EPA Unveils Mercury Research Strategy

Jan. 3, 2001
EPA's has released a five-year\r\nstrategy outlining and summarizing the health and ecological risks\r\nposed by mercury.

EPA''s Office of Research and Development has released a five-year strategy outlining and summarizing the health and ecological risks posed by mercury.

The strategy identifies key scientific questions of importance to the agency, and charts a research program to reduce scientific uncertainties that limit EPA''s ability to assess and manage mercury risks.

The agency will study mercury issues such as transport and transformation; risk management for power plant combustion and other industrial sources; and human health and environmental effects and exposure.

Mercury exposure has been associated with both human nerve damage and growth impairment.

Airborne mercury settles over waterways, polluting rivers and lakes and contaminating fish, according to EPA.

In a 1997 mercury report to Congress, EPA concluded that a plausible link exists between mercury from industrial and combustion sources in the United States and methylmercury concentrations in humans and wildlife.

The study also estimated that from 1 to 3 percent of women of childbearing age eat fish in amounts that could put their fetuses at risk from methylmercury exposure.

A report from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) last year confirmed EPA''s Reference Dose (RfD) of 0.1 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day as a scientifically justifiable level for protecting human health from adverse effects of methylmercury.

NAS also identified a set of research needs for methylmercury exposures and human health effects which EPA has incorporated in its new research strategy.

The "Mercury Research Strategy, Sept. 2000," is available at www.epa.gov/ORD/WebPubs/final.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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