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Mercury: Think Twice Before You Eat Your Catch
John Tetzloff grew up fishing and bike-riding in the Darby Creek watershed in Franklin County. Since John's childhood, the Darby has been the site of intense local, state, and national protection efforts. Eighty-two miles of Big Darby Creek and its major tributary, Little Darby Creek, were designated as state scenic rivers in 1984, and both streams were designated national scenic rivers in 1994. But despite efforts to preserve the watershed, highly toxic mercury from nearby coal-fired power plants threatens the rivers' health, and Bush administration policies stand to make the situation even worse. Currently, power plants in the United States emit 96,000 pounds of mercury each year. According to the Toxics Release Inventory compiled by USEPA, Ohio is second in the nation for mercury emissions from power plants.1 Yet the Bush administration's plan would allow three times more poisonous mercury pollution than enforcement of the current clean air laws allow, and for decades longer, placing many more people at risk of mercury poisoning. There is a better way. Strong enforcement of the Clean Air Act could reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent of current levels by 2008.2 Today, John Tetzloff is the president of the Darby Creek Association, which works to protect the Darby. He became interested in caring for the watershed after attending several nature outings in the area, where he rediscovered the natural beauty of this part of Franklin County. While Ohio's waters are cleaner than they were when the Clean Water Act was passed three decades ago, the majority of our waters are still polluted. According to a 2004 report by the Ohio EPA, only one of the state's 331 waterways currently meets federal recreational and healthy habitat standards. Darby Creek is one of 16 Ohio waterways listed in the latest round of fish consumption advisories issued by the Ohio EPA.3 Residents and visitors are now cautioned to eat only one meal per month of fish caught in these waters. Throughout Ohio, sensitive populations such as children and pregnant women are cautioned to limit their consumption of all locally caught fish to one meal per week due to unsafe levels of mercury. Because of his involvement and his efforts to preserve Darby Creek, John is familiar with the many environmental problems the river faces. Still, he was shocked when in 2004 the Big Darby Creek received its first water body-specific fish consumption advisory due to unsafe levels of PCBs and mercury.4 John says his initial reaction to this announcement was denial. "I thought, 'That can't be right.' I tried to figure out where that [consumption advisory] could come from, since there isn't a lot of industry here on the Darby. Then I realized it was coming from the air." Mercury, which reaches our lakes from precipitation after it is pumped into the air by coal-fired power plants, is a potent poison that causes learning and developmental disabilities in children. The EPA recently estimated that as many as 1 in 6 American women of child bearing age already have unsafe levels of mercury in their bodies, leaving approximately 630,000 newborns at risk each year.5 Because of the serious health effects of mercury pollution, it made sense that the Bush administration warned Americans to limit the amount of fish we eat and feed our kids. What doesn't make sense is that the administration's mercury proposal gives power plants permission to spew more mercury into our air than the current laws allow—mercury that will eventually end up in our lakes and in the bodies of fish. In addition to its negative impacts on health and the environment, mercury also has an adverse economic impact. For every angler that does not choose to fish in Ohio, the state loses $651. In 2001 alone, Ohio's rivers, lakes, and streams enjoyed recreational fishing expenditures of over $905 million. "I like fishing the Darby," explains John, "but I wouldn't eat fish from there now because of the advisory. The truth is I don't eat fish from any Ohio water bodies if I can help it. I know too much about Ohio waters to do that. It's a legacy of pollution." By allowing weaker mercury limits than the current Clean Air Act requires, the Bush administration could leave Ohioans at risk of more mercury pollution for future generations. For more information contact:
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