Toxics vs. Global Warming- Competing or Mutual Priorities?

I spoke at a press conference on behalf of CoolMom on Thursday, in partnership with Environment Washington and a University of Washington toxicologist and prominent member of Physicians for Social Responsibility,Dr. Steve Gilbert, on an emerging and urgent awareness dealing with both toxins and global warming pollutants in our environment. I learned some new information about this issue in preparing to present at this press conference, and in talking with the other speakers.

The national branch of Environment Washington had just released a report: Dirty Energy’s Assault on our Health: Mercury on the national releases of emissions from coal fired power plants. The focus of the report was on mercury releases from coal and the need for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to impose MUCH stricter mercury emission controls on all coal plants. Environment Washington was highlighting the pollution of the sole Washington coal-fired power plant, which emits 361 pounds of mercury per year out their “smokestack”. It is TransAlta (a Canadian owned company) in Centralia, Washington. They are the largest mercury emitter in the state. While 361 pounds of mercury is hard to comprehend, I assure you it is significant. And mercury is no wimpy toxin.

Back to the connection with CoolMom. Sometimes, when CoolMom works on climate change issues, we can overlap with toxics issues. One example is nitrogen-based fertilizers, which pose somewhat of a health concern, but are also significant contributors to global warming. This happens as the nitrogen in the fertilizer converts to nitrous oxide and releases to atmosphere, a greenhouse gas that is far more potent than carbon dioxide.

Another example, more salient to the Environment Washington press conference is the case of burning coal. Mercury occurs naturally in coal, so when you burn coal, you release mercury. Coal-based power production is one of the major anthropogenic contributors to global warming. In fact, according to Washington Department of Ecology, the Trans Alta plant is responsible for about 10% of the global warming pollution in Washington state, by emitting over 10.4 million tons of global warming pollution a year. But, let’s not forget about that 361 pounds of mercury released each year. The messages from Dr. Gilbert about mercury were strong and clear. Mercury causes serious neurological and health problems. The power plant emissions reach us through air, deposition onto water where it is transformed, (or “methylated” to be chemically correct), and bioconcentrated up the aquatic chain. Then we consume it, in the form of fish. Tuna and swordfish are some of the higher mercury-bearing fish, but many types of fish contain some level of mercury.

He also stated that the technology is available for these plants to capture and control mercury releases. But it’s expensive, so without regulatory requirements, a company may not invest in this. (Entre – Environment Washington efforts to push the EPA to enforce tighter emissions controls).

In several recent news stories and postings, this same connection has been made with greenhouse gases and toxics.  The Jan 23, 2011 EarthTalk (akin to a Dear Abby column about the Environment) states the following:  “But perhaps trumping all of these examples [of toxins] is the potential disastrous health effects of global warming. Carbon dioxide emissions may not be directly responsible for health problems at or near their point of release, but in aggregate they can cause lots of distress.”

So, I believe these are Mutual Priorities, and that in many instances, we will be able to connect toxics reduction with global warming reduction efforts, and vice versa.

In closing, while we all realize that purchased energy is a necessity for our day to day lives, we MUST back our efforts to curb coal-fired power production by practicing and promoting conservation, using renewable energy, and finding less polluting ways to use fuels and energy. These efforts are ways we can begin to reduce the demand for coal-based power, and then, hopefully, reduce the global warming and air pollution impacts of burning coal, and reduce mercury health risks to our kids and communities.

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Environment Washington press conference and a quote from Michelle here