According to the EPA and the CDC, one in six (around 630,0000) American children are born with potentially unsafe levels of mercury in their blood every year.
For $25 through Greenpeace, you can get tested for mercury today - it may be a big eye-opener!
DHEC provided these figures in response to a request under the SC Freedom of Information Act from the Post & Courier. Emissions levels are estimates. Some locations were measured several years ago and may no long emit mercury emissions.
*UPDATE 8/1/8: Environmental group admits errors in beach report, moving SC from 6th down 10 spots to the 16th state with the most contaminated beaches, still nothing for us to be proud of.
The latest findings from the Natural Resources Defense Council are not a welcome sight for us here in SC. DHEC has even accused the NRDC of using incomplete data in their findings, especially poignant now that SC’s Tourism Dept. has been catching a lot of flack over their recent overseas ad campaign.
Charleston Beach Water Rankings
| Beach | Monitoring Frequency | Total Samples | % Exceeded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan’s Island | 2/mo | 20 | 15% |
| Kiawah Island | 2/mo | 10 | 10% |
| Folly Beach | 2/mo | 18 | 6% |
| Isle of Palms | 2/mo | 20 | 5% |
| Seabrook | 2/mo | 4 | 0% |
- 16 - South Carolina’s ranking
- 6% - Exceeded Percentage
