Mercury study to be pared down

State health officials are poised to begin a long-awaited study of the effects of mercury pollution in South Carolina, and whether some groups of people are suffering mercury- related illnesses.

But the study will begin as a more modest effort than the more statewide effort envisioned last year.

That study was called off because of the state budget crisis, and the study that's getting under way now will start off small because of the same financial limitations, according to Adam Myrick, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

"Due to budget cuts, we won't be able to do a full epidemiological study as previously discussed. With a loss of somewhere around $40 million in state funding, that type of study simply isn't feasible at this time," Myrick said.

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This study will begin with a focus on people in the Pee Dee region, where mercury contamination is particularly high. Asked when the study would begin, Myrick said, 'We're in the process of getting it off the ground now.'

Calls for the mercury study began in late 2007 after The Post and Courier's series, "The Mercury Connection," revealed that many people who eat fish caught in the state's mercury-contaminated rivers have unusually high levels of the poisonous heavy metal in their systems.

The series also revealed mercury "hot spots" where fish caught in rivers had the highest levels of mercury. One area near the confluence of the Great and Little Pee Dee rivers was named the mercury triangle because fish caught there contained some of the highest mercury levels in the state.

DHEC has tested the levels of mercury in fish for years. It occasionally issues warnings to not eat certain fish. But the agency never has systematically tested people to see if they are being placed at risk.

Mercury occurs naturally, but it also falls to the earth as pollution from coal-burning factories, especially from electric power plants. That mercury tends to collect in rivers and lakes where it gets into the food chain and ends up in fish.

Eating fish tainted with mercury is the main way people are exposed to health risks. Mercury can cause numerous health problems, especially brain and neurological injury. It is especially dangerous for pregnant women and young children.

Myrick said health officials have been trying to regroup on a study since early spring to determine "if we really do have a problem."

People in the Pee Dee area were concerned about mercury pollution, especially since Santee Cooper wanted to build a new $1.2 billion coal-fired plant on the banks of the Great Pee Dee River.

Even though Santee Cooper canceled the plant two months ago, Myrick said DHEC feels an obligation to residents of the Pee Dee to continue with a promised study, despite the lack of money.

He said people in the Pee Dee region will be able go to DHEC health department clinics in Lake City and Florence to have their blood drawn and tested for mercury levels. The tests will be free for "anybody who walks in."

Health officials also hope to eventually expand this offering at more health department locations around the state.