Study: Mercury in fish widespread
Study: Mercury in fish widespread
Photographer: AP Graphics Bank
Copyright Associated Press
Posted: 08/19/2009
WASHINGTON, DC -- A federal study of mercury contamination has found the toxic substance in every fish tested at nearly 300 streams across the country, a finding that underscores how widespread mercury pollution has become.
The study was released Wednesday by the U.S. Geological Survey. It tested thousands of fish from 291 streams nationwide from 1998 to 2005. While all fish had traces of mercury contamination, only about a quarter had levels exceeding what the EPA says is safe for people eating an average amount of fish.
Some of the highest levels in fish were detected in the remote blackwater streams along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana.
Mercury can damage the nervous system and cause learning disabilities in developing fetuses and young children. The main source of mercury to most of the streams is emissions from coal-fired power plants. But at 59 waterways, mining could also be to blame.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
The study was released Wednesday by the U.S. Geological Survey. It tested thousands of fish from 291 streams nationwide from 1998 to 2005. While all fish had traces of mercury contamination, only about a quarter had levels exceeding what the EPA says is safe for people eating an average amount of fish.
Some of the highest levels in fish were detected in the remote blackwater streams along the coasts of the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida and Louisiana.
Mercury can damage the nervous system and cause learning disabilities in developing fetuses and young children. The main source of mercury to most of the streams is emissions from coal-fired power plants. But at 59 waterways, mining could also be to blame.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Copyright 2009 The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
PRINT
Latest News Stories
-
Rental car warning
Renting a car is often an easy and convenient way to get around when you’re traveling for business or pleasure. But hundreds of consumers, nationwide, now claim they were tricked into paying more for their rented wheels. Contact five investigator Katie LaGrone has a warning.
-
FL sends help to Oklahoma victims
-
Kaitlyn Hunt speaks out publicly
-
A million in Montreal told to boil water
-
'Cat Beards': latest internet craze
-
Man arrested after adverse possession
Scripps TV Station Group © 2013 The E.W. Scripps Co.