Obama Saves Lives by Regulating Mercury

In December, President Obama and the EPA enacted the first national controls on mercury and other toxic chemicals released by coal-fired power plants. True, there will be a cost to these regulations, but the EPA estimates that we will save $9 in health benefits for every dollar spent to reduce this highly toxic metal. It is estimated that reducing mercury in the air will prevent 11,000 premature deaths each year, 4700 heart attacks, 130,000 cases of childhood asthma, 6300 episodes of acute bronchitis, and who knows how many cases of autism (my addition on autism)? Next we have to deal with the American Dental Association. See Editorial in the Toledo Blade, December 23, 2011, section A, p. 10.