High Mercury Levels Found in Rain

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http://ens-news.com/ens/may2003/2003-05-29-09.asp#anchor3

 

High Mercury Levels Found in Rain

 

WASHINGTON, DC, May 29, 2003 (ENS) - Rain falling over 12 eastern states has

been found to contain high levels of mercury that exceed federal safe standards

for people and wildlife, according to a new National Wildlife Federation report.

 

The paper, titled " Cycle of Harm: Mercury's Pathway from Rain to Fish in the

Environment, " found that mercury contamination levels in rain and snow falling

over Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New

York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Texas consistently

exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's safe standards for mercury in

surface water.

" We usually think of rain as pure and clean, " said Mark Van Putten, president of

the National Wildlife Federation. " But this report reveals that the rain falling

over these states contains ominous levels of mercury and threatens the health of

people and wildlife. "

Mercury attacks the brain and nervous system and can be dangerous to sport

fishermen, subsistence anglers, Native Americans and anyone who eats freshwater

fish. Health officials in 44 states have issued advisories warning people to

restrict or entirely avoid eating fish caught in thousands of inland lakes and

streams.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 12 women of

childbearing age has blood mercury levels that exceed the federal safe level for

protection of the fetus. This translates into approximately 320,000 babies born

annually in the United States at risk for neuro developmental delays.

In wildlife, mercury inhibits reproduction among species such as rainbow trout,

zebra fish, mallard and American black ducks, loons and terns, otters and mink.

Air pollution is considered the major cause of mercury in lakes and streams.

Eighty five percent of all mercury pollution is created by coal fired power

plants and municipal medical waste incinerators that send mercury into the air,

where it falls back to Earth as rain or snow, according to the Mercury Policy

Project, a nongovernmental organization formed in 1998 to raise awareness about

the threat of mercury contamination.

In addition to calling for nationwide controls on mercury emissions from coal

fired power plants and the elimination of mercury in products and manufacturing,

the report recommends specific actions each state can take to safeguard the

health of people and wildlife.

To read the full report, visit: http://www.nwf.org.

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