Deadly mercury pollution is increasing at most of the worst polluting U.S. coal-fired power plants, highlighting the need do something about the growing mercury problem, reports the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project. Texas, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, North Dakota, Missouri, Kansas, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Arkansas are the “Dirty Dozen” states with the largest number of plants generating the highest mercury emissions.
Despite some improvements at specific plants, the overall mercury pollution situation is getting worse as shown in the Top 50 Power Plant Mercury Polluters, a report from the Environmental Integrity Project (EIP). The report indicates that the top 50 most polluting power plants in the U.S. emitted 20 tons of dangerous neurotoxin mercury into the nation’s air in 2007. While some of the dirtiest coal-fired power plants are reporting reductions in pollution since 2006, the majority of the worst 50 plants actually increased their mercury emissions through 2007.
“Even though mercury removal is achievable, the EPA has backed away from strict power plant mercury regulation. In 2005, instead of requiring power plant mercury reductions, the EPA opted for a weak cap-and-trade scheme which would have allowed power plants to either reduce their own mercury pollution or buy pollution credits from other plants,” explains EIP.
Roughly 6% of American women carry mercury concentrations at levels considered to put a fetus at risk of neurological damage.
The recent report rates the power plants both in terms of total mercury pollution and mercury pollution per kilowatt-hour. The 12 states with the most plants in the top 50 in terms of mercury pollution are Texas (7, including half of the 10 worst), Pennsylvania (5), Alabama, (4, including the worst plant and also 2 of the 10 worst), Georgia (4, including 1 of the 10 worst), Ohio (3), Indiana (3), North Dakota (3), Missouri (2, with 1 of the 5 worst), Kansas (2), North Carolina (2), Wisconsin (2), and Arkansas (2). Minnesota was unique in terms of having one of the 10 worst plants, but no second plant among the 50 worst.
Coal-fired power plants are the single largest source of mercury air pollution, accounting for roughly 40% of all mercury emissions nationwide, according to the U.S. EPA.
Mercury is a highly toxic metal that, once released into the atmosphere, settles in lakes and rivers, where it moves up the food chain to humans. The Center for Disease Control has found that roughly 6% of American women carry mercury concentrations at levels considered to put a fetus at risk of neurological damage.
Read the EIP report: http://www.environmentalintegrity.org
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