Toxic Chinese mercury pollution travelling to US!

[AGENDA21]

Mass quantities of air pollutants from China, including mercury discharged from traditional coal-fired power plants, are travelling to places as far away as the US, according to the US environment agency.

“That is the most direct impact on the United States,” Stephen Johnson, head of the US Environmental Protection Agency, told the FT. Mr Johnson said the EPA had traced high levels of “mercury deposition” in the US to China and India. Mercury is a highly-toxic heavy metal that damages the human nervous system.

China’s neighbours, and even countries several thousand miles away, are growing wary that the country’s frenetic industialisation is creating more serious cross-border environmental problems.

Mr Johnson, who met with counterpart Zhou Shengxian of the State Environmental Protection Administration (Sepa) on his trip here, said China’s airborne chemicals and particulate matter were being detected on both coasts of the US.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/438b99c0-c986-11da-94ca-0000779e2340.html

[AndyA]

1. Keep shopping at Wal-Mart, America! You're supporting

Communism and poisoning our country. Keep buying that cheap imported Chinese crap. It's worth it. You're saving a ton of money, which you can't spend when you're DEAD.

[paparush]

2. Let's get W on this right away...Its a foreign invasion! ...

Its a real threat. They hate our freedom to pollute our own air. Evil dictators. Defying UN sanctions. Let's whip up some crappy, CGI, of secret mobile mercury labs. Get some wonks testifying before Congress...let's pull down some statues....let's roll!! <<---Heavy Sarcasm implied.

[0007]

3. Rumsfeld will have a lot to say about this "unknown" that may be

a known because he don't know the "unknowns"

[theophilus]

4. We must use our great environmental record to force them......oh,

wait. Never mind...... ;(

[leftchick]

5. how can they tell the difference between their emissions

and ours? Didn't the bush administration give power plants the gift of tons more emissions to spew?

[UTUSN]

6. Build a wall! Give them tax breaks & dibs on making enviro policy! n/t

[madrchsod]

7. this is nothing new

the pollution from asia has been blowing across america for several years now.
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s624.htm
NOAA News Online (Story 624)
http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20050314/1a_cover14x.art.htm
USATODAY.com

[porphyrian]

8. Cool! Mercury makes you smarter, right? - n/t