They want us to be dumber. This is one way to do it. Natural Resources Defense Council responds to EPA gutting of Mercury rules for coal plants, above.
The EPA is promoting the dumb along multiple tracks, however.
One of them is the North Korean style obeisance and adoration for the Great Leader.
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin released the following statement on the heels of President Trump’s State of the Union Address:
“Tonight, the American people witnessed a State of the Union that was nothing short of historic. President Trump delivered a powerful vision for America’s future, one centered on lowering costs for families, unleashing American energy, securing our borders, and keeping our communities safe,” said Administrator Lee Zeldin. “One year in, our nation is stronger, safer, and more affordable. America’s golden age is here!”
Another Soviet-worthy headline incorporates mandatory Trump Speak into policy announcements.
American coal plants emitted 45,676 pounds of mercury in 2014, according to the EPA’s National Emissions Inventory.
The health effects of mercury exposure may depend on your level of exposure, what form it’s in, your age and health.
Methylmercury is the form that Americans encounter most frequently and the majority of exposures occur through eating fish and shellfish that contain high levels.
The fish are exposed to the poisonous substance when gaseous mercury from air pollution falls into bodies of water. In the water, bacteria can change it into methylmercury, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
Mercury exposure can lead to damage to the kidneys, nervous system and liver in adults, according to scientists.
Mercury is the most harmful during the developmental stages. Infants can be exposed when their mothers eat fish that contain methylmercury, affecting their brains with impacts to their thinking, memory, attention, language and spatial skills, according to the EPA.
Research from the University of Rochester has shown that mercury exposure may disrupt the early development of the connections between muscles and the brain, potentially leading to motor control problems later in life.
Blood mercury levels above 100 nanograms per milliliter – the measurement of mercury – are linked to clear signs of mercury poisoning, such as poor muscle coordination and tingling and numbness in fingers and toes, according to the New York State Department of Health.
There are no confirmed deaths from mercury poisoning in the U.S.
Notably, Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said he was once poisoned by mercury due to eating a lot of tuna.
“The mercury is coming from those coal-burning power plants,” Kennedy said while testifying before Congress in 2008. “In 49 states, at least some of the fish are unsafe to eat.”
People with greater exposure to fumes and other airborne pollutants are at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to the study.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, affecting more than 50 million people worldwide.
Exposure to air pollution is a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s, and for several other common chronic health conditions including high blood pressure, stroke and depression.
Those chronic conditions are also linked to Alzheimer’s disease.