Facts on Mercury

• When coal is burned, mercury is released into the environment. U.S. coal-fired power plants emit mercury in three different forms: oxidized mercury (likely to deposit within the U.S.); elemental mercury, which travels hundreds and thousands of miles before depositing to land and water; and particulate mercury.
  
  
• Coal-burning power plants produce more than 35% of all human-caused mercury emissions in the United States, releasing approximately 48 tons annually.
  
  
• The EPA has estimated that about one third of U.S. emissions from coal-burning power plants are deposited in the U.S. and the remainder migrates to other parts of the world.
  
  
• Research shows that mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages. It has also been demonstrated that high levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm their developing nervous systems, making children less able to think and learn.