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A new study released by the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice has found that mercury pollution from cement kilns is nearly double the level projected by the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the environmental groups, 23,000 pounds of mercury emissions are released into the air every year. The report also claims that the EPA was negligent for over a decade in terms of imposing regulations on cement plants emitting thousands of pounds of toxic mercury annually. Two Northern California cement kilns are singled out as being among the nation’s worst mercury polluters. The emission rates from plants in Cupertino and Davenport make the Bay Area the highest mercury polluted region in the state. As a neurotoxin, mercury, in the smallest amounts, can cause adverse health conditions, especially in pregnant women and young children. Contamination in bays and oceans can also make certain fish unsafe to eat. As a result of the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice’s findings, the groups are calling on the EPA to adopt a mercury standard and enforce it by regulatory testing by state agencies.

GUEST: Eric Schaeffer, Director of Environmental Integrity Project. For more information, visit www.environmentalintegrity.org, and www.earthjustice.org.