USGS: Widespread Mercury Contamination Across Western North America

It so happens that I grew up in the south part of Silicon Valley between Blossom and Almaden Valleys: the Quicksilver mines have contaminated a number of streams and waterways in the area to the point there are permanent signs indicating fishing is prohibited due to the risk of mercury poisoning. The former mercury mines are also a local tourist / educational attraction and recreation area.

Also, there's widespread arsenic contamination of American-grown rice, due mostly to North American geology and the quirks of rice biology. [1] As such, you'll probably want to cook American-grown rice not in a rice cooker, but in a coffeemaker. [2]

Finally, another important advisory for transplanted Valley people whom enjoy the hiking the hills like the Stanford Dish area are the pervasiveness of tiny deer ticks which have been known to carry Lyme disease.

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Almaden

1. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2015/01/how-much...

2. http://time.com/3974793/rice-arsenic-coffeemaker-cooking/