According to documents obtained by the New York Times, White House staff made editorial interventions in the report,
which was commissioned by Congress to establish the science on the risks associated with mercury. The White House's
alterations downplayed the risks of mercury, replaced specific enumerations of mercury-related harms with bland, general
references, and introduced additional emphasis on uncertainty.
The examples speak for themselves:
This language from the
National Academy of
Science experts on exposure
to high levels of Hg and Ni--
|
Exposure . . . has been
demonstrated to cause
adverse health effects on the
reproductive and central
nervous systems; kidney
damage; and cancer.
|
--was replaced with this far
blander version:
|
Exposure . . . has been
demonstrated to cause a
variety of adverse health
effects. |
And this clear reference to
additional studies--
|
Recent published studies
have shown an association
between methylmercury
exposure and an increased
risk of heart attacks and
coronary disease in adult
men.
|
--was muddied up by the
White House revision:
|
[I]t has been hypothesized
that there is an association
between methylmercury
exposure and an increased
risk of coronary disease in
adults; however, this
hypothesis warrants further
study as the few studies
currently available present
conflicting results. |
The White House's revision of the experts' report coincided with the EPA's design of new regulations that make it
easier for power companies to release mercury into the air.