolutions. Like a multi-stage rocket today, the Revolution involved several successive explosions and propellant thrusts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernand-braudel/there-were-two-three-or-four-french-revolutions-like-a-multi-stage/) [Fernand Braudel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernand-braudel/) > [We've kind of grown up in a post-Star Wars era, and what Star Wars did to cinema, in terms of an explosion of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/we-ve-kind-of-grown-up-in-a-post-star-wars-era-and-what-star-wars-did/) [Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/) > [The online shopping paradigm is finally changing. Indeed, I think we’ve seen more innovation in the last 10 months than in the last 10…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-kopelman/the-online-shopping-paradigm-is-finally-changing-indeed-i-think-we-ve/) [Josh Kopelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-kopelman/) > [Our entire universe emerged from a point smaller than a single atom. Space itself exploded in a cosmic fire, launching the expansion of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/our-entire-universe-emerged-from-a-point-smaller-than-a-single-atom/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [As long as there is no control of population, the population explosion will make it so easy for politicians to dominate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-huxley/as-long-as-there-is-no-control-of-population-the-population-explosion/) [Laura Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-huxley/) > [Fulfilling the four needs in an integrated way is like combining elements in chemistry. When we reach a "critical mass" of integration, we experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-covey/fulfilling-the-four-needs-in-an-integrated-way-is-like-combining/) [Stephen Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-covey/) > [The brutality of the pace. This was my third presidential campaign and it was a thousand times faster paced than my first one in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-madden/the-brutality-of-the-pace-this-was-my-third-presidential-campaign-and/) [Kevin Madden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-madden/) > [He felt as though his heart were a bomb, a complicated bomb that would result in a simple explosion, wrecking the world without rocking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathanael-west/he-felt-as-though-his-heart-were-a-bomb-a-complicated-bomb-that-would/) [Nathanael West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathanael-west/) > [There are times when the ocean is not the ocean - not blue, not even water, but some violent explosion of energy and danger:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-times-when-the-ocean-is-not-the-ocean-not-blue-not-even/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 430 Explosions quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explosions/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I grew up on Lake Michigan during the PCB explosion, and I remember seeing the sick, dead fish with tumors, the weird deformed seagulls, the scum and the filth floating. 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