Another Smudge on the Coal Industry

Historically, we know about the pitfalls of our reliance on coal as an energy source. (All puns intended.) Directly affecting human health, the dreaded Black Lung Disease was the impetus for much of the union organizing that was accomplished in the hills of West Virginia, Kentucky and Pennsylvania last century. The shocking evidence of how destructive strip mining and "mountain-topping" is to our scenic heritage in both the Eastern and Western mountain ranges has helped to make conservationists of millions of Americans. Research linking coal-fired electricity plants to soaring asthma rates among young children in the urban areas of our nation has energized many communities to take political action to protect these most innocent of victims. Recently the scientific studies confirming the global warming effects of greenhouse gas emissions has re-exposed the dirty secret about how we generate our power. Now one more lump of coal hits the fan.

The Boston Globe has a brief article today from Reuters reporting on a wide-ranging study conducted by the United States Geological Survey confirming the damage done to domestic, freshwater fish stocks by our continued reliance on coal. The lethal heavy-metal mercury has long been known to permeate the larger fish in our oceans. Top predator species like tuna, swordfish and marine mammals, notably porpoise, are known to harbor dangerous levels of the toxin. Now the USGS shows how this by-product of coal-burning plants is contaminating trout, bass, and catfish we once thought were free of the worst effects of pollution, and not just in still waters. In over 1,000 individual fish taken from 291 rivers and streams nationwide they found not one single catch was free of mercury and more than one in four fish had levels exceeding what is considered dangerous to people with an average amount of fish in their diet. 48 states, according to the article, have already issued advisories regarding eating fish caught in the wild due to the mercury contamination.

http://www.boston.com/news/science/articles/2009/08/20/mercury_tainted_fish_found_widely_in_us_streams/

This isn't just about global warming, friends. It isn't only about kids getting sick in our cities or laying waste to some of the most beautiful landscapes in America. It's about the survival of our species, nothing less. Pick your own reason to stop coal plants, there are so many to choose from, but pick one quick and get involved with supporting real change in our energy policy. Wait too long to move on this and we'll all be looking at a lump of coal in our Christmas stocking.