Tarah and Others, The Physicians For Social Responsibliy has excellent materials including facts sheets on mercury and other environmental toxins. Let me know if you would like a copy sent to you. Jim Fleming 641-469-5604 --- Bill Witt <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > This is good strategy. The other thing that drew my > attention was the > recent Register story about lead-paint exposure of Latino > children. It's > the same story for black children, and indeed any > children living in old > and deteriorating low-rent housing. This is an > environmental justice > issue, as well as an economic justice issue. You can't > attract low-wage > labor without low-rent housing, except somebody always > has to pick up the > rest of the tab, someday. Same with polllution. > > So, is there a way to develop a common strategy around > issues that tie in > the health and future of our children with the health of > our environment > and the health of our economy? > > --Bill Witt > > > > > > > Tarah, > > > > I think the Chapter should develop a FACT Sheet and > educational > > publication about the danger of mercury and the need in > Iowa to track this > > pollution. > > > > I will be happy to help with this development as a > volunteer. > > And I think I can raise the money to publish the > material when it is > > completed. > > > > At the Governor's Water Summit, the water expert > mentioned mercury in one > > sentence of her presentation saying, if I remember > right, "we are > > beginning to measure mercury levels in some waters." > > > > Let's take the mercury bull by the horns and be > proactive. > > > > Chris Bedford > > [log in to unmask] > > 515-283-0777 > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Tarah Heinzen > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > > Sent: Thu 12/11/2003 5:33 PM > > To: [log in to unmask] > > Cc: > > Subject: FW: Bush Administration Contradicts > Itself about Mercury > > > > > > > > Iowa is one of only 6 states that doesn't have a > program to educate the > > public about the risks of eating mercury > contaminated fish, and our > > reliance > > on coal means this will be a growing public > health threat here and > > elsewhere... > > > > tarah > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [log in to unmask] > [mailto:[log in to unmask]] > > Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2003 2:07 PM > > To: [log in to unmask]; > > [log in to unmask]; > > > [log in to unmask]; > > [log in to unmask] > > Subject: Bush Administration Contradicts Itself > about Mercury > > > > > > FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE > > December 10, 2003 > > > > CONTACT: > > Wendy Balazik, 202-675-2383 > > > > BUSH ADMINISTRATION CONTRADICTS ITSELF > > While Dismantling Mercury Protections, > Administration Cautions Women and > > Children to Reduce Fish Consumption > > > > Washington, DC- The Food and Drug Administration > (FDA) and the > > Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today > expanded health warnings > > about > > the toxic effects of eating mercury-tainted fish > in a draft advisory set > > to > > be finalized early next year. This comes on the > heels of the Bush > > administration's recent sweeping changes that > would make it easier for > > polluters to avoid cleaning up mercury. > > > > Today's action by the FDA and EPA increased the > number of fish species > > with > > unsafe levels of mercury and expanded the list of > people who are most > > hurt > > by mercury, adding children, nursing mothers and > women who may become > > pregnant. > > > > "It is astonishing that while the Bush > administration is warning people > > about increased health threats from eating > mercury-laden fish, it is > > weakening the very clean air protections that > would reduce mercury > > pollution," said Carl Pope, Sierra Club's > executive director. "Just > > last > > week, the Bush administration announced a plan to > loosen protections for > > mercury pollution in our air; and today, two > federal agencies report > > that > > more fish than ever have dangerous levels of > mercury. We call on the > > Bush > > administration to enforce clean air laws that are > on the books and > > require > > power plants to install new technology to control > this dangerous > > pollutant." > > > > Mercury is a powerful toxin that causes learning > and developmental > > disabilities in children. Women of childbearing > age and people who > > regularly and frequently eat highly contaminated > fish, or even large > > amounts of moderately contaminated fish, are most > likely to be at risk > > from > > mercury exposure. Children exposed in the womb > or after birth, > > subsistence > > fisherman and certain Native American populations > are at risk. > > > > Forty-four states have warned the public to limit > consumption of fish > > from > > mercury-contaminated lakes and rivers. Mercury > works its way up the > > aquatic food chain and into the human body in a > toxic form. The threat > > is > > especially great to the offspring of women who > have high levels of > > mercury > > -- hence the advisories that urge women of > child-bearing age and > > children > > reduce the consumption of some species of fish > and avoid others > > completely. > > One of every dozen of U.S. women of childbearing > age has mercury in > > their > > bodies at levels that could threaten their unborn > children. > > > > Airborne deposits account for the bulk of > mercury, which occurs > > naturally > > in coal and rises out of it as it burns. > Regulation has been sought > > under > > the 1990 Clean Air Act, with a December 15 > deadline set for rule-making. > > The EPA seemed poised to order a 90 percent > cutback in mercury emitted > > from > > coal-powered plants by 2008. Instead, the > long-term goal will be a 70 > > percent reduction by 2018, the EPA said last > week. By one estimate, > > that > === message truncated === __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New Yahoo! Photos - easier uploading and sharing. http://photos.yahoo.com/ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to: [log in to unmask]