Clean Air News

As the new home of RIPIRG's environmental work, Environment Rhode Island can be contacted regarding this news release.

Providence, RI—In state tests of fish caught in Rhode Island's lakes, 76% of largemouth bass contained mercury levels that exceed EPA's "safe" limit for women of childbearing age, according to a Clear the Air analysis released August 3, 2004 by the Rhode Island Public Interest Research Group (RIPIRG).

Nationally, 55 percent of fish samples tested by the U.S. EPA exceeded EPA's safe mercury limit for women and 76 percent exceeded the safe limit for children under age three. The safe limits are based on women and children eating two meals of fish per week.

"Reel Danger: Power Plant Mercury Emissions and the Fish We Eat" comes as the Bush administration prepares to finalize a highly controversial proposal to delay meaningful reductions in mercury emissions from power plants until at least 2018. The Clean Air Act calls for the maximum achievable reductions of such emissions by 2008. The Bush plan, which was written at least in part by utility industry lobbyists, has sparked unprecedented public opposition and a nationwide call for stringent and timely controls on mercury from power plants.

"Mercury pollution is making the fish in Rhode Island's lakes unsafe to eat," stated Corey Langseth, RIPIRG campaign coordinator. "But the mercury reductions in the Bush administration's plan are too little, too late. The Administration should throw it back," he continued.

"Rather than take action to solve this serious public health problem, the Bush administration is putting off for at least 10 years what they should do today," stated Langseth.

Mercury is toxic to the developing brain, and exposure in the womb can cause learning disabilities, developmental delays, and other serious health problems in children. EPA estimates that one in six women of childbearing age has enough mercury in her blood to put her child at risk. Eating contaminated fish is the primary way people are exposed to mercury.

Power plants are the single largest source of mercury emissions. Other industrial sources have reduced their emissions of mercury by more than 90 percent within a few short years, but power plants continue to emit unlimited amounts of mercury into the air. The technology is available to reduce power plant mercury emissions by at least 90 percent.

In addition to the state-collected data, "Reel Danger" analyzes the first available data from EPA's ongoing National Study of Chemical Residues in Lake Fish Tissue. From 1999-2001, EPA collected approximately two composite samples of one predator fish species and one bottom-dwelling fish species at 260 lakes, for a total of 520 composite samples, or 2,547 fish.

Key findings include the following:
- All of the fish samples EPA tested nationwide, including those in Rhode Island, were contaminated with mercury. However, EPA tested a limited number of fish in Rhode Island.
- Nationwide, 55 percent of the fish samples exceeded the safe mercury limit for women and 76 percent exceeded the safe limit for children of average weight under age three who eat fish twice a week.
- Predator fish, including smallmouth bass, walleye, largemouth bass, lake trout, and Northern pike, had the highest average mercury concentrations.

"Senator Reed has already joined 44 of his/her colleagues in sending a letter to EPA Administrator Leavitt opposing the EPA proposal. Senator Reed should take every opportunity to publicly oppose the Bush administration's mercury plan and press the Administration to reduce mercury emissions from power plants by 90 percent by 2008," Langseth concluded.

RIPIRG is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy organization.