Penn. DEP Secretary Hits Emissions, Mercury Contamination As "Life Issues"

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Calling mercury pollution a “life issue,” the state’s top environmental official Tuesday implored citizens to get behind a push for more stringent emission regulations.

Dismayed by a new mercury reduction rule adopted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty appealed especially to caregivers of populations susceptible to mercury’s adverse health effects to join in an effort to get Pennsylvania to enact stricter standards than the federal mandate.

“Mercury needs to be one of the things you’re concerned about,” Mrs. McGinty said during a meeting with the editorial board of The Times-Tribune. “I hope we can bring people around on it.” One in six children are born with dangerous levels of the neurotoxin, she said. Pennsylvania pumps about five tons of mercury into the air each year, second only to Texas. If successful, Pennsylvania will be the fifth state in the nation to adopt standards that are tougher than the EPA requirements.

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Mercury can remain active in the environment for 10,000 years and poses special risks to pregnant women, children, subsistence fishermen and recreational anglers, according to DEP. Mercury exposure is linked to brain damage and nervous system problems in children and heart and immune system damage in adults. “This is a life issue,” she said. “It is substantially related to whether the unborn face a very real health threat.”

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