Mercury

Coal plants are the largest emitters of Mercury (Hg) in the nation.  There is a flaw in the regulations regarding mercury.  Plants are approved based on meeting a standard for breathable levels, but the danger with mercury is that it deposits in water bodies and, like all heavy metals, accumulates at higher concentrations as it works up the food chain.  This leads to predator fish at the top of the chain with dangerous levels of mercury.  24 States already have statewide fish consumption advisories due to mercury pollution. Depending on the study you read, 12 to 21% of women of childbearing age already have mercury levels in their blood that put their unborn children at risk of brain damage based on EPA’s  standards.

• National Listing of Fish Advisories
• Mercury in Soils, Lakes, and Fish in Voyageurs National Park (Minnesota)

Click here for more on Mercury and its health effects.