The Hill News

There’s something about being pregnant that sharpens the senses against danger. I’m expecting my third child early this summer. Just as when I was pregnant with my other two children, my doctor warned me against eating fish that might contain high levels of mercury. And thankfully, I am someone who doesn't have to be told about danger twice. I pay attention to warnings and I am lucky enough to be surrounded by people who are in the know.

I know that tuna (and other large fish, such as swordfish) contains dangerously high levels of mercury. But I never stopped to really understand exactly how that mercury got into the fish. I figured it was in the water -- but how did it get there? Now I know the answer. Our food is contaminated by air pollution -- and it is completely preventable. I’m dumbfounded that it is legal for coal-fired power plants, industrial boilers and cement plants to spew toxic mercury emissions into the air.

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