|
Great Lakes
Article:
For Immediate Release:
Contacts:
Matt Little, Sierra Club, 612-659-9124
J. Drake Hamilton, Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient
Economy, 651-726-7562
Sarah Welch, Izaak Walton League of America, 651-649-1446
Diana McKeown, Clean Water Action Alliance, 612-227-8023
Mercury-Free Minnesota Launched;
Campaign Sets Mercury Phase-out Goal to Protect Children’s
Health
Minneapolis, MN-Twenty conservation and health organizations
have formed Mercury-Free Minnesota, a statewide campaign
dedicated to building public awareness and political momentum
to achieve a phase out of mercury pollution in Minnesota.
Mercury in Minnesota Fish is Urgent Problem.
" Mercury contamination of Minnesota waters and fish
is an urgent problem that seriously threatens our health
and especially that of pregnant women, children and people
for whom eating fish is culturally or economically important,"
said Diana McKeown of Clean Water Action. McKeown noted
that Minnesota has issued a statewide health advisory
limiting the number of walleye and other game fish people
should eat from the state’s 10,000 lakes.
" Few Minnesotans know that the primary sources of
mercury that contaminate Minnesota’s waters are coal-fired
power plants and taconite processing, which together account
for nearly two-thirds of the mercury emitted in Minnesota,"
said J. Drake Hamilton of Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient
Economy. In addition, many consumer and medical products
that contain mercury continue to be sold and used. Mercury-Free
Minnesota plans public education and outreach efforts
so that more Minnesotans will know the causes of mercury
pollution and what they can do to protect themselves and
their families.
90% Reduction by 2010.
" Our goal is a 90 percent reduction in Minnesota’s
mercury emissions by 2010," said Matt Little of the
Sierra Club. "Mercury reductions in Minnesota will
make a significant difference." Even though some
mercury contamination in Minnesota comes from coal plants
located outside the state, Little said, research indicates
that reducing mercury emissions in Minnesota will help
clean up the state’s lakes and fish.
Mercury contamination is especially troublesome for women
and children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
report that eight percent of women of childbearing age
have mercury in their bodies at levels that may adversely
affect their unborn child. Mercury also threatens birds
and animals that eat fish, such as bald eagles, loons,
and otters.
" For our health and environment, Minnesota needs
to phase out all sources of mercury," said Sarah
Welch of the Izaak Walton League.
For more information, visit www.mercuryfreeminnesota.org.
|
