Press Mention Effingham Herald March 2, 2004
SACE Referenced
Got mercury?
In this mention
A report released by the Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and Georgia Public Interest Research Group found that Georgia's coal-fired power plants emitted 2,549 pounds of mercury in 2001, ranking the state 12th nationally. The article explains how mercury from power plants enters the food chain and poses health risks, particularly to women of childbearing age and developing fetuses. The EPA is considering two regulatory approaches to reduce mercury emissions from coal-fired plants.
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Full transcript
March 3, 2004
Got mercury?
Report ranks Georgia 12th in nation in mercury emissions as EPA proposes regulations
By STEPHEN SACCO
ssacco@effinghamherald.net
EFFINGHAM COUNTY - In December of last year, the Sierra club, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and the Georgia Public Interest Research Group released a report called Toxic Neighbors. The report found that coal-fired power plants in Georgia emitted 2,549 pounds of mercury in 2001, making Georgia 12th in the nation in mercury emissions.
This report came on the heels of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal for new rules to permanently cap and reduces mercury emissions from power plants for the first time ever.
According to the EPA, coal-fired electric plans are the largest source of human-caused mercury air emissions in the U.S. These power plants account for approximately 40 percent of total U.S. manmade mercury emissions.
In Effingham County we have two near-by electrical plants that generate some portion of their electricity from coal. Plant McIntosh in Effingham and Plant Kraft in Port Wentworth.
Mercury in the air, however, is mostly harmless. It is when this mercury in the air falls to the ground and is deposited into the water, or runs off into the water, that it is converted into mthylmercury, a highly toxic form of mercury.
Small organism take this up as they feed and, through a process known as bioaccumulation, levels of mercury begins increasing as it moves up the food chain. Fish that are higher in the food chain, such as shark and swordfish, have higher concentrations of mercury than fish lower on the food chain. People become exposed when they eat fish that are contaminated with mercury.
Women of childbearing age should be the most concerned about their intake of mercury, according to the EPA. The developing fetus is highly sensitive to the effects of mercury. Children of women exposed to relatively high levels of methylmercury during pregnancy have exhibited a variety of abnormalities, including delayed onset of walking and talking and deficits in learning ability.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, eight percent of women of childbearing age have levels of mercury in their blood that exceeds the level EPA considers safe. In addition, there is growing evidence that methylmercury exposure can have adverse cardiovascular effects for adults, resulting in elevated blood pressure and incidence of heart attack.
What should be done?
The EPA is currently considering two rules to reduce the level of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.
The first proposed rule, supported by environmental groups, known as "maximum achievable control technologies," would require power plants to install the latest technologies to reduce mercury emissions.
The second proposal would seek to reduce mercury emissions based on the successful "cap-and-trade" program established for acid rain. Cap-and-trade sets caps on overall mercury emissions and then allocates a portion of these