To the editor:

Mercury can enter our bodies so we need to know the associated health risks. It is a potent, indestructible and surprisingly mobile toxin, introduced into our environment by burning coal and by other means; later it moves into fish, other wildlife and humans for whom it is toxic.

The critical organ for mercury toxicity is the brain and the brains of the fetus; infants and small children are more susceptible to the toxicity than adults. Mercury’s toxic effects have been linked to impairment of ability to think, muscular coordination, memory, language development and attention span. At high doses it produces severe developmental effects and fatalities.

A policy statement of the American Academy of Pediatrics has declared, “Mercury in all its forms is toxic.” In a November 2006 report, the American Medical Association has concluded federal mercury emission standards for coal-fired plants are inadequate for the protection of our health. Consequently, they recommend that state governments assume a proactive stance, creating their own controls to protect their citizens from mercury emissions. To diminish further compounding of serious health risks due to coal burning, we need to follow that lead.

Our City Commission must be commended for acting to protect our health by opposing new coal-fired power plants in Kansas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and our governor should heed their petition.

Dr. Laurance Price,

Lawrence