Clouds of black haze billow out Indiana's power plant smoke stacks and visibly linger in the atmosphere until they blend with the sky.

Although the smoke provides a temporary reminder of the plant's pollution, its harmful chemicals, like mercury, remain in the environment and contribute to health defects, especially in fetuses and infants.

According to Andy Knott, the air and energy policy director for the Hoosier Environmental Council, Indiana is fourth in the country for mercury emissions, releasing 5,728 pounds a year and rising, and few people realize it.

“The state doesn't do a very good job at advertising the issue,” he said.

Transferred toxins

Power plants emit toxic air pollutants, like mercury. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management labels atmospheric pollution as a health hazard, but says land pollution, such as mercury deposits in soil and in water, poses a greater threat because it contaminates plants and animals, especially fish.

According to the Indiana Fish Consumption Advisory, mercury deposited on water surfaces undergoes a chemical change and reacts to bacteria in the water, which fish absorb by eating aquatic organisms exposed to the chemical.

Humans who eat contaminated fish then accumulate mercury and can suffer from brain defects because mercury blocks nerve cells in the brain, distorting its development. Mercury's greatest victims are fetuses whose mothers ingest contaminated fish.

A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control found that up to 10 percent of American women carry mercury levels that put fetal development at risk.

New studies suggest that the umbilical cord passes mercury substances directly from mother to fetus. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the umbilical chord contains twice the mercury present in the mother's blood and estimates that 630,000 out of 4 million babies born each year are exposed to mercury in the womb.

After the umbilical cord is cut, infants remain at risk because breast milk exposes children to the toxin.

Besides infants, mercury poses more of a risk to avid fish eaters than to adults who eat it sparingly.

According to the EPA, humans accumulate mercury over time, so it can take months or even years of eating contaminated fish to reach levels that present major health concerns.

Office of pollution prevention and technical assistance

Read about Indiana's mercury awarness program

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Although mercury, a toxin emitted from power plants that can cause brain defects in infants, can build up in the body over time, the EPA suggests that only the people who regularly consume large portions of contaminated fish expose themselves to dangerous levels of mercury.

“If you eat these products regularly, or you're not sure what you've eaten, you need to be aware that these toxins are out there and that they can accumulate easily,” said Megan Foster, Indiana Public Interest Research Group organizer.

To avoid mercury buildup, the EPA advises against eating king mackerel, tilefish, shark and swordfish. Albacore “white” tuna was recently added.

The EPA and the Food and Drug Administration advise women who may become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children to avoid these fish.

The EPA says people can eat 12 ounces of fish with lower levels of mercury (two meals per week) and up to six ounces of albacore tuna (one meal per week) and still avoid the health risks.

People can also avoid consuming mercury by steering clear of certain waterways.

In addition to providing information about the waterways, the list explains which fish to avoid.

“Fishing locally, people don't watch what they catch and eat,” said Andy Knott, a director for the Hoosier Environmental Council. “I don't think people know that fish can be detrimental to their health.”

A study conducted by the Environmental Working Group, a team of scientists, engineers and policy experts specializing in environmental investigations of government data and other documents, suggests that the FDA's proposed amount for safe fish consumption is, in fact, detrimental to the health of the unborn fetus.

Despite these health hazards, some people still eat fish, like tuna, with high mercury levels because it is inexpensive.

“For some, financially tuna's really cheap,” said Wendy Freeman, INPIRG volunteer. “I'd rather people eat tuna than be malnourished, but as much as they can afford, stay away from tuna.”

Freeman says that she still eats tuna despite the risks.

Knott said that people are unaware of the seriousness of mercury contamination and need to get involved in the issue.

“People need to learn more about mercury in fish, to look at the facts, and get active politically,” he said.

Capping mercury

Mercury levels in the environment will decrease under a new initiative proposed by the Bush administration.

Under the Clear Skies Initiative, the EPA will soon require all coal-burning power plants to comply with the Maximum Achievable Control Technology beginning in 2007.

MACT will help reduce the nation's mercury emissions 45 percent by 2008 and 69 percent by 2018, cutting emissions by 22 tons.

Many plants have the opportunity to maneuver around the regulations in light of Bush's “cap and trade” proposal, which offers plants the opportunity to trade emissions rights as a credit.

“Cap and trade” allows the power plants that emit less mercury into the air to trade or sell extra polluting space to power plants in need of more pollution rights. Power plants buying or trading pollution rights will legally be allowed to emit more mercury pollution than what the original standard allowed.

Photo by Laura Hilker Megan Foster works as INPIRG's coordinator to help reduce pollution. "It's scary that our EPA feels it's better to relax the control of these emissions before they even get started controlling them," she said.

INPIRG volunteer Wendy Freeman said “cap and trade” will limit high pollution levels to one city or state.

“This might allow for a little more variation in where the pollution is going,” Freeman said.

The air and energy policy director for the Hoosier Environmental Council, Andy Knott, said that allowing plants to sell and trade pollution credits will generate popular areas where plants buy rights to emit more pollution.

“Some plants will clean up their acts and others will just stay the same, creating hot spots in specific regions,” he said.

Mark Menefee, the assistant director of utilities at Central Heating Plant in Bloomington, said the plant is prepared for the transition to MACT, but he has no intention of utilizing the “cap and trade” allowance.

“We'll be the guys that are in a position to sell or trade,” Menefee said. “But I don't think we would do that.”

Freeman said that power plants in rural areas should not be entitled to purchase pollution credits.   

“A power plant in the middle of nowhere shouldn't trade emissions to a plant in a heavily populated area,” Freeman said. “It's unethical.”

According to INPIRG, the emissions proposal would also give polluters at least 15 years to comply with reduction standards.

“It's scary that our EPA feels it's better to relax the control of these emissions before they even get started controlling them,” said INPIRG organizer Megan Foster.

Knott is actively working toward a solution to mercury pollution, and said studies have shown a significant reverse in mercury contamination when reductions come into play. He has high hopes for the future of the environment and public health.

“The mercury is still out there, but in the long run it precipitates to the bottom of the food chain,” said Knott.

Coal plant to reduce pollution

Bloomington's compliance with MACT

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