Toxic food? Then don't eat!

You’ve probably heard by now that Titan Cement Company wants to build a coal-fired cement plant near Wilmington, NC. And you’ve probably heard that this cement plant and mining operation would destroy around 1,000 acres of North Carolina wetlands and the coal fired cement plant would emit hundreds of pounds of the neurotoxin mercury. (And if you haven’t heard about this yet, help us stop Titan’s plans by sending a quick message to your legislators.) Mercury contamination is of great concern to North Carolinians because currently the state Department of Health is advising most women and children to avoid eating over 2 dozens types of fish because of dangerous levels of mercury found in those species (read the fish consumption advisory here).

But don’t worry [insert sarcasm here] - a new report says that the toxic mercury emissions from the cement plant won’t be a problem!

Not surprisingly, this report was a study funded by...the Titan Cement Company. I’m SURE they would have released the report even if the results said something different. But what’s most revealing is what the company and their report actually say about how people can protect themselves from mercury poisoning:

"The best way to alleviate their risk is to help them make better dietary choices, the report concludes."

In other words – the mercury emissions won’t threaten public health...as long as the public stops eating most fish. I’ve got a better idea. How about we stop creating new sources of mercury emissions that add to the growing problem of dozens of toxic fish in our state. Then we won’t have to worry about being poisoned by our plate of fried catfish AND can have a thriving commercial fishing industry.