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03/16/2005:

"Warning over fish mercury levels"

Eating certain types of fish can increase the risks of having a heart attack, a study suggests.

A team of international researchers has found a direct link between mercury and heart disease.

High levels of mercury are found in shark, swordfish, king mackerel and marlin. It is also found at lower levels in fresh or frozen tuna.

The researchers have suggested that people should consider eliminating fish with high mercury levels from their diet.

The UK's Food Standards Agency recently advised pregnant women and children against eating this type of fish.

There are fears that mercury can damage the nervous system of unborn infants and can increase the risks of poisoning in young children.
Full Article: bbc.co.uk

Bush administration issues first U.S. controls on toxin from coal plants, but critics say rule falls short
ALBANY -- The nation's first controls on mercury from coal-burning plants do not go far enough to clean up tainted fisheries in wild areas like the Adirondacks, environmentalists and researchers said.

The Bush administration's Clean Air Mercury Rule issued Tuesday uses a "cap-and-trade" approach to cut power plants' mercury emissions from 48 tons per year currently to about 15 tons by 2025.

Power plants that burn coal are the nation's biggest source of mercury, a potent neurotoxin that retards brain development in fetuses and small children. Discoveries of high levels of mercury have resulted in bans on eating fish in 50 New York state lakes, rivers and reservoirs.

Critics say the new rule is a huge step back from the Clinton administration's mercury proposal, which would have cut power plant emissions by 90 percent by the end of this decade. They also point to new evidence that mercury is not only bad for pregnant women and developing children who eat contaminated fish, it also damages animal and bird populations in the Northeast's wild areas.

The mercury plan also drew fire from Gov. George Pataki's acting commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Denise Sheehan. The Republican governor's staff has rarely criticized Bush administration proposals.

In a letter Monday to acting Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, Sheehan called the rule "unacceptable and unwarranted" and wrote that it "will prove to be detrimental to the public health and the natural resources of New York state."

The EPA's Office of Air and Radiation said the rule achieves because the technology that scrubs mercury from smokestacks is still in development.

"We believe that the Clean Air Mercury Rule will protect all Americans, especially pregnant women and their unborn children, from the harm of mercury," said Jeff Holmstead, the office's assistant administrator.

"The rule will also help maintain coal as a viable energy source, keeping jobs in the United States and keeping energy prices down."

The cap-and-trade system lets companies that fail to meet targets for reducing mercury pollution make up their deficits by purchasing "allowances" issued by the government to those that exceed targets.
Full Article: timesunion.com