2009 Fish Advisory Locations for S.C. All locations are for mercury unless otherwise noted.
Credit: SCDHEC

South Carolinians who like to fish can go online for newly updated information to find out if the fish on their line is safe to eat or should be released because of possible contamination, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control reported today.

“DHEC’s Web site at www.scdhec.gov/fish has a state map with the latest advisories, information, a booklet and other materials that can be downloaded,” said David Wilson, chief of DHEC’s Bureau of Water. “This information will help our citizens determine whether to keep and eat the fish they catch in South Carolina waters or release them back into the water.”   Read more...

Pouring liquid mercury
Credit: Wikipedia

The Supreme Court “chose not to review a major test case on the federal government’s authority to regulate mercury pollution from electric power plants. The Court had two appeals testing a Circuit Court ruling on that issue, but one of those was by the EPA, and that agency asked the Court to dismiss its petition after the new Obama Administration changed policy. (That petition was dismissed on Monday.) That left on the docket a utility petition, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. New Jersey, et al. (08-352).

But the Court on Monday denied that petition, without comment.   Read more...

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

  Read more...

In a move not surprising considering the FDA’s poor record under the Bush administration, an internal memo shows they think it’s okay for expectant & nursing mothers and small children to eat up to 12.oz of seafood regardless of earlier mercury warnings.

What Happens When Government Agencies Don’t Agree
The Washington Post reports that FDA recommendations have alarmed scientists at the EPA, who have criticized them as “scientifically flawed and inadequate”, saying they fell short of the “scientific rigor routinely demonstrated by EPA.”

Most curious about this draft document obtained from the Environmental Working Group is what’s missing:

SECTION III: DATA ON EXPOSURE TO METHYLMERCURY IN THE UNITED STATES   Read more...