At the opening of fishing season, Environment Maryland Research and Policy Center released a comprehensive report in April examining all fish testing data from the past several years. It was the first time multiple databases from different state agencies were combined to get a more complete picture of mercury contamination across the state.

The study confirms that fish caught in lakes, rivers and reservoirs across Maryland contain enough mercury that they present a health risk. The report, Mercury Pollution in Maryland, found several disturbing facts about fish contamination:

• 59 percent of fish caught and tested in Maryland contained more than 30 parts per billion (ppb) of mercury, the level above which the EPA and FDA recommend people limit their consumption.

• Nearly one in ten fish contained mercury at a concentration of 300 ppb or greater.

• The most contaminated sample had a mercury level of 2,077 ppb.

Power plants are the biggest source of mercury in Maryland, followed by municipal waste incinerators, paper production, medical waste incinerators and cement manufacturing.

Ingesting mercury causes neurological proglems. Children who are exposed may have problems concentrating, display worse motor skills, and learn to walk and talk at a later age. Adults with more mercury in their bodies may be at an increased risk of experiencing a heart attack. The report estimated that in Maryland 6,000 to 12,000 unborn children are exposed in utero to levels of mercury that exceed federal safety standards.

Based on testing data from Maryland waters, the state has issued fish consumption advisories since 2001. Maryland warns the general population to limit consumption of seven species of fish from across the state.

Regional mercury reductions

Environment Maryland, together with a coalition of environmental and public health advocates, is calling on states throughout the region to reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

The Ozone Transport Commission is a regional body of the environmental agencies of thirteen states, from Virginia to Maine, plus the District of Columbia. The commission is currently finalizing a policy to reduce power plant pollution in each of its member states. Early drafts of the policy have included reductions in mercury emissions, but some states are pressuring their neighbors to exclude mercury from the final regulations.

“To adopt new rules to clean up power plants but not include mercury would be bad public policy,” said Environment Maryland Policy Associate Chris Fick. “This pollutant is damaging babies’ brains. How can they ignore it?”

While much of Maryland’s mercury pollution comes from local sources, experts agree that a significant amount of mercury blows into Maryland from out of state. Maryland's Healthy Air Act could be a model for the region.

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