Is $10 a Year Too Much?

By now you've probably figured out that we are big fans of strong mercury protections for North Carolina.  And you've heard the reasons: mercury is a powerful neurotoxin and it's found in too many North Carolina fish -- and in too many women.

But a point of view piece from pediatrician Kathy Shea gives us one more staggering statistic to back our case for strong protections:

There are around 120,000 babies born each year in the state. If exposure to methylmercury here is similar to the national exposure levels documented by the Centers for Disease Control in 2003, that means that somewhere between 9,000 and 19,000 babies each year are exposed in utero to mercury levels high enough to cause damage to the developing brain.

This exposure can cause "IQ loss, memory and attention problems, fine motor deficits and developmental delay."  Wow.

Dr. Shea concludes:

To me this is an obvious choice. We should apply the maximum available control technology to all coal-burning power plants as quickly as possible. Estimated costs to consumers are about $4-$10 per year. That seems like a small price to pay for the peace of mind of knowing that we in North Carolina are doing the most we can do to protect our most vulnerable and precious citizens.

Well said.  Let's just hope that the state hears her.