Massachusetts Mercury Cuts of 90 Percent Called Possible

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http://ens-news.com/ens/may2003/2003-05-28-09.asp#anchor1

 

 

Massachusetts Mercury Cuts of 90 Percent Called Possible

 

MONTPELIER, Vermont, May 28, 2003 (ENS) - Saying that Massachusetts can meet the

challenge of regulating mercury pollution from power plants, a coalition of

environmental groups released a report today that asks the state's Department of

Environmental Protection (DEP) to insist on 90 percent reduction targets.

 

The DEP is preparing to issue draft rules that would control airborne mercury

emissions from four Massachusetts power plants. The report seeks guarantees that

each of the power plants be required to reduce emissions to protect nearby

communities.

Coal fired power plants have been the largest unregulated source of mercury,

producing more than one third of all mercury pollution in the United States.

Massachusetts has committed to developing mercury emissions standards for coal

fired power plants.

According to the report, issued by the National Wildlife Federation and member

groups of the New England Zero Mercury Campaign, mercury contaminates all of the

state's surface waters, and levels at the Quabbin Reservoir, a large drinking

water reservoir, are up to five times as high as the EPA's human health

standards for surface waters developed for the Great Lakes.

Mercury is toxic when eaten, inhaled or placed on the skin. At low

concentrations, it may seem to have no effect, but symptoms may develop later or

become noticeable with continued exposure, according to a 1996 Massachusetts

report on the mercury problem. Toxicity from exposure during pregnancy can cause

developmental delays later in children who appear normal at birth.

" We estimate that 118,000 women of childbearing age in Massachusetts are exposed

annually to mercury levels that could harm their unborn children, " said Eric

Palola, director of the National Wildlife Federation's northeast regional

office.

Citing a recent DEP report that says it is feasible to reduce emissions by 86

percent to 90 percent, Palola said, " Mercury is a persistent and particularly

nasty neurotoxin, and this is why deep reductions are needed now. "

The report notes that of the 67 air pollutants emitted from coal fired power

plants, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified mercury as

the most problematic. Among its findings are that mercury levels in Boston's

drinking source, the historic Quabbin Reservoir, are up to five times as high as

the EPA health standard that was developed for the Great Lakes region.

Statewide fish consumption advisories are in effect across Massachusetts, and

key wildlife species such as river otters, mink, and shorebirds have been found

with highly elevated levels of mercury in their blood and tissues.

There is an increased risk of mercury poisoning for people who live near the

power plants. The EPA found that up to 74 percent of the mercury exposure to

people within 1.5 miles from a medium sized 375 megawatt plant came from that

one power plant.

" While the problem of airborne mercury cannot be fully solved without federal

air policy leadership, Massachusetts and a handful of other states can provide

much needed leadership, " says NWF's Palola. " In the face of irrefutable

evidence, the Bush administration's so-called 'Clear Skies' initiative would

actually relax current federal standards on mercury compliance for utilities. "

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