Air and Radiation Division, United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5, Chicago, IL 60604, USA.
Ecotoxicology. 2011 Oct;20(7):1500-11. doi: 10.1007/s10646-011-0764-4. Epub 2011 Aug 23.
While mercury (Hg) releases to air and water within the Great Lakes states have declined significantly, concentrations of mercury in fish remain a cause for concern regarding human and ecosystem health in the Great Lakes Basin. This paper assesses the priority that Hg source reduction ought to have in relation to some other environmental concerns, and explores the relative costs of various Hg reduction policies. Long-range transport of atmospheric mercury creates a collective action problem for states, since most of the mercury emitted within any given state deposits outside that state's borders, and since most of the mercury deposited within a state originated outside that state. This paper discusses some of the mechanisms that policy makers in the Great Lakes states employed to get beyond the collective action problem, including: providing an example for others to follow; using cross-jurisdiction cooperation to leverage the benefits of leadership on Hg reduction and control; and, promoting voluntary actions. Recommendations for future opportunities include: focusing reduction efforts on sources with the highest total mass of emissions rather than solely focusing on reduction of local deposition and utilizing all tools available in the clean air and clean water acts.
尽管五大湖地区向空气和水中释放的汞（Hg）已显著减少，但鱼类体内的汞浓度仍然是影响五大湖流域人类和生态系统健康的一个令人担忧的问题。本文评估了与其他一些环境问题相比，减少汞源排放应优先考虑的事项，并探讨了各种减少汞政策的相对成本。大气汞的远距离传输给各州带来了集体行动的问题，因为在任何给定的州内排放的大部分汞都会沉积在该州以外的地区，而沉积在一个州内的大部分汞则来自该州以外的地区。本文讨论了五大湖各州的政策制定者为克服集体行动问题而采用的一些机制，包括：为其他州树立榜样；利用跨辖区合作，利用在汞减排和控制方面的领导力优势；以及促进自愿行动。未来的机会包括：将减排工作重点放在排放量最大的源上，而不仅仅是侧重于减少当地沉积，并利用清洁空气和清洁水法案中提供的所有工具。
