New Jersey mercury regulations
- RTP Environmental Associates, Inc., Green Brook, NJ (United States)
Mercury, or quicksilver, and its major ore cinnabar (HgS) have been known for thousands of years. Health effects from mercury such as dementia were known as early as the late 19th century ({open_quotes}mad as a hatter{close_quotes}). In the 1960`s and 1970`s, reported levels of mercury in tuna reawakened public awareness of mercury pollution. In the 1970`s, major epidemics of acute mercury poisoning were reported in Japan and Iraq. These incidents highlighted the extreme health risks, such as kidney damage, birth defects, and death, associated with severe mercury poisoning. Fetuses and young children are particularly vulnerable since mercury poisoning can damage growing neural tissues. Recently, the perception of mercury as a dangerous pollutant has been on the rise. Advisories warning the public to avoid or reduce the consumption of freshwater fish caught in specific waterbodies due to mercury contamination have been issued in numerous states. The discovery of mercury in {open_quotes}pristine{close_quotes} lakes in the United States, Canada, and Scandinavia, remote from industry and any known mercury sources, has focused attention on atmospheric emissions of mercury as potential significant sources of mercury.
- OSTI ID:
- 560541
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961232-; TRN: 97:005890-0008
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: Power-Gen International `96: 9. international conference and exhibition for the power generating industries, Orlando, FL (United States), 4-6 Dec 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of POWER-GEN `96 international. Book II - B. Environmental issues. Volume 4-6; PB: 383 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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