Elected officials and families
gathered downtown at Harrisburg’s Capital Hair Salon to volunteer
their time and a small portion of their hair for Greenpeace’s
National Hair Sampling Study of Mercury Exposure. Greenpeace
collected data at today’s event in order to further a study about
the growing national concern over the levels of the toxic metal
mercury in people’s bodies. Greenpeace used this opportunity to
highlight renewable energy, a viable replacement to the nation’s
largest mercury source, coal power, as the group showcased its
Rolling Sunlight solar demonstration vehicle outside the salon.
The Greenpeace Mercury study was created in reaction to a Bush
Administration proposal to weaken a Clinton-era decision that would
have reduced mercury emissions from power plants, a leading cause
of mercury pollution in the United States, by 90 percent by 2008.
ìMercury emissions from coal power plants are dangerous and toxic
to our environment and the fish we eat”, stated Casey Harrell,
Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! Campaigner. “The American people have
a right to know what is in their bodies and they also have the
right to know why their President is not protecting their health
from this poison.”
State Representatives and Senators joined the hair sampling at
Capital Salon to show their great concern about mercury
contamination from dirty energy sources, but also to show that
elected officials can help provide clean energy solutions to this
public health danger. State Representative and House Subcommittee
Chairman on Energy, Greg Vitali, stated, ìThe United States is at a
critical juncture. It is time for our nation’s political leaders to
pass legislation that will heavily invest in clean energy like
solar and wind power that is good for our people, our environment,
our economy and our future.”
While elevated levels of mercury are harmful to everyone, women
of childbearing age are especially at risk because the developing
young are vulnerable to mercury contamination. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
estimate that one out of every six children born in America,
approximately 630,000, has elevated levels of mercury in their
body. ìExposure to mercury in the womb is particularly dangerous
and can affect the development of memory, attention and language
skills. We need presidential leadership to eliminate this
preventable poisoning of our children, our future, ” Harrell
explained.
An academic laboratory, the Environmental Quality Institute at
the University of North Carolina-Asheville, is performing the
analysis for Greenpeace’s mercury study. The study is part of
Greenpeace’s global Clean Energy Now! Campaign that is committed to
ending our addiction to fossil fuels by promoting and forcing the
increased use of clean energy and energy efficiency as solutions
for the world’s growing power needs. The campaign has been
successful by working with local and state governments, students,
as well as other groups to stop dirty energy projects and to
increase investment in clean energy.
