[This article is being reprinted here courtesy of the National Wildlife Federation, USA. It has the title “Mercury Pollution from Coalfired Power Plants: A Dangerous Threat to People and Wildlife” in the NWF website www.nwf.org/cleanairact.]
Mercury pollution is a serious problem across the nation. Every state in America has issued health advisories warning people to limit or avoid eating certain species of fish due to toxic mercury contamination, many of which cover every waterbody in the state. Coal-fired power plants are by far the largest source of mercury pollution in America, placing our public health and wildlife at grave risk.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is poised to take action to reduce this dangerous threat to current and future generations of people and wildlife. Recent attempts by Congress to prevent EPA from doing its job are misguided and prevent the use of modern technologies readily available to reduce mercury pollution from power plants and other sources.
Why is Mercury a Problem?
MERCURY is a highly potent neurotoxin that adversely affects the function and development of the central nervous system in both people and wildlife. Exposure to mercury is particularly dangerous for pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as children, since mercury is most harmful in the early stages of development.
In the U.S., 1 in 6 women of childbearing age (15-44) has blood mercury levels that exceed those considered safe by the EPA for a developing baby. This amounts to approximately 630,000 babies born every year at risk of developmental problems because of prenatal mercury exposure.1
According to the Center for Disease Control, health effects linked to prenatal and childhood methylmercury exposure include problems with language, memory, attention, visual skills, and lower IQs.2
As a result of these risks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises small children and women who are pregnant not to eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish because these fish are highly contaminated with mercury, and to eat at most two meals a week of popular seafood containing lower levels of mercury such as shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.3
Additionally, state health departments issue separate warnings for recreationally caught fish (see Table 2). Since 2006, the number of fish consumption advisories resulting from mercury contamination has increased from 3,080 to 3,361 in 2008.4
Mercury exposure is not only a risk for people; it is a significant threat to our wildlife as well. While humans can control their mercury intake, wildlife cannot choose to specifically avoid eating mercury contaminated prey. It is not only fish-eating wildlife that are at risk – high levels of mercury have been found in far more species, and in far more habitats, than previously thought.
Scientists have found alarming levels of mercury accumulation in a wide range of wildlife species, including birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians in both fresh and saltwater ecosystems.
There are multiple and varied health impacts associated with high mercury levels in different wildlife species, but the primary consequence is increased vulnerability due to reproductive and neurological problems (which can lead to behavioral abnormalities). For example, fish have difficulty schooling and decreased spawning success; birds lay fewer eggs and have trouble caring for their chicks; and mammals have impaired motor skills that affect their ability to hunt and find food.6 In addition, some evidence indicates that elevated mercury levels can adversely affect species’ immune systems. All these effects combine to create a severe threat to wildlife survival.
Where Does Mercury Come From?
Mercury is a naturally occurring, toxic heavy metal. However, human activity has significantly increased mercury levels in the environment over the past several centuries. Once emitted to the air, mercury falls to the earth and builds up in our waters and soils where it is transformed into methylmercury – a highly toxic form that accumulates in the tissues of wildlife and people. Mercury increases in concentration with each step up the food chain. As a result, large predator fish such as walleye and trout can have mercury levels over one million times that of the surrounding water. In turn, people and wildlife who consume fish or other species with high mercury levels are at risk of serious health problems.
Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury contamination in the U.S., responsible for approximately 50% of human-caused mercury emissions. Other sources include waste incinerators that burn mercury-containing products and chlorine manufacturers. However, unlike these sources, power plants are not currently required to limit their mercury pollution. As a result, significant amounts of mercury pollution are released into the air every year from America’s approximately 600 coal-fired plants.
Mercury emissions primarily fall locally, so these plants are major contributors to local contamination problems and “hotspots.”
Additionally, some mercury emissions also stay in the atmosphere and travel longer distances, resulting in mercury contamination hundreds or even thousands of miles away.
Mercury Impacts on Fish
Mercury pollution not only threatens our public health and wildlife, it also adversely impacts one of our most treasured pastimes – recreational fishing. In most states in America, it is no longer safe to take our families fishing and cook up the catch of the day.
Sport fishing is not just a recreational pastime, it is also a major contributor to our local and national economy.
What Can Be Done?
Given the severe threats to public health and wildlife from mercury exposure, emissions from coal-fired power plants should not remain uncontrolled when mercury pollution control technology is readily available.
Fortunately, EPA is finally in the process of developing standards under the Clean Air Act to limit emissions of toxic mercury from power plants. It is crucial that the EPA enforce the law and fulfill its obligation to protect public health from this dangerous pollutant.
EPA needs to hear from you! Contact NWF for more information about how you can help ensure that EPA moves forward and sets stringent standards to protect public health and wildlife from preventable mercury pollution.
Contact your Federal Legislators! EPA’s long overdue efforts to reduce mercury emissions from coal plants must go forward. However, big polluters and their Washington lobbyists are putting the pressure on Congress to prevent EPA from reducing toxic mercury pollution. Congress must not block these critical public health and wildlife safeguards, so please let your Senators and Representatives know that you support EPA’s efforts to cut mercury pollution.
For more information and what you can do to get involved, visit www.nwf.org/cleanairact
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