The Nation's Top Scientists Speak Out on Mercury Pollution; New Research Suggests Delays May Be Harmful

12/15/2003

From: Kathy Fallon Lambert, 603-632-4543 or kfl@ecosysteminfo.com, for the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation HANOVER, New Hampshire, Dec. 15 -- Today, the Bush Administration is expected to release its new regulations regarding mercury pollution from electric utilities. The details of this rule were leaked to the media revealing less stringent standards than expected, delayed implementation and potential mercury trading among power plants.

In response to this announcement, some of the Nation's top scientists have come together for the first time, to release new and existing research pointing out the connections between emissions of mercury and mercury in fish and other aquatic life.

"Taken together, this science presents compelling information on the nature, extent and severity of the ecological consequences of mercury pollution associated with air emissions," says Dr. Charles Driscoll, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University and board member of the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation. "With a hazardous pollutant, such as mercury, we hope that science will play a central role in informing public policy," he adds.

Dr. Driscoll and his colleagues are releasing new findings and calling attention to recent research from across the U.S. to shed light on the extent of the mercury problem and the extent to which air emissions are responsible for high mercury in lakes, fish and loons. Specifically:

-- New research suggests delays may be harmful. Preliminary results from the "METAALICUS" experiments in Northeast Ontario and experiments in the Florida Everglades suggest that recently deposited mercury is more active in ecosystems than existing mercury - implying that it is important to reduce mercury emissions sooner rather than later in order to limit mercury accumulation in fish and other wildlife. The proposed regulations are expected to delay substantial mercury emission cuts to 2018.

-- New research shows impact to fish is severe. New estimates for the Northeast show that 40 percent of lakes in New Hampshire and Vermont violate the highest EPA standard for mercury in fish - - demonstrating that the problem is more severe than previously thought. This new publication is "in press" in the Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry.

-- Recent study demonstrates the problem can be addressed. Research from the Florida Everglades suggests that reductions in air emissions of mercury have led to rapid decreases in mercury concentrations in fish and wading birds -- benefits can be expected from controlling mercury emissions.

-- New research shows biological hotspots can occur. A nation- wide dataset on loon eggs, recently published in the journal Ecotoxicology, shows that large local mercury emissions can result in extremely high mercury concentrations in nearby loon eggs -- suggesting that biological hotspots of mercury can occur. Hotspots have been identified as a possible consequence of mercury trading.

"Unfortunately, loons can't read fish consumption advisories," says Dr. David Evers, Executive Director of the Biodiversity Research Institute. Reminiscent of the findings in Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, loon eggs in the Northeastern U.S. consistently have very high mercury levels. "Loons are ingesting large amounts of mercury from the fish in Northeast lakes and we see the mercury showing up in their eggs and blood," Evers adds. Mercury in the air is the major source of mercury to these lakes.

As part of this overall effort to disseminate current research, Dr. Driscoll and the Hubbard Brook Research Foundation have requested a briefing with EPA Administrator Michael Leavitt to present the latest science of mercury pollution.

The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation (HBRF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the understanding and stewardship of terrestrial and associated aquatic ecosystems through scientific research, long-term monitoring, and public education. HBRF is affiliated with the Hubbard Brook Ecosystem Study which was founded in 1963 and is known world-wide for the discovery of acid rain in North America.

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Charles Driscoll, Ph.D. is a Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Syracuse University. Dr. Driscoll has conducted mercury research for over a decade. He has authored more than 200 papers and has a Ph.D. in Environ. Engineering from Cornell University.

Tom Atkeson, Ph.D. is a scientist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection who coordinates monitoring, modeling and research activities in Mercury Science Program.

David Evers, Ph.D. is the founding Executive Director of the Biodiversity Research Institute in Falmouth, Maine (http://www.BRIloon.org). Dr. Evers' research focuses on the effects of elevated mercury on Common Loon behavior, reproduction, and population dynamics in North America. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Cynthia Gilmour, Ph.D. is a scientist with the Academy of Natural Sciences Estuarine Research Center in St. Leonard, MD. She has conducted mercury research for 15 years. She is an investigator on the Mercury Experiment To Assess Atmospheric Loading in Canada and the US (METAALICUS) project. She holds a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Maryland.

David Krabbenhoft, Ph.D. is a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Middleton, Wisconsin. He established the USGS's Mercury Research Laboratory in Wisconsin. He is a Primary Investigator on the internationally conducted Mercury Experiment To Assess Atmospheric Loading in Canada and the US (METAALICUS) project. He holds a Ph.D. in Geochemistry/Hydrogeology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.