News Coverage
Mercury should have EPA feverish
Published August 16, 2004
Unless the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopts tough rules to control mercury pollution, seafood lovers may have to decide whether they prefer their fish blackened or silvered. A new report finds that mercury - a potent neurotoxin linked to birth defects - is a significant health hazard, especially for young children and expectant mothers.
Based on data collected by the agency, environmental advocacy groups found that more than 75 percent of the fish sampled in 500 lakes between 1999 and 2001 contained enough mercury to be deemed unsafe for consumption by children under 3. In March, the EPA and the Food and Drug Administration warned pregnant and nursing women and young children to limit the amount of canned albacore "white" tuna they eat because of possible mercury exposure. Two years ago, 43 states - including Georgia - issued mercury advisories for freshwater fish.
Although mercury is a naturally occurring element, it is also a byproduct of industrial activity. When airborne mercury emissions settle in waterways, they accumulate rapidly in the fatty tissues of predator fish that are favorites on American dinner tables.
The EPA had announced a first-ever proposal to cut mercury emissions 70 percent by 2018, but ignored calls for more aggressive regulations that would achieve greater reductions in about half the time. Jolted by the public outcry over the weak regulations, EPA administrator Mike Leavitt agreed to reconsider and is expected to make an announcement next year.
By then, Leavitt ought to be convinced by the overwhelming evidence from the agency he runs that mercury contamination must be taken more seriously. If not, the public has every right to indeed wonder if there's something very fishy going on.