Mercury Exposure Reduces Earning Potential

Environmental Health Perspectives. About 15% of that cost burden can be attributed to the emissions of coal-fired power plants, according to the study, which was performed by pediatricians at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. A 1.6-point drop in an individual’s IQ leads to $31,800 in lost revenue over the course of that person’s life, according to the report. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 8% of American women of childbearing age have enough mercury in their blood to threaten the health of a fetus.