Iowa Mercury Rules And What they Mean to Your Health
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Humans have been putting mercury in their mouths for hundreds of years. It’s the silver liquid inside of glass thermometers and, despite its variety of uses, it can be extremely dangerous. The effects of mercury poisoning are as numerous as they are worrisome: fits of anger, insomnia, inability to learn, ulcerated gums, loose teeth and diarrhea. In case that’s not bad enough, sufferers also often encounter emphysema, headaches, chest pain, and a ringing in the ears. Considering the misery of mercury poisoning, the natural question is: How does it happen? How did I get mercury poison?
For a few, select people (mainly characters in mystery novels), an arch-nemesis will drop mercury into a drink. For the rest of us, the element comes from the environment; factories emit mercury, the mercury ends up in a stream, a fish soaks up some mercury, and then a person eats the fish. In fact, mercury has been one of the focus points of environmental activism by groups like the Sierra Club, and has been the target of legislation by the EPA. Currently, Iowa follows the national guidelines that have been established by the EPA, but recent new proposed laws have compelled factory owners to fight for their right to pollute.
Iowa’s laws about mercury pollution are fairly straightforward. By 2010, factory owners must reduce their emissions by 20%. The legislation then defines several different types of factories, based on power capacity and pollution level, and then sets limits for each type. Most importantly, the law states that factories must be monitored for at least a year before their emission-reduction projects begin. Factory owners say that these guidelines are too stringent, and will hurt the United States economically. Environmentalists, on the other hand, say they are necessary.
In the middle of all this legislation, it’s hard for a consumer to know what to do. Keep your eyes and ears open for news stories about mercury spills or instances of poisoning, and, if possible, make sure that any fish you eat comes from a safe source. Stay informed about the guidelines in your state; if you feel strongly about this issue, then get involved, and lend your support to the environmental groups or the business lobbies.