More Than Half Of Fish In Nationwide Survey Exceed Mercury Standards - NYT

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WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 - "More than half the fish in the nation's lakes and reservoirs have levels of mercury that exceed government standards for women of child-bearing age and children, according to an environmental coalition's analysis of a survey by the Environmental Protection Agency.

A breakdown of the survey findings from the first two years of a four-year study was the basis of the report on Tuesday by Clear the Air, a coalition that is pressing the agency to set more stringent mercury emission standards for coal-fired power plants than those the Bush administration has proposed. While the new standards, the first ever for power plants, are scheduled to be finalized next March, the final survey results are not expected until 2006.

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"We agree that mercury is a serious public health issue," Cynthia Bergman, a spokeswoman for the agency, said in a written statement. "That's why we're working with the Food and Drug Administration to provide consumers with clear guidance about the benefits and risks of fish consumption. More important, coal-fired power plants are the largest domestic source of mercury emissions, and they must be cleaned up. We are proposing to do that for the first time ever in the history of the E.P.A."

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These were among the report's more prominent findings:

¶55 percent of fish samples were contaminated with mercury levels above a safe limit for women of average weight who eat fish twice a week, and 76 percent of samples exceeded a safe limit for children of average weight under 3 who eat fish twice a week.

¶Texas power plants produce more annual mercury emissions, 9,840 pounds, than any other state, followed by Ohio (7,358), Pennsylvania (7,002) and Indiana (4,926).

¶Five of the 10 power plants producing the nation's most mercury air emissions are in Texas, including the Limestone Electric Generating Station in Jewett."

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http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/04/politics/04fish.html