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| Introduction |
There has been a lot of talk about mercury, especially as it relates to coal-fired power plants.
That's because the issue of mercury – where it comes from and its impact – is complex. We at Santee Cooper know there are questions, and we want to address them responsibly and accurately.
Here's the good news: mercury isn't as daunting as some would have you believe.
But because the issue of mercury is of interest to many people, we would like to shed some light on the topic.
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Mercury Comes from Many Sources
Many people associate mercury with the silver liquid found in thermometers. This is one form of mercury – it's in our air, water and land, and is a naturally occurring element. It is called elemental mercury. Another form of mercury, and the one we've heard so much about lately, is called methylmercury, and is formed when mercury comes into contact with bacteria in low – oxygen environments, like lake bottoms. Why it has become a concern to people is because it can be accumulated in tissues, like those of fish.
This is the mercury that can be harmful to people if they are exposed to it in excessive amounts.
At least one-third of the mercury released into our environment comes from natural sources, like volcanoes, oceans and forest fires.1 Another third is mercury that was once deposited in natural land sinks and then re-emitted because of activities like erosion due to land clearing and the burning of timberland or crops.2 The final third is mercury that is released directly through man-made activities such as mining, industrial manufacturing, waste incineration and coal-fired power plants.3
And while it is certainly important to control and minimize mercury emissions to the greatest possible extent, it is also important to keep its dangers in perspective. We know of only four environmental cases of mercury poisoning events ever recorded worldwide. And they are all linked to unusual occurrences of extended or direct exposure or consumption. None were in the United States.
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1 U.S. EPA, Mercury Emissions: The Global Context, http://www.epa.gov/mercury/control_emissions/global.htm
2 Ibid
3 Ibid
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