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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 Travels: Mercury Levels Measured Anywhere May Have Originated Thousands of Miles Away
With respect to mercury emissions – before they reach land or water – it's important to point out that they travel great distances – even thousands of miles – from their sources of origin. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports that only 8% of the mercury deposited in the U.S. comes from U.S. power plants.4
So mercury levels in Chicago could be caused by emissions that originate from around the world.
According to the 1997 EPA Mercury Study Report to Congress5, "mercury levels in fish vary greatly, often showing little correlation to proximity to mercury emission sources." For example, here in South Carolina the consumption guidelines on fish coming out of Lakes Marion and Moultrie are minimal, yet they have several of the state's largest coal-fired power plants in close proximity.6
Furthermore, we know from the Electric Power Research Institute that if all U.S. power plants were shut down the impact on measurable mercury in the country would be negligible.7
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4 U.S. EPA, Clean Air Mercury Rule, http://www.epa.gov/air/mercuryrule/pdfs/slide2rev1.pdf
5 1997 EPA, Mercury Study Report to Congress, www.epa.gov/mercury/report.htm
6 South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, http://www.scdhec.com/environment/water/fish/docs/fishtable.pdf 7 Leonard Levin. Mercury - State of the Science. Electric Power Research Institute. Presented at a SC DHEC public hearing relating to CAIR/CAMR. Columbia, SC,11 January 2007. Santee Cooper has also commissioned an additional study of mercury deposition in South Carolina from coal-fired power plants located in the state.
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