Toxic Chemicals Release Report Shows Mercury, PCB Pollution Rise Dramatically

David Gutierrez
Natural News
Saturday, July 4, 2009

Releases of mercury, PCBs, lead and dioxin into the environment increased significantly between 2006 and 2007, according to the annual “Toxics Release Inventory,” published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“This information underscores the need for fundamental transparency and provides a powerful tool for protecting public health and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. “Serving the public’s right to know is the crucial first step in reducing toxic chemicals in the places where we live, work and raise children.”

The “Toxics Release Inventory” classifies all releases together, including legal and illegal dumping, disposal in mine reclamation ponds (which leach into groundwater) and disposal in toxic dump sites.

Between 2006 and 2007, PCB releases increased by 40 percent, due to disposal of supplies manufactured before the substances were banned in 1979. Mercury releases, mostly due to mining, increased by 38 percent. Dioxin releases increased by 11 percent, and lead releases increased by 1 percent. Overall releases of all persistent, bioaccumalitive and toxic chemicals or metals increased by 1 percent.

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PCBs and dioxins are highly toxic to animal life, particularly birds. Both accumulate in animal (including human) bodies and disrupt the body’s hormonal and reproductive systems. Lead and mercury can cause neurological and behavioral problems, particularly in children. All four pollutants are especially dangerous to pregnant women and children, due to their effects on the body’s development.

According to the “Toxics Release Inventory,” slight decreases in air and water pollution occurred between 2006 and 2007 — 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

In December 2006, the Bush administration implemented a rule decreasing the thoroughness of the EPA’s toxics release reporting program. In March of this year, however, President Obama signed a law overturning the Bush policy.

“The public has a right to know about chemicals in their air and water,” said New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who authored the law. “The Bush administration watered down this law and let facilities hide critical data about their toxic chemical emissions. It is time to restore the public’s right to know about the release of toxic chemicals in their communities.”

Sources for this story include: www.ens-newswire.com.

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9 Responses to “Toxic Chemicals Release Report Shows Mercury, PCB Pollution Rise Dramatically”

1. LRRP 1968 Says:
   July 4th, 2009 at 4:29 am

   What they fail to mention the releases from the government. The Pentagon is not required to report releases there’s no telling his much they spew.

   As an aside the EPA has been caught many times dumping stuff like liquid copier toner down the sink drains and sending waste paint and other things to the landfills. They’s fine and jail anyone that does the same thing that do!

   

   Dying From The Air Reply:
   July 5th, 2009 at 7:08 am

   The USAF’s aerosol program that is responsible for the daily chemtrails that fill our skies each morning dump tons of barium and other toxic substances in the ionosphere annually. These substances eventually fall to the earth putting us all at risk. Barium effects the immune system so other toxins and pathogens can be effective. The corporate sponsored and US government/ FDA authorized eugenics programs are widespread involving everything from food dies in grocery products to the pathogens including viruses dispursed using Chemtrails. And we thought Hitler was bad. We have much to learn about the evils of those who are currently in charge.

2. truth911 Says:
   July 4th, 2009 at 6:54 am

   and how much did it take for a bunch of over paid useless bastards to figure that one out a million a few billion ????????????

3. Joe the Garbage Man Says:
   July 4th, 2009 at 8:31 am

   Chemtrails?????

   

   artsy Reply:
   July 4th, 2009 at 10:41 am

   yeah…chemtrails…

   

   QUICKSILVERISQWIKER Reply:
   July 5th, 2009 at 9:04 am

   LOL GOOGLE MERCURY LOOK AT THE SYMBOL STUDY ITS HISTORY AND SEE HOW IT IS USED IN EVERYDAY LIFE STRIP MINING FOR ONE GOLD PANNING ANOTHER
   THEY KNOW ITS A DEADLY TOXIN BUT DO WHAT BARRY TELLS YOU AND GO GET LIGHTBULBS MADE OF THE SHIT SO YOU CAN HURY UP AND BREATH THE VAPORS.

4. Joe in JT Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 7:48 am

   George W Bush basically lifted any oversite on all things begining with the letter C like Corporations. The FDA let poison food in from China like toxic fish and shrimp, dog food, cat food, lead toys (for the kiddies). The SEC snoozed through the greatest financial crises in history even after whistleblowers and concerned MIT professors wrote letters exposing fraud like Bernie Madoff’s. Enron looted California by reselling them there own electricity for 1000 times the price, then when Ken Lay was to go to jail, his buddy W Bush sent him away to a tropical island in the Pacific and staged Lay’s death from a convenient heart attack. Let me guess, it was a closed casket, and only his wife was invited to the funeral.

   It doesn’t surprise me at all that the secretive business of dumping toxic chemicals onto unsuspecting citizens lost all oversite during the Bush years, I heard toxic waste thugs give excellent kickbacks to Texas politicians.

5. dno7956 Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 10:46 am

   Not chemtrails. Just plain old toxic pollution. I’m surprised they released any figures at all. Even so, I doubt the governments ability to be truthful about any of it. Also, fine point that the military has permission to pollute with impunity. Don’t live near an air base. What will be done? Nothing.

6. Karen of Australia Says:
   July 5th, 2009 at 11:12 pm

   Up until a few years ago the SA Government allowedthe dumping of asbestos under the sand on one of our beaches, and they also allowed it to be dumped in an open tip. They don’t care about safety.