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Issues: Health

Lost and Found
Missing mercury from chemical plants pollutes air and water

Mercury is an invisible, odorless poison that can pollute oceans and rivers, contaminate our food and seep into the air, potentially causing severe health problems when ingested by humans. A major source of this pollution is chlor-alkali chemical manufacturing plants. Not only do these plants release harmful mercury into the environment, but they also cannot account for tons of mercury "lost" each year -- mercury which likely ends up in the air we breathe. This April 2006 NRDC issue paper reveals new sampling evidence that mercury emissions near the nation’s oldest and most polluting plants sometimes exceed government safe levels for chronic exposure, raising concerns for the health of residents who live near facilities in Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana.

OVERVIEW & QUICK REFERENCE
Press release

FULL ISSUE PAPER IN PDF
Adobe Acrobat file (size: 5.3 MB)
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OUTLINE
Executive Summary
Introduction
NRDC Investigation Uncovers Further Cause for Alarm
EPA Studies Support Findings of Elevated Mercury Levels
The EPA Fails to Address the Mercury Problem
Recommendations
Appendix: Detailed Sampling Results
Endnotes