Mercury Pollution And Autism
People wonder why 20 years ago
the incidence of autism was about 1 in 10,000 kids, but now is about 1 in
350.
In research announced yesterday:
Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said on Wednesday.
A study to be published on Thursday in the journal "Health and Place" found that autism, a developmental disorder marked by communication and social interaction problems, increased in Texas counties as mercury emissions rose, said Claudia Miller, a family and community medicine professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
"The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates," she said in an interview.
About 48 tons of mercury are released into the air annually in the United States from hundreds of coal-burning plants.
Meanwhile, George Cavros writes about mercury emission regulation in the Miami Herald . The money quote:
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue a rule that will repeal a previous plan mandating reduced power-plant mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2008.
The EPA's new rule will allow industrial polluters an extra decade to avoid any meaningful reduction in mercury pollution. The media have reported that much of this rule was written by polluting industries.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and exposure in the womb can cause learning disabilities and child developmental delays.
This issue is of particular importance to Floridians. Florida is under a statewide fish-consumption advisory because of mercury contamination. The major culprit is power-plant emissions.
As mercury finds its way into our food supply, parents and public-health advocates should demand that the Bush administration consider the health interests of our families over the financial interests of corporate polluters.
Yeah, that'll happen.
In research announced yesterday:
Mercury released primarily from coal-fired power plants may be contributing to an increase in the number of cases of autism, a Texas researcher said on Wednesday.
A study to be published on Thursday in the journal "Health and Place" found that autism, a developmental disorder marked by communication and social interaction problems, increased in Texas counties as mercury emissions rose, said Claudia Miller, a family and community medicine professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio.
"The main finding is that for every thousand pounds of environmentally released mercury, we saw a 17 percent increase in autism rates," she said in an interview.
About 48 tons of mercury are released into the air annually in the United States from hundreds of coal-burning plants.
Meanwhile, George Cavros writes about mercury emission regulation in the Miami Herald . The money quote:
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue a rule that will repeal a previous plan mandating reduced power-plant mercury emissions by 90 percent by 2008.
The EPA's new rule will allow industrial polluters an extra decade to avoid any meaningful reduction in mercury pollution. The media have reported that much of this rule was written by polluting industries.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, and exposure in the womb can cause learning disabilities and child developmental delays.
This issue is of particular importance to Floridians. Florida is under a statewide fish-consumption advisory because of mercury contamination. The major culprit is power-plant emissions.
As mercury finds its way into our food supply, parents and public-health advocates should demand that the Bush administration consider the health interests of our families over the financial interests of corporate polluters.
Yeah, that'll happen.
Posted: Thu - March 17, 2005 at 06:35 PM
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Published On: Mar 17, 2005 06:35 PM
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Published On: Mar 17, 2005 06:35 PM