The $8.8 Billion Tuna

摘要

The first, brief mercury scare came 30 years ago. The heavy metal was getting into swordfish and tuna. Some people stopped eating these species. For pregnant women, at least, it wasn't a bad idea to cut back as a precaution. In time swordfish demand returned to normal levels. Scare number two is now with us, taking the form of proposals to drastically reduce mercury emissions from smokestacks. This time the scare could cost serious money. Unlike the earlier response (to modify diets), smokestack controls will be unlikely to give us serious reductions in health risks.