EPA Warns Polluted Fish Cover Third Of US Lakes

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pearl - 25 Aug 2004 12:30 GMT

EPA Warns Polluted Fish Cover Third Of US Lakes
8-24-4

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Americans were cautioned
about eating fish from more than one-third of U.S. lakes and
nearly one-fourth of its rivers last year due to pollution from
mercury and other chemicals, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency said on Tuesday.

Nationwide, about 102,000 lakes and about 846,000 river
miles were under fishing advisories in 2003, the EPA said in
its annual report.

Fishing advisories are issued by states if high concentrations
of mercury, dioxin, DDT or three dozen other chemicals
harmful to humans are found in local fish. The advisories
range from an outright ban on all fishing to restrictions on
certain species or sizes of fish.
..
The EPA and the Food and Drug Administration (news -
web sites) recently advised pregnant women, nursing mothers
and young children to avoid some types of fish that may
contain higher levels of mercury which is harmful to
developing nervous systems.
......
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=12&u=/nm/20040824
/ts_nm/environment_lakes_dc

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John Que - 26 Aug 2004 03:23 GMT

Much of this is thanks to the coal fired power stations.
Paul Harvey's "American ace in the hole" is a nasty toxin source;-)

> EPA Warns Polluted Fish Cover Third Of US Lakes
> 8-24-4
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
> developing nervous systems.
> ......

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=12&u=/nm/2004
0824/ts_nm/environment_lakes_dc

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pearl - 26 Aug 2004 14:42 GMT

> Much of this is thanks to the coal fired power stations.

Yes. From the article;

'The nation's 1,100 coal-burning utility plants emit about
48 tons of mercury annually, the largest unregulated U.S.
source of the toxic substance.

The Bush administration proposed earlier this year to require
utilities to cut mercury emissions by 70 percent by 2018, a
deadline that Democrats say is too generous to the industry
and too risky for public health.

The number of river miles under fishing advisories was up by
9 percent in 2003, with lake acreage up 2 percent, the EPA said.
..
http://tinyurl.com/62ng9

> Paul Harvey's "American ace in the hole" is a nasty toxin source;-)
>
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=12&u=/nm/2004
> 0824/ts_nm/environment_lakes_dc

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