Read the report
View the complete results of mercury tests on Montana officials' hair samples at www.womenandenvironment.org
But recently, 28 Montana legislators, directors of the state's Health and Human Services and Environmental Quality departments, and Gov. Brian Schweitzer learned that's not the case.
The group all tested positive for mercury exposure as participants in an event organized by Missoula-based Women's Voices for the Earth. All of the lawmakers provided hair samples, which were later tested for mercury exposure.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that has been linked to learning disabilities and developmental delays in children and can damage the heart, nervous system and kidneys in adults. The major pathway for mercury exposure is through eating contaminated fish.
Most people have some amount of mercury in their bodies.
Six of the people tested had levels higher than 1 part per million, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration jointly call the safe limit for women of child-bearing age, pregnant and nursing women, and children younger than age 15.
Department of Environmental Quality director Richard Opper's test results came back at 1.110 ppm.
“I was disturbed to learn that I had more than 1 ppm of this toxin in my body,” Opper said. “It's yet another sign of the need to keep mercury out of the environment so we can keep it out of our food and, therefore, our bodies.”
Sen. Kim Gillan, D-Billings, was shocked to discover her levels were the highest of all at 1.580 ppm.
“I did not expect to have mercury in my body, let alone have the highest result,” Gillan said. “This has made me realize that mercury contamination is a serious issue. We have to work to get mercury out of our environment.”
Gillan isn't sure where the mercury came from. She plans to have her teenage children tested, too.
“It's pretty troubling,” she said. “I grew up on the West Coast and we did eat a lot of fish, but I'm really not sure where this came from.”
The group's report says industrial sources such as coal-fired power plants, cement kilns and refineries all emit mercury. In 2003, those sources emitted about 700 pounds of mercury to landfills and another 1,000 pounds into the air, according to the report.
Fish, especially large predators like shark, swordfish and king mackerel, are the main source of mercury in humans, said Erin Thompson of Women's Voices for the Earth. The FDA recommends that women of child-bearing age and children under 15 abstain from eating any of those types of fish.
Women's Voices for the Earth didn't know what to expect when it took the hair samples in to be tested, Thompson said.
“The results were pretty consistent with what's occurred in other places,” she said. “Apparently, just because we live in Montana doesn't mean that we're protected from mercury exposure.”
Sen. Christine Kaufmann, D-Helena, is sponsoring Senate Bill 423, which would phase out the sale of mercury-containing products and impose a disposal ban on certain mercury-bearing products. The bill was passed out of the Senate last week with bipartisan support.
The bill is “a fairly simple way to reduce mercury pollution in our state that will not hurt Montana businesses, industry or consumers,” Kaufmann said. “Phasing out mercury-containing products, like thermometers and thermostats, is really becoming a national trend and I think it's time Montana jumped on board. If we don't, we may become a dumping ground for the products other states won't accept.”
After learning about the mercury her body had accumulated, Gillan said she'll continue to support legislation to address mercury exposure in the state.
“Had I not had this test, I probably still would have supported it, but wondered if it was really necessary,” she said. “This has definitely opened my eyes.”
