Fishing in the Dark: Methylmercury in Iowa's Waters (PDF 564 Kb)

EPA: National Listing of Fish and Wildlife Advisories (PDF 494 Kb)

Methylmercury in Iowa’s Waters

• Coal burning power plants and other sources emit air-borne mercury, which washes out in precipitation and ends up in waterways. Aquatic organisms convert this into methylmercury, an organic, more toxic form of mercury that accumulates up the aquatic food chain, collecting in the muscle tissue of fish.

• Methylmercury is extremely toxic, causing neurological and developmental problems, and in extreme cases, death. Children, developing fetuses and pregnant women are especially at risk from contaminated fish.

• 45 states have efforts to comprehensively test locally caught fish for methylmercury contamination and warn the public about the dangers of eating mercury-contaminated fish.

• Iowa is one of the five states that do not; in fact, last year the Iowa Department of Natural Resources tested only 35 fish from 20 locations across the state for mercury contamination.

• Some of the fish the DNR tested contained mercury levels above the EPA advisory level of 0.3 parts per million. However, the DNR has never issued any mercury advisories because they have chosen to use the FDA action level of 1.0 parts per million instead, which until December was the most liberal level used by any US agency.

• In December the FDA joined the EPA in expanding mercury warnings, increasing the number of fish species of concern and the list people who are most at-risk from mercury; this does not, however, require states to establish mercury advisories or strengthen existing mercury advisory levels.

• The Iowa DNR has no publicly available information about the risks of eating fish containing high levels of methylmercury, although they acknowledge that mercury in our waterways is a growing problem.

• We can do better – we can protect Iowans from mercury pollution! Contact Iowa DNR director Jeff Vonk at (515) 281-5385 and demand comprehensive fish testing and a strict public advisory level for mercury in Iowa’s fish.

How the Bush Administration’s Mercury Proposal Endangers Public Health

• The Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency expanded their mercury health warnings in December, increasing both the number of fish species of concern due to unsafe levels of mercury and the list of people most at risk from mercury exposure, adding children, nursing mothers, and women who may become pregnant.

• Only days after this joint FDA/EPA warning about the increasing public health threat posed by mercury in fish, the Bush Administration proposed weakening mercury regulations on coal-fired power plants. These coal plants are the largest contributors to mercury pollution in our environment.

• The Administration’s proposal to cap and trade mercury will allow corporations to buy and sell the right to pollute communities with this extremely dangerous toxin.

• Touted as “the largest single industry investment in any clean air program,” the proposal is actually replacing a plan that would have mandated larger mercury reductions over a shorter period of time.

• The EPA was prepared to order a 90% across the board cutback in coal plant mercury emissions by 2008 using Maximum Achievable Control Technologies (MACT) that exist and are cost-effective today.

• The Bush Administration changed this to a 70% cutback by 2018 using the cap and trade system, which will likely lead to mercury “hot spots” in some areas where out of date coal plants may choose to buy pollution credits rather than invest in clean coal technology.

• By one estimate, this Bush Administration concession to the fossil fuel industry means coal plants will emit 300 more tons of mercury over the next 15 years than if the current clean air laws were enforced.

• We can do better! Tell your representatives that Iowa wants clean coal technology, not industry handouts that place corporate profits above protecting public health.