Sinai Health System

California Avenue at 15th Street a Chicago

. IL 60608-1797

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(773) 542_2000 ∎ TTY (7731257-6289

ieptcmber 19, 2006

lffioe of the Clerk

Ilinois Pollution Control B{rard

100 West Randolph

bbicago, IL 60601

Re: Comments on Proposed New 35 ILL . ADM . CODE 225, Control of Emissions from large

^ombustion Sources (Mere iry)

; R06-25

Dear Honorable Members <fthe Board,

I

Sinai

Children's Hospital,

4

part of Sinai Health SystenS supports the proposed rule filed with the Illinois

Pollution Control Board byitl a Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, as amended and including the

Ameren and Dynegy

("the rule') . This rule is necessary to protect the health of the citizens of

Olinois and is both technologically, feasible and cost effective .

protect the health of Illinois citizens, especially Illinois children

.

Mercury is

the placenta and poisons fetal brain development. Every day, thousands

and young children are exposed to mercury when pregnant and nursing

,

or children eat fish themselves. Six to ten percent of women of

are estimated to have mercury levels high enough to put their developing

developmental problems

firm

meacmy poisoning. That translates to more

than 100,000 women of ch4dbeating age in Illinois whose blood mercury levels may exceed the federal

recotnmendcd limit.

Further, coal fired power plants in Illinois have resulted in severe

mercury

hot spots in the state . Illinois

is ranked fauth in the nation for having the most severe mercury pollution hot spas . The southern Great

Lakes orperience one ofthe highest deposition rates im the U

. S.

In this region, local and regional sources

are the main cause of elevated mercury concentrations, with the great majority of mercury contamination

coming from coal fired potrers plants . Coal plants produce 71 % of the mercury pollution emitted in

Illinois and the 60% in

Great Lakes states as a whole

. Fish in Lake

Michigan and all Illinois waterways

are contaminated with mmer$ury . The Illinois Department of Public Health has issued "fish advisories"

warning pregnant women, women of childbearing age and children to limit their consumption of fish

from every late, river and #beam in Illinois .

Consequently, regulating tlite leading source of mercury pollution in Illinois - coal-fired power plants -

will seduce mercury exposure and the resulting ill health effects of exposure . Studies show a direct

relationship between mercury deposition and mercury levels in fish

. These studies conclude that reducing

emissions of mercury low* mercury concentrations in Ssh,

regardless of contributions from natural or

foreign sources, one

shut

has shown that a reduction

in local atmospheric mercury emissions led to a

decline of more than 80% of mercury contamination in fish .

First, the rule is necessary

a narrotoxin that passes

of developing fetuses,

women eat contaminated

drildbearing age in the U.S&

children at increased risk

RECEIVED

SEP 2 0 2006

Pollution Control

Boa

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Mo , nt Sinai Hospital • Schwab RYhabilitotion Hospital a Sinai Community Institute ∎ Sinai Medical Group

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Afft iete

: Aocese Community 14001 4

Network • Affiliate of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago

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