EVERETT — Perhaps the biggest surprise in a recent study of pollution in Puget Sound and other waterways was the amount of toxic material from wood soaked with creosote, a state official said.

You know when it's about to rain in Tucson and you're like, "it smells like rain" like it's your super power? That's creosote. It's a plant unique to Tucson and other dry regions like the Mohave ...