Georgia's Biggest Mercury Polluters Power plants continue to
release large amounts of toxic pollutants, including mercury,
into our air. In 2010, two-thirds of all airborne mercury
pollution in the United States came from the smokestacks of
coal-fired power plants. In other words, power plants generate
more airborne mercury pollution than all other industrial
sources combined. Mercury is a potent neurotoxicant. Mercury
exposure during critical periods of brain development can
contribute to irreversible deficits in verbal skills, damage to
attention and motor control, and reduced IQ. In 2011, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the first
national standards limiting mercury and other toxic air
pollution from existing coal- and oil-fired power plants.
Implementing these standards will protect public health. Coal-
fired power plants are a major source of airborne mercury
pollution. • The Big Brown Steam Electric Station and Lignite
Coal Mine in Fairfield, Texas, emitted 1,610 pounds of mercury