Women Line Up At A Philadelphia Hair Salon To Get Tested For Mercury Poisoning

Women and their families gathered today at a downtown Philadelphia hair salon to volunteer their time and a small portion of their hair for a new nationwide scientific study by Greenpeace on mercury poisoning. The event, which collected the inaugural data for the Greenpeace Hair Sampling Project, educated those in attendance about the growing national concern over the levels of the toxic metal mercury in people's bodies. "The Bush administration has proposed weakening a Clinton-era decision that would have reduced mercury emissions from power plants, the leading cause of mercury pollution in the United States, by 90 percent by 2008. The owners of these plants would have, under the Bush proposal, 10 to 20 more years to reduce their mercury pollution, and then only by 70 percent," stated Lisa Finaldi, Greenpeace Campaigns Director. "Clearly, the president is not acting to protect the public from this mercury poisoning."

The hair sampling event also jumpstarted the creation of the first chapter of Mothers Opposed to Mercury (MOM), a local citizen groups that will work with Greenpeace this election year to both expose the health risks that dirty energy, such as coal, poses to the American public and to work toward a clean energy solution.

"With Mother's Day around the corner, Moms are demanding a change. We are here today to find out our own mercury levels and to urge Bush to put people and the environment first," said MOM supporter Leila Varella.

Local pediatrician Dr. Kevin Browngoehl spoke to participants in the study about the effects of mercury exposure, saying. "As many as 600,000 infants born in the U.S. each year may have mercury levels that place them at risk for brain damage that can effect them throughout their lives."

Deficits from mercury that affect the brain include problems with attention, language and verbal memory. "This damage can permanently effect their quality of life, academic success and economic prospects in life. America needs to develop the political will to eliminate this preventable poisoning of our future, our children," Browngoehl continued.

The Hair Sampling for Mercury Project is part of Greenpeace's Clean Energy Now Campaign. The Greenpeace Clean Energy Now! Campaign is part of a global 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.