By: Laurie Anderson, Colorado State Coordinator, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: May 9, 2023
About: Environmental Protection Agency Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0794
To: Environmental Protection Agency
Thank you for the opportunity to testify. My name is Laurie Anderson. I am a Colorado Field Organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. I live in Broomfield, Colorado.
I strongly support EPA’s proposal to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and ask that EPA finalize these standards as quickly as possible.
As a mom of five, I am concerned that our future generations, including our own children, will be significantly more impacted by the impacts of pollution in their lifetimes than we are today.
I grew up in Minnesota where we pride ourselves as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes." However, over 1,500 bodies of water in Minnesota have fish advisories due to mercury contamination. Growing up, my dad was an avid fisherman and he took us fishing at every opportunity. We fished most often in the Twin Cities area but spent plenty of time in the summers at Lake Koronis, Mille Lacs, and he especially loved the Boundary Waters. One of my dad’s favorite things was to canoe up into the backwaters as far as we could and then just relax and fish all day. However, I learned at an early age about the mercury contamination in our lakes and which fish weren’t safe to eat. Following a successful day of fishing, there was often the uncomfortable discussion where my mom would say the fish wasn't safe to eat for our young bodies, but my dad took the stance that nothing was going to hurt us. It often became a quiet conversation in which the message was just don't take any fish—it's not good for your growing body—let the adults eat it.
This is so unfortunate since eating fish can provide many important health benefits—most notably fish are a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, and nutrients found in fish are also beneficial for the growth and development of children.
We now live in Colorado where I am raising my five children much further from the highest emitting sources of mercury pollution. Here, we have just a handful of bodies of water with fish advisories due to mercury contamination. Although mercury remains a concern, when my husband, who is also an avid fisherman, comes down from the mountains with his most recent catch, I don’t tell my kids not to eat the fish since those mountain lakes have been tested with no advisories. There is hope for my home state of Minnesota and so many other states that are facing the highest levels of mercury pollution. With preventative measures to stop the release of toxic mercury pollution from power plants, along with time, more lakes can be added back to the list of safe to eat fish.
Like all moms, I want what is best for my children and we are forced to make a decision. Fish has so many health benefits, but we must weigh those health benefits against the potential for mercury contamination. Mercury is harmful to the brains of babies and children. It can interfere with normal brain development, lowering IQ and causing learning and behavioral problems. Children are especially vulnerable to the health effects of mercury, and pregnant women can pass mercury through their placenta into the brains of their developing babies. Mercury is also linked to heart disease. It shouldn’t be like this.
As a parent, I strongly support EPA’s proposal to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and ask that EPA finalize these standards as quickly as possible to help protect families from the pollution that can cause cancer, lung disease, brain damage in children, and other serious health harms.
Thank you for this opportunity to testify.