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**KATE**
And what fish carry the most mercury and why?
Answer
The NRDC (National Resource Defence Council) has a great piece on this:
Know Where It's Coming From
Each year power plants and chemical facilities create many tons of mercury pollution, which makes its way into our homes and bodies in fish.
Two of the biggest sources of mercury pollution are chlorine chemical plants and coal-fired power plants. Chlorine plants, which use massive quantities of mercury to extract chlorine from salt, "lose" dozens of tons of mercury each year; power plants emit around 50 tons of mercury pollution annually. Facilities that recycle auto scrap are another big source of mercury pollution, pouring 10 to 12 tons of mercury into the air every year. The most common way Americans are exposed to mercury is through tuna fish.
Power Plants
Coal is naturally contaminated with mercury, and when it is burned to generate electricity, mercury is released into the air through the smokestacks. The bulk of this mercury pollution could be eliminated with the installation of pollution-control devices. Similar devices have proved very successful on municipal incinerators, which were once a significant source of mercury pollution.
But in January 2004 the Bush administration proposed to weaken and delay efforts to clean up mercury emissions from roughly 1,100 coal-fired boilers at more than 460 electric power plants. Essentially, the administration's plan treats mercury as if it were a run-of-the-mill air pollutant instead of a hazardous air pollutant, allowing the Environmental Protection Agency to avoid requiring power plants to reduce emissions by the maximum amount technologically achievable.
Chemical Manufacturing
Big mercury polluters also include older mercury chlorine plants, also called chlor-alkali plants. These plants use mercury to convert salt to chlorine gas and caustic soda (better known as lye), which is used in soaps and detergents, in plastics, and in the paper-making process. More modern chlor-alkali plants use a cleaner, mercury-free technology, but eight U.S. chlor-alkali plants continue to use mercury. (Two of these have announced plans to shift to cleaner technologies.)
At any given time, each of these plants has an average of 200 tons of mercury on site. In virtually every year since records have been kept, chlor-alkali plants have "lost" dozens of tons of mercury in the manufacturing process. These plants cannot account for where the lost mercury goes. Nor can the Environmental Protection Agency, but the agency has failed to set restrictions on these emissions. NRDC air quality tests have detected high levels of mercury in the vicinity of four chlor-alkali plants.
Automobile Scrap
Mercury pollution also occurs when mercury-based light switches from automobiles are scrapped and melted down for recycling. As the switches melt, the mercury they contain vaporizes into the air.
Following considerable public pressure, auto manufacturers stopped using mercury in January 2003. But as long as older cars are incinerated, mercury pollution will continue to escape into the air. To prevent this, mercury-based car switches should be removed at the scrap yard, before cars are shredded and sent to steel mills for recycling. Removing the switches would take less than a minute per car, on average -- a cost that should be borne by the companies that installed them in the first place, not by the scrap industry. Some states have passed or are moving toward legislation or regulations requiring the removal of mercury switches from automobile scrap. But the EPA has yet to introduce standards that will curb switch-related mercury pollution nationwide. More information on mercury in automobiles is available on the Clean Car Campaign's website.
Global Sources of Mercury
Chlor-alkali plants are among biggest users of mercury worldwide. The good news is that the chlorine industries in both India and the European Union, where a large number of mercury-based chlor-alkali plants are located, have made voluntary commitments to phase-out the mercury process completely. Unfortunately, other uses of mercury are on the rise. High demand for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from China's booming construction industry has fueled growing demand for the mercury catalyst used in PVC production. Small scale (artisanal) gold miners around the world, especially in Asia, Africa and South America, use mercury to bind with gold contained inside ore, and then burn off the mercury, leaving just the gold behind. This low-tech practice releases a significant quantity of mercury to the air, causes severe damage to soils, water bodies and wildlife near the mining sites, and results in heavy mercury exposures to the miners and their families. Mercury is also still commonly used around the world in batteries, measuring devices, electrical switches, dental amalgam, and some traditional medicines and arts.
Coal-fired power plants are the largest source of mercury air emissions worldwide. As the price of oil rises, coal becomes a more economically attractive source of energy in countries where it is abundant and inexpensive. Currently, coal-fired power plants supply seventy-five percent of China's energy; in the next eight years, China is expected to add more than 560 plants coal plants -- a pace of more than one new plant each week.
Mercury in the Food We Eat
The most common source of mercury exposure for Americans is tuna fish. Tuna does not contain the highest concentration of mercury of any fish, but since Americans eat much more tuna than they do other mercury-laden fish, such as swordfish or shark, it poses a greater health threat. (For more, see our guides to mercury levels in fish and to eating tuna safely.)
Subsistence and sports fishermen who eat their catch can be at a particularly high risk of mercury poisoning if they fish regularly in contaminated waters. Across the United States, mercury pollution is known to have contaminated 12 million acres of lakes, estuaries, and wetlands (30 percent of the total), and 473,000 miles of streams, rivers, and coasts. And many waterways have not even been tested. In 2003, 44 states issued fish consumption advisories, warning citizens to limit how often they eat certain types of fish caught in the state's waters because they are contaminated with mercury.
I'm going on a road trip with a friend ... from Indiana what are the states good to go through?
Dustin C
I live in Michigan and I'm meeting up with a friend in Indiana. From there we are going on a road trip. We don't know which way we are going to go east,south or west. I'm thinking that the west would be more fun. What states are good to go through? And what direction is better for a road trip?
Answer
Consider visiting New Orleans!
NOLA is one of the world's special places with an ambience unique in North America, and remains so even after Katrina devastated it in 2005.
Katrina flooded about 80% of New Orleans with salt water, and the water stayed for almost a month. Much of the city is still struggling to recover and all you have to do to see devastation is drive around. It will take years for NOLA to fully recover from Katrina.
However, the parts of the city that tourists usually visit were not flooded. It's not a coincidence - the French Quarter and other old parts of the city were built on relatively high ground and only suffered wind damage from Katrina. Almost all of the damage has been repaired and you have to look closely in the FQ and city center to see that Katrina happened at all. You should visit and see for yourself.
Note that the City of New Orleans is only part of the greater New Orleans area. The GNO area had a population of about 1,400,000 before Katrina and is estimated at about 1,200,000 now (July, 2007). The absent 200,000 are mostly from the City of New Orleans and the parishes of Plaquemines and Saint Bernard, which were the worst-flooded parts of the metro area. Jefferson Parish - juast to the west of the City - suffered relatively minor flooding and has fully recovered.
You can drink the water, the electricity & phones work, and services like the post office, hospitals, schools, and police/fire/EMS are operating. Restaurants, stores and shopping centers are open.
Municipal services like street cleaning & trash collection collapsed after Katrina. Those services were fully restored in late 2006 and it is no longer an issue.
I recommend staying in the French Quarter (Vieux Carre") if you can. There is a very wide range of selections available, from moderate guest houses to very exclusive "boutique" hotels. Search Yahoo Travel and Travelocity for ideas and also check the hotel websites. Go to www.frenchquarterhotels.com for some non-chain hotels.
A very inexpensive option is the India House hostel: http://www.indiahousehostel.com/
You don't need a car to get around in the French Quarter, Central Business District, or Warehouse District. Also, the parking regulations are Byzantine and there are lots of Parking Control Agents. If you drive or rent a car, leave it in a lot or garage unless you are traveling away from downtown.
The regional transit authority (www.norta.com) sells 1 and 3 day passes that offer unlimited use of buses and streetcars for the day(s) you select. There are also lots of taxicabs.
Louisiana is the only US state that offers a tax refund program for international visitors:
http://www.louisianatravel.com/shop/tax_free/
Regarding crime, use the same common sense necessary in every major city in the world and there is little chance you will be a victim of anything except a need to visit the gym.
New Orleans has mild weather from late October to early May and the city stays green all year most years (rarely freezes and almost never snows). We pay for the mild winters with hot, humid summers â particularly in July & August. The good news for summertime visitors is that hotel rates are lower.
Things to do:
There are many sightseeing opportunities in the greater New Orleans area, including carriage rides/tours, plantation tours, swamp tours, ghost tours, and even Katrina disaster tours. The steamboat Natchez also does a harbor tour. There are numerous tour companies and your hotel can help with the arrangements. Try to avoid scheduling an outdoor tour until you know the weather forecast for the day in question.
The Saint Charles Streetcar is the oldest continuously operating street railway in the world and is a "tourist attraction" in its own right. It is part of the public transit system, as are the Canal Street and Riverfront streetcar lines: http://www.norta.com/
There is always music, but the bands change: Go to www.bestofneworleans.com and click on Music then Listings or to www.offbeat.com and click on Listings, then Music. Note that music clubs often advertise "No Cover", meaning there is no charge for entering. However, clubs with "No Cover" often require that customers buy a beverage each for every "set " of music (which can be every 20 minutes) so KNOW THE PRICE before you sit down. Clubs do that because some people will sit in the club all evening drinking nothing (clubs only make money from the drinks they sell - not from the music). It is also a good idea to pay for each round of drinks (in clubs on Bourbon Street) as it s delivered so there can't be any confusion at the end of the evening.
About certain alcoholic beverages: Realize that some famous drinks are VERY potent compared with regular cocktails that have only 1 to 1 ½ ounces of alcohol. For example, a Hurricane is basically 3 or 4 ounces of rum in something like red Kool-Aid, and a Hand Grenade has at least 4 ½ ounces of Everclear + rum + vodka mixed with melon liquor. They donât necessarily taste like an alcoholic beverage and it is easy to over-indulge.
Wander around the French Quarter, enjoy the architecture, watch the street entertainers (do tip), and visit some of the historic buildings that have been turned into museums (go to www.frenchquarter.com and click on Historic Attractions).
Assuming the weather is good, you can collect a sandwich lunch and eat in the riverfront park (watch the shipping) or in Jackson Square (a very nice park).
The Riverwalk shopping center has an air-conditioned food court with dining overlooking the river (www.riverwalkmarketplace.com). The Canal Place shopping center is in the French Quarter and has a cinema and higher-end shopping (Saks 5th Avenue, Brooks Brothers, etc.)
The lobby for the Westin Canal Place Hotel is on the 11th floor and overlooks the French Quarter. It is a great place for an afternoon drink/snack:(www.westin.com).
Cafe du Monde is in the French Quarter and you shouldn't miss having cafe au lait & beignets (www.cafedumonde.com). Another great coffee shop is the Croissant d'Or (at 615 Ursulines Street), which is open from 7:00am to 2:00pm and has food in addition to pastry.
The Palm Court restaurant is very nice, has moderate prices, and traditional live jazz starting at 8:00pm: 1204 Decatur Street, tel 504-525-0200 (reservations are important and they are not open every day). The Palm Court is closed from about July 25th to about September 25th each year.
All of the famous restaurants (Antoine's, Arnaud's, Brennan's, Commander's Palace, etc.) have reopened. The Pelican Club (on Exchange Alley in the FQ) is not as well known but is the same type experience. Reservations are a good idea, and probably essential on weekends. Tujaques Restaurant (823 Decatur Street) is very traditional and has moderate prices: http://www.tujaguesrestaurant.com/
Cafe Degas is a very French restaurant near City Park at 3127 Esplanade - which is not within walking distance of downtown (5 to 10 minutes by taxi). They are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays (504-945-5635).
The Napoleon House restaurant is at 500 Chartres Street in the FQ, and has a menu of great local dishes: http://www.napoleonhouse.com/
Preservation Hall has traditional live Jazz, and doesnât serve alcohol so all ages are welcome: http://www.preservationhall.com/
There is a free ferry across the Mississippi at the "foot" of Canal Street. It is a short trip but like a harbor cruise w/o a guide: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/canal_street_ferry
The Aquarium and Audubon Zoo are world-class attractions (www.auduboninstitute.org) and you should see them if you can. The Zoo is several miles from downtown. You can drive to the Zoo (which has free parking) or take public transit from the French Quarter.
The Louisiana State Museum is in the French Quarter: http://lsm.crt.state.la.us/ New Orleans is also home to a number of other museums, such as the National World War II Museum (www.ddaymuseum.org) and the New Orleans Museum of Art (www.noma.org). Both can be reached by public transit: The WWII museum is in the central business district but a long walk from the French Quarter. NOMA is not within walking distance of downtown but has free parking. Go to http://www.neworleansmuseums.com/ for info on more museums.
Harrahâs Casino is in the Central Business District: http://www.harrahs.com/casinos/harrahs-new-orleans/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml
Check www.frenchquarter.com for ideas about other things to do.
Hope you have a great time, wherever you go!
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