But this report reveals that rain falling over Midwestern cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Duluth contains as much as 65 times the EPA safe' level of mercury, which holds out extremely serious health implications for both humans and wildlife. Associated illnesses include brain, lung and kidney damage and even death in humans. In wildlife, mercury is a reproductive hazard that can cause harmful effects on species such as frogs, rainbow trout, zebra fish, mallard and American black ducks, loons and terns. Nationally, more than a third of mercury emissions come from coal-fired power plants, with the remainder coming from municipal waste incinerators and medical waste incinerators. In the Great Lakes region, coal combustion causes over half the mercury emissions.
Coal contains trace amounts of mercury that are released into the air as it is burned for energy.
When medical devices such as thermometers and blood pressure cuffs or household items like flourescent lights, lamps and thermostats are discarded and burned, the residual mercury is emitted into the atmosphere. EPA need to begin monitoring for mercury in rain in Chicago and Gary. We need to know what's in our rain. The Clean the Rain Campaign calls on major industry to drastically reduce emissions and asks citizens to help cut mercury pollution by conserving energy, not purchasing consumer products that contain mercury, or if they do purchase them, disposing of them properly. The Campaign also calls on federal and state governments to more closely monitor mercury levels in rainfall.