Mercury survey highlights contamination
Forest birds, not just fish, at risk from mercury accumulation.
Song birds, mammals and amphibians alike are being exposed to toxic amounts of mercury, according to a report released today by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) in the United States.
Read the story here.
Comments
The study definitely shows how much mercury contamination is affecting the environment and those in it. It mentions that the source of mercury pollution is mainly coal-burning power plants, wastewater treatment plants and waste incinerators. However, chlorine plants which rival power plants in mercury emissions are not mentioned! There are eight chlorine plants in the country that still use mercury in their production, despite the availability of newer, cleaner technology.
Take Wisconsin for instance. Governor Doyle has recently proposed a plan to reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent from coal-fired power plants; however, the biggest single source of mercury in the state is a chlorine plant operated by ERCO Worldwide. Doyle’s rule would allow ERCO’s plant to continue emitting over a thousand pounds of mercury every year.
Similarly, PPG Industries has been ordered to reduce its emissions of mercury into the Ohio River from its West Virginia chlorine plant. PPG must now reduce the 36 pounds of mercury it pumped into the river in 2004, but is allowed to continue emitting over 1,200 pounds of mercury into the air.
Oceana, a nonprofit working to protect the oceans, is working to convince these last eight chlorine plants to switch to the new technology that 90 percent of the industry already uses. Switching to mercury free technology is a common sense approach with tremendous benefits. If you want to know more about the mercury emitting chlorine plants and the efforts to convert them, visit www.oceana.org/mercury.
Posted by: Melanie | September 20, 2006 09:48 PM
Good Point Melanie, and yes, Oceana has been trying to get the mercury out of the environment. We're also trying to get grocery stores to post the FDA advice at their seafood counter. You can find out if your grocer is doing that by using our interactive map at our mercury web page.
Posted by: jackson | November 1, 2006 03:15 PM