The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently finalized new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards created to protect families from power plant emissions of mercury and airborne toxins such as arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium and cyanide.

The new standards are expected to prevent 11,000 premature deaths, 4,300 heart attacks and 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms each year. “It has taken almost 20 years to amend the Clean Air Act, despite clear, unequivocal scientific knowledge that mercury and other pollutants have been killing our children,” remarked Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network.

Source: EarthDay.org