Protecting Pennsylvanians' Health: Bolstering Mercury Regulations for Cleaner Air and Water
By Shruti Machiraju, June 20, 2023
The most essential action for cutting mercury emissions is reducing coal use as coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States. PA is one of the biggest coal states in the country.
In April of 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed an updated Mercury and Air Toxics Standard (MATS) to further cut deadly pollution from power plants. It is now up to the people to ensure the strongest standards possible are implemented.
So far, MATS has had widespread successes in slashing toxic emissions in the United States. Since it was put in place in 2012, the rule has resulted in a 90% reduction in mercury emissions. Furthermore, it has prevented an estimated 11,000 deaths and 130,000 child asthma attacks per year. The revised rule proposes limits for power plants that will further cut the emissions of various pollutants, including slashing mercury emissions by 82 pounds nationally. This will achieve up to $1.9 billion in health benefits for Americans.
Reducing mercury emissions will not only have significant benefits, it is also a crucial move for protecting the health of all Pennsylvanians. Mercury is highly damaging to the nervous system and is known to cause birth defects. The most common way people are exposed to mercury pollution is from seafood consumption. As mercury is emitted into the air from power plants, it settles or runs off into water bodies. Here, it is converted to methylmercury, and builds up in fish and shellfish. In people of all ages consuming methylmercury can lead to a loss of peripheral vision, loss of movement coordination, and impaired speech. The birth defects caused by methylmercury hinder brain and nervous system development. This leads to debilitations in cognition, memory, attention, language, motor skills, and vision. In 2022, 101 bodies of water in PA were put under fish consumption advisory due to mercury pollution. Strong mercury regulation will be highly beneficial in limiting exposure to this neurotoxin.
The most essential action for cutting mercury emissions is reducing coal use as coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury pollution in the United States. PA is one of the biggest coal states in the country. It ranks 3rd in coal production and 10th in coal consumption in the U.S. Prior to MATS, the state ranked 3rd in mercury pollution, and Pennsylvanian power plants emitted a total of 3,964 pounds of mercury in 2010. Last year, coal-fired power plants emitted a total of 89 pounds of mercury–a stark reduction from its pre-MATS numbers–but PA still has a long way to go in protecting its people from mercury poisoning, which can be achieved through stronger regulations against mercury emissions.
In addition to the health concerns posed by mercury contamination, curbing emissions is vital for addressing environmental justice issues in PA. Along with exposure via seafood consumption, people are exposed through inhalation in the form of elemental mercury. This is especially true in areas near mercury-emitting power plants. Joseph Otis Minott, Executive Director and Chief Counsel of the Clean Air Council, said “Pennsylvania’s coal plants are uniformly located in areas where at least 20% of the population lives below the poverty line, qualifying them as Environmental Justice Areas.” This includes the Homer City, Conemaugh, and Keystone Generating Stations–the three largest coal-fired power plants in the state. The proximity of low-income communities to coal-fired power plants leaves them notably more exposed to mercury vapors and other toxic emissions than other communities. This is why it is imperative that everyone in PA supports the revised MATS–it will protect our health.
It is essential that Pennsylvanians push for strong and effective regulations against harmful emissions from power plants. Public comments are one of the easiest and most impactful ways to make this happen. Please submit a comment to ensure the EPA protects people and children from toxic air pollution.
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