A group of activists is pressing the feds to issue an alert to Americans about the mercury-content of fish. Amber Hard of the Iowa Public Interest Research Group says coal-fired power plants pump mercury into the air — and the toxic chemical ends up in waterways, and eventually in the fish we eat.Hard says the state’s 18 coal-fired power plants shouldn’t be encouraged to increase production “at the expense of Iowa women and children.” She says pregnant women are most at risk from mercury contamination in fish, including several kinds that’re commonly caught in Iowa waterways, such as pike, walleye and largemouth bass.She believes women should only eat Iowa “lake whitefish” and channel catfish once a month or less, and also limit the amount of some ocean fish from the grocery store, like canned tuna and frozen cod. A report compiled by the Public Interest Research Group, the Izaak Walton League and the Iowa SEED Coalition highlights the risk of seafood mercury contamination to children and pregnant women. Hard says traditional reports have instead focused on adult men.
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