MERCURY HOTSPOTS THREATEN PUBLIC HEALTH
25 January 2004

Environmental groups have been warning against controversial plans to trade in pollution credits, which allow companies, or countries, to buy and sell leftover maximum pollution quota credits, on the grounds that they undermine the effectiveness of regulation by permitting contaminated "hotspots" to emerge in places where a given polluter has purchased a large number of credits. Environmental Defense reports that 10 US states are already emerging mercury hotspots and that current federal policy will not protect against such contamination.

In November, the Center for Science and Environment published a report indicating that India is on the brink of an environmental disaster, due to mercury-contaminated hotspots. The report says according to UNEP "chlor-alkali industries located on river basins in eastern India have released 60-320 times more mercury than the permissible limit into the rivers". Mercury is a contaminant of particular concern for opponents of pollution credits, because it accumulates, is highly toxic in all its forms, and penetrates into the food web through fish, water and plantlife. [For more: CSE Press Release]