Right to know

Testing times ahead for US coa FROm next year, us power plants will be
forced to test the coal they burn for
traces of mercury. The us Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will also
require a selected number of plants to
test their emissions for the heavy metal.
This will help EPA decide whether mercury emissions should be regulated and
to inform the public of the scale of the
problem. The initiative, which will
affect 1,400 coal-fired power plants in
the us, is part of the Clinton administration's 'right-to-know' public disclosure policy on potential environmental hazards. The EPA will begin gathering the data from January 1, 1999, and will post
the results on the Internet by early 2000.
The EPA plans to cut mercury emissions
by 50 per cent by 2006.
The EPA reported to us
Congress last year that
utility companies are
the largest source
of airborne mercury
emissions in the country. Mercury emissions
often accumulate in
rivers and lakes and
can cause health hazard through the food
chain. Exposure to the
chemical can also damage nerves.