The Republican party has been doing its best to poison Americans. This is not an accidental thing. It is a byproduct of intentional deregulation, intentionally ignoring clear warning signs of health problems, and allowing companies and utilities to circumvent environmental regulations. Sometimes it is very specific: Bush ordering the EPA to lie about the toxicity of the World Trade Center smoke plume, thus poisoning thousands of New Yorkers, particularly first responders, leading to a syndrome known as "Ground Zero Cough" which has struck New York's rescue workers. Or Conrad Burns (A Montana Republican now happily ousted from the Senate by Jon Tester, a populist organic farmer) advocating testing pesticides on humans. Other times it is a more general increase in dangerous pollutants thanks to Republican blind faith in deregulation. Then there is the increasing problem of lead in drinking water, something the EPA is sweeping under the rug. There is now a clear pattern of Republican policies threatening the health of Americans through our air, drinking water and soil. THIS is the direct result of Republican irresponsibility. And it has consequences. We are all affected by this. Many New Yorkers still have coughs that never went away after working at ground zero in the weeks following the attacks. And now, it turns out, mercury from industrial pollution is contaminating one in four New Yorkers. From Salon.com:

A quarter of adults in the city have elevated levels of mercury in their blood, linked to how much fish they eat, according to survey results released Monday by the health department... Among the survey's findings: -- New Yorkers in the highest income bracket averaged mercury levels of 3.6 micrograms per liter, compared to 2.4 micrograms per liter in the lowest income group. -- Asian women had mercury levels at 4.1 micrograms per liter; and among foreign-born Chinese women, 66 percent had mercury levels at or above 5 micrograms per liter, the point at which it must be reported to the state for monitoring. -- Among women in the 20-49 age bracket, the average level was 2.64 micrograms per liter, compared to a national average of 0.83 micrograms per liter among women in a similar age group.

Of course officials are ASSURING us that we are in no danger from these elevated mercury levels. Yet we know that mercury exposure in childhood is linked to autism. Mercury is a KNOWN poison. Many reccomednations regarding fish consumption suggest that people limit their consumption of many fish to once per week. Think about that. Medical professionals suggest we shouldn't eat many fish more than ONCE a week. But it is perfectly safe. That doesn't make much sense to me. Personally I have largely stopped eating fish and will almost never feed my kids fish anymore. The existing state of affairs will only get worse as Bush administration deregulation of industry is allowing the release of MORE mercury into the same waters we get our fish from. Thanks Republicans! I guess it is just as well...with fisheries collapsing worldwide maybe it is time to cut back on fish consumption anyway.