by Anya Bourg
NARRATION:
MERCURY ENTERS THE ATMOSPHERE IN A VARIETY OF WAYS, SOME NATURAL BUT MANY NOT. 40 PERCENT OF MERCURY EMISSIONS BILLOW OUT OF THE SMOKESTACKS OF COAL FIRED POWER PLANTS. ONCE IN THE AIR, MERCURY IS TRANSPORTED NATURALLY TO RIVERS, LAKES, AND OCEANS. THERE, IT ACCUMULATES IN FISH, SOME FISH MORE THAN OTHERS, AT CONCENTRATIONS UP TO 10 MILLION TIMES GREATER THAN THE SURROUNDING WATER. PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO MERCURY BY EATING FISH AND THE GREATEST THREAT IS TO PREGNANT WOMEN AND CHILDREN BECAUSE MERCURY, LIKE LEAD, CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE.
TAPE 1:30 The people who are most affected at the lowest doses are kids because their nervous systems are still developing.
DR. BALBUS IS THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AT THE NON PROFIT ENVIROMENTAL DEFENSE.
TAPE 0000 When developing children and even fetuses in the womb are exposed to mercury that they are born with problems with their brain, problems with their motor function and even problems with their memory and learning.
SOME SCIENTISTS HAVE GONE SO FAR AS TO POINT TO SUGGESTIVE LINKS BETWEEN MERCURY AND THE RISE IN AUTISM. MADY HORNIG A PROFESSOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESENTED THE POSSIBILITY OF THIS LINK TO THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE LAST MONTH.
TAPE the vulnerability to environmental factors may be very helpful in understanding some of the increases in autism, add, and a wide variety of neurological disorders that have been reported to be on the rise.
IN FEBRUARY, A SCIENTIST AT THE EPA RELEASED REVISED ESTIMATES THAT ONE IN SIX CHILDREN COULD BE AT RISK FOR DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS DUE TO FETAL EXPOSURE TO MERCURY. THESE ESTIMATES NEARLY DOUBLED PREVIOUS FIGURES RAISING THE NUMBER OF WOMEN AT RISK TO MORE THAN 600,000. THE STUDY SHOWED THAT MERCURY COLLECTS IN THE UMBILICAL CORD AND AS MANY AS 16% OF WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE COULD HAVE BLOOD MERCURY LEVELS THAT WOULD EXCEED EPA SAFE LEVELS.
JENNIFER SASS IS A SENIOR SCIENTIST AT THE NATURAL RESOURCE DEFENSE COUNCIL. SHE IS ALARMED BY THE NEW ESTIMATES AND SAYS ARE THE EPA IS NOT RESPONDING TO THE FINDINGS SERIOUSLY ENOUGH.
TAPE "What is very concerning is that the Bush Administration has actually tried to quash this information from coming out so senior scientists at the EPA presented their work and then had disclaimers put on their work by higher up administrators at the EPA."
NARRATION:
ALL THIS IS HAPPENING AS THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS TO LIMIT MERCURY EMISSIONS FROM COAL BURNING POWER PLANTS ARE UNDER DEBATE. THERE ARE 1100 POWER PLANTS RESPONSIBLE FOR 40% OF MERCURY POLLUTION, THAT'S AS MUCH AS 48 TONS A YEAR. THE PROPOSED NATION-WIDE CAP WOULD ALLOW PLANTS THAT COME IN ABOVE THE EMISSIONS CAP TO BUY CREDITS FROM THOSE THAT DON'T. CYNTHIA BERGMAN AT THE EPA SAYS WITH A TRADING SYSTEM, THEY EXPECT A 70 % REDUCTION BY 2018.
Cap and trade have worked successfully in the acid rain program. We think it will be just as effective for mercury. Right now there are no regulations for mercury. This will the first time that power plants are going to be regulated.
BUT MANY ARE ARGUING THAT THE PROPOSAL IS NOT ENOUGH.
TAPE "The bush proposal is much too weak and much too slow."
MICHAEL SHORE AT ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE BELIEVES THAT THE TRADING SYSTEM WHICH HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT LIMITING OTHER AIR POLLUTANTS IT IS NOT APPROPRIATE FOR MERCURY. LIKE MANY, HE SAYS HE IS CONERNED THE APPROACH MAY LEAD TO LOCAL HOT SPOTS BECAUSE IT WILL ALLOW SOME PLANTS TO CLEAN UP WHILE OTHERS REMAIN DIRTY.
TAPE 15:50 Needlessly putting a whole generation of children at risk to this highly toxic substance.
OTHER MERCURY POLLUTERS WERE FORCED TO REDUCE THEIR EMISSIONS BY 90% UNDER THE CLEAN AIR ACT IN THE 1990'S. THE ENERGY INDUSTRY, HOWEVER, ESCAPED REGULATION UNTIL NOW. ENVIRONMENTALISTS LIKE SHORE ASK WHY.
TAPE "The Clean Air Act treats the power sector differently than the major polluting sectors and because they are treated differently they are on a slower timeline to be regulated. Why is the power sector on a different timeline than everybody else? That's a good question.
AMID THE DEBATE ON THE PROPOSED REGULATIONS, THE EPA AND THE FDA RELEASED A NEW ADVISORY LAST WEEK ABOUT WHAT TYPES OF SEAFOOD ARE AND ARE NOT SAFE FOR PREGNANT WOMEN. THE ADVISORY LISTS SHARK, SWORDFISH, KING MACKEREL AND TILEFISH AS "DO NOT EAT" AND THEY ALSO POINT FOR THE FIRST TIME TO THE DANGERS OF CANNED TUNA, PARTICULARLY ALBACORE TUNA.
DAVID ACHESON IS THE FDA'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER AND HELPED TO CRAFT THE CAREFULLY WORDED STATEMENT.
TAPE 9:25 It's a complex public health message to try and get out to balance the nutritional benefits and the risks of mercury. We are dealing here with a population of individuals who are very risk averse pregnant woman don't want to take risks with developing babies.
YESTERDAY, ATTORNEYS GENERAL FROM TEN STATES, INCLUDING NEW YORK SENT A LETTER ASKING THE EPA TO DROP THE CAP AND TRADE APPROACH AND COME UP WITH MORE STRINGENT OVERALL STANDARDS. ATTORNEY GENERAL ELLIOT SPITZER SAYS THE STATES ARE GETTING A MIXED MESSAGE. HE SAYS ONE BRANCH OF THE EPA IS WARNING WE SHOULD SHARPLY LIMIT OUR CONSUMPTION OF MERCURY TAINTED FISH WHILE ANOTHER ARM OF THE EPA IS RELAXING MERCURY POLLUTION STANDARD FOR POWER PLANTS.
THE PROPOSAL IS UNDER A PERIOD OF PUBLIC COMMET UNTIL THE END OF APRIL. WHATEVER IS DECIDED, THE EPA IS REQUIRED TO PUT REGULATIONS INTO EFFECT BY DECEMBER.
FOR COLUMBIA RADIO NEWS, I'M ANYA BOURG