Something fishy

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http://www.sptimes.com/2003/12/26/Opinion/Something_fishy.shtml

 

Something fishyA Times Editorial

Published December 26, 2003

 

 

 

In his first public speech as administrator of the Environmental Protection

Agency, Michael Leavitt gave Americans a hint of what to expect from the agency

under his leadership. " I to an environmental philosophy called

Enlibra. It's a Latin derivative meaning " to move toward balance,' " Leavitt

said.

Sounds good, until you apply it to an actual threat - such as mercury pollution.

In that circumstance, the position sought by the EPA looks more like a dangerous

imbalance.

 

One in 12 women of childbearing age already has an unsafe amount of mercury in

her body, and the greatest threat from mercury is the damage it does to the

brains and nervous systems of fetuses and young children. Mercury poisoning is

linked to learning disabilities and mental retardation.

 

The main source of mercury is from the emissions spewed out by coal-burning

power plants. The mercury falls to the earth and ends up in rivers and lakes

where it accumulates in fish, which are then eaten by people. There is no

controversy over the cause of mercury pollution, but Leavitt's EPA has created

an uproar over its solution.

 

Under provisions of the Clean Air Act, the EPA had to set limits on the toxic

pollutant this month. In the past, the EPA had said that the law would require a

90 percent cut in power plant emissions over three years, which is possible

using current technology.

 

But Leavitt decided that mercury from power plants didn't need such strong

controls, and he proposed instead a " cap and trade " plan that would allow some

plants to continue to pollute, while achieving only a 30 percent overall cut in

mercury emissions over 10 years, and delaying until 2018 a 70 percent reduction.

 

More time to pollute means more harm will be done. A recent study by the

Environmental Defense group of EPA data shows that local emissions of mercury

create " hot spots " where the threat is greatest. That finding belies the utility

industry's claim that U.S. regulation would be worthless because mercury

pollution blows in from sources around the world.

 

Experience in Florida - a state with a significant mercury problem - argues for

more stringent regulation. Mercury contamination of fish decreased significantly

here (although it still poses a risk) after emissions from incinerators that

burn medical wastes and garbage were reduced, the study found. So the threat

from local sources of pollution is clear. Unfortunately, under cap and trade,

some power plants would be able to buy their way out of strict regulation for

years. While overall mercury pollution would decline under that approach, it

would still pose a substantial threat to those living near the hot spots.

 

The EPA solution tilts in favor of the utility industry, a generous contributor

to the White House that has won most of its clean air battles.

 

If Leavitt expects to maintain his credibility, he should realize that there

isn't a balance point between children's health and corporate greed.

 

* * *

 

 

Another decision, this one by a Food and Drug Administration committee, could

leave consumers without the information needed to protect themselves from

mercury-contaminated fish, which is a particular threat to women who are

pregnant or nursing or those who may become pregnant, and young children.

 

The committee agreed that the current FDA warning is insufficient, but its draft

advisories were still too vague to be of real help.

 

The advisories do mention that tuna fish is a mercury risk and suggest a limit

on fish consumption for those in the vulnerable group of 12 ounces of fish or

shellfish a week. But the Natural Resources Defense Council calls that " a

Russian roulette approach. " Using the government's own research, the

environmental group noted that if a woman who weighs a typical 132 pounds ate 12

ounces of certain fish a week, she would be ingesting almost three times the

safe dose of mercury.

 

Also, the advisories fail to identify types of fish that would be safer to eat.

Canned albacore " white " tuna, for example, contains three times the mercury as

tuna labeled " light. " That is particularly important for children, who are more

likely to eat tuna than any other fish. The NRDC has worked up a chart that

links safe tuna intake with body weight, which can be viewed online at

http://www.nrdc.org/ with a search on the word " tuna. "

 

When the FDA settles on a final advisory on the mercury threat from fish, it

should be specific enough to protect American consumers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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