Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and UNEP Exec. Dir. Achim Steiner at the 2009 UNEP Governing Council in Nairobi.
Credit: Earth Neg. Bulletin

We are all a little safer now that the U.S. and 120 other nations have endorsed negotiations for a global treaty to control mercury pollution.

“Since the primary sources of mercury in fish are power plant emissions that contaminate our water, regulation of utility emissions is essential to protecting the health of our children. In the Senate, President Obama introduced two pieces of legislation to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans, lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish.” – Whitehouse.gov

There are approximately 50 mercury cell chlor alkali plants in operation, with 6 in the U.S. This is the closest one to S.C. – Olin Corporation’s plant in Augusta, Ga.
Credit: Oceana.org

Previously, Bush’s administration had opposed legally binding measures to control mercury, but it is one of the first things President Obama has taken care of. It’s no surprise really. Two years ago, Senator Obama sponsored the Mercury Market Minimization Act of 2007, and despite 5 nay votes from Republicans, his mission of safer legislation for mercury control was under way.

Last year, Congress passed the Mercury Export Ban Act to ban exports of elemental mercury beginning in 2013.

Today, the official rule of the land from the White House shows a much better stance towards safety for all of us when it comes to dealing with mercury.

“…the U.S., nor any other country can achieve sufficient reductions of mercury risks to protect the health of its citizens without serious cooperation internationally to reduce global mercury emissions.” – Daniel A. Reifsnyder, Dep. Asst. Sec. for the Dept. of State’s Environment and Sustainable Development

Now you can go to the NRDC site to check the federal government’s views on mercury: including mercury contamination in seafood and where mercury comes from, e.g.

1. Automobile Scrap
2. Chemical Manufacturing
3. Global Sources of Mercury
4. Mercury in the Food We Eat
5. Power Plants (speaking of dirty coal power plants)

“Mercury contamination of fish and mammals is a global public health concern. Our study of fish tested in different locations around the world shows that widely accepted international exposure levels for methylmercury are exceeded, often by wide margins, in each country and area covered.” – MPP Director Bender