A new report from the group Environment Michigan says 115 inland lakes and rivers in the state have advisories for mercury pollution. Eating contaminated fish is the main way people are exposed to mercury.
Jessica Surma is with Environment Michigan. She says children are especially at risk for adverse health effects from mercury exposure.
“These can include lowered IQs, developmental disabilities and problems with motor control.”
The Environmental Protection Agency says electric utilities are by far the largest manmade sources of mercury emissions in the U.S. The EPA is planning to regulate mercury from power plants – for the first time ever.
John Austerberry is with DTE Energy.
“We agree with the goal of those regulations, but we are concerned that the federal rules will not provide sufficient time for the utilities to plan and install control systems.”
He says the company doesn’t know yet how much any new mercury control systems might cost or how much of that cost they might pass on to customers.
