I’d like to believe that our government is decreasing toxic mercury pollution. Unfortunately, the Environmental Integrity Project recently announced that mercury emissions have actually increased at most of the nation’s largest power plants, including plants in Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Coal-fired power plants generate 40 percent of U.S. mercury emissions, according to the McClatchy DC newspaper. Mercury pollution spews into the air, settles in lakes and rivers, and enters the water supply as well as the food chain.

Mercury exposure can cause developmental problems, including neurological problems in infants and children. The Environmental Integrity Project reported estimates that prenatal mercury exposure causes more than 300,000 cases of learning disabilities each year.

“Even though the technology exists today to dramatically reduce the mercury pollution, the U.S. power industry has delayed cleanup and barely made a dent in the power plant emissions,” said Ilan Levin of the Environmental Integrity Project.

You need a home water filter to remove mercury from your drinking water, especially if you have small children in your home.