A Journal of the American Medical Association report reveals that 1 in 12 American women (8 percent) of reproductive age have mercury levels above what the Environmental Protection Agency deems safe. Power plants that burn fossil fuels, such as coal, and waste incineration, pulp, paper manufacturing and other processes, generate the most mercury emissions.
Once mercury falls into lakes, rivers and oceans, fish and other creatures convert it to methylmercury, a potent neurotoxin.
By eating fish and shellfish, people are exposed to methylmercury, which is dangerous for women of childbearing age because the chemical can damage the brain and kidney of developing fetuses, research has shown.
Congress is poised to act on a Bush administration plan, called the Clear Skies Initiative, which will slow down the timetable for reducing the main source of mercury, emissions from coal-fired power plants