FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  November 6, 2003
CONTACT: Deena Wells, (850) 245-2112 

Florida Everglades Study Reveals Decline In Mercury Levels

--Cost-effective, long-term solutions protect public health and wildlife--

AMERICA'S EVERGLADES - Over a single generation, mercury concentrations found in fish and wading birds in America's Everglades have dropped by 60 to 70 percent. The drastic reductions are directly linked to the installation of technology that reduced mercury in emissions from industries in South Florida by a 100-fold during the last two decades.

"Pollution controls introduced two decades ago to limit mercury emissions are delivering dramatic results in our lifetime -- similar to the environmental gains made with the elimination of lead in gasoline," said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary David B. Struhs. "Florida is again leading the charge to find cost-effective, long-term solutions that reduce pollution and restore the environment."

A multi-agency study launched in 1994 compared mercury levels in the Everglades before and after pollution controls were installed at municipal and medical waste combustors in South Florida. Since the 1980s, mercury emissions from waste incinerators close to the Everglades have dropped nearly 99 percent. Over the last ten years, scientists documented a 70 percent decline in mercury in bird feathers and a 60 percent decrease in fish tissue.

"Mercury levels in the natural environment are a worldwide concern but local investments can yield local results," said Secretary Struhs. "This is sound scientific evidence that advances in cleanup technologies can significantly reduce pollutants, improve water quality and recover wildlife."

Significant reductions in concentrations led the Department of Health to downgrade fish consumption advisories in central and northern areas of the Everglades this year. Although mercury will never be completely removed from the environment, scientists expect continued reductions in fish and wildlife over the next two decades - achieving a 50 percent reduction within 10 years and 90 percent reduction within 30 years.

Monitoring, modeling and research by the South Florida Mercury Science Program demonstrates the relationship between mercury detected in the air, deposition in waterways and sediments through rainfall and concentrations found in fish and wildlife in the Everglades. While natural systems respond differently to the installation of pollution controls, research indicates the potential for successfully reducing mercury in the environment throughout the nation.

The South Florida Mercury Science Program is a collaboration of experts from the Department of Environmental Protection, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, South Florida Water Management District, U.S. Department of Interior and other public and private organizations.

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