Coal-fired power plants in the US could soon face tough new restrictions on
mercury emissions. A National Academy of Sciences’ expert panel has agreed that
exposure to mercury in the womb damages children’s intellectual development,
backing the conclusions of a study in the Faeroe Islands
(New Scientist, 22 November 1997, p 4).
The panel’s decision should allow the Environmental
Protection Agency to impose new restrictions on mercury exposure from December.
The Department of ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ had expressed concern that stricter limits would stop
people eating fish, the main source of dietary mercury.
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