As the new home of OSPIRG's environmental work, Environment Oregon can be contacted regarding this news release.
PORTLAND—In 2003 the state
of Oregon issued warnings against eating fish due to mercury contamination covering
16,058 acres of its lakes and 460 miles of its rivers according to a new “Fishing
for Trouble: How Toxic Mercury Contaminates the Fish in U.S. Waterways”
report released today by the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG)
“OSPIRG analysis finds that
mercury contamination is a danger at many of Oregon’s favorite fishing spots,”
said Environmental Advocate Jeremy Wright.
“Here in Oregon we consume
fish not only caught within our state borders but from across the region. Whether
we are fishing for cutthroat trout in Idaho, rainbow trout in Washington or
largemouth bass here in Oregon the threat to our health is real. This report
points out the serious health risk woman and children face across the country
and in Oregon,” continued Wright.
State health departments
issue fish consumption advisories to warn people to limit or avoid consumption
of contaminated fish. Mercury is a dangerous toxic metal, especially for children.
Exposure to mercury can cause attention and language deficits, impaired memory,
and impaired visual and motor function in children. Scientists at the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) estimate that one in six women of childbearing age in
the U.S. has levels of mercury in her blood high enough to put 630,000 of the
four million babies born each year at risk of health problems due to mercury
exposure.
Mercury contamination is
a threat to recreational fishing. In 2001, Oregon recreational anglers spent
$601,780,000 on fishing.
“Fishing for Trouble” analyzed
2003 state data on fish consumption advisories due to mercury contamination.
Key findings of the report include:
- Nationwide, there were
advisories issued covering more than 13.1 million acres of lakes and 767,000
miles of river. Compared to 2002, these were increases of 67 percent for rivers
and six percent for lakes.
- In 2003 the state of Oregon
issued warnings against eating fish due to mercury contamination covering 16,058
acres of its lakes and 460 miles of its rivers.
OSPIRG’s report comes as
the Bush administration prepares to finalize a highly controversial proposal
that would let power plants emit six to seven times more mercury over the next
decade than the Clean Air Act allows and delay meaningful reductions until 2018,
at the earliest. Moreover, the plan allows facilities to buy mercury pollution
credits from facilities located far away instead of reducing their own emissions,
thus increasing the risk of creating and exacerbating toxic hotspots. Other
industrial sources have reduced their mercury emissions by more than 90 percent
within a few short years, but power plants continue to emit unlimited amounts
of mercury into the air. The technology is available to reduce power plant mercury
emissions by at least 90 percent by 2008, as the law requires.
OSPIRG called on the Bush
administration to abandon its mercury-trading proposal and faithfully implement
the Clean Air Act by finalizing a rule that reduces mercury emissions from power
plants by at least 90 percent from existing levels by 2008.
“The Bush administration’s
mercury plan is too little, too late. They should stop letting polluters off
the hook, and substantially strengthen their plan to reduce mercury emissions
from power plants,” said Wright.
