'Mass Destruction' on American Soil: Graphic TV Ads Confront White House, Big Power Companies Over Toxic Mercury and Other Dangerous Chemicals

Dirty Power Plants Bring Lethal Health Risk to Communities Across America; Spots Air as Administration Attempts Rollback of Air Pollution Safety Rules

WASHINGTON (June 24, 2003) -- The camera flies low over a computer-enhanced landscape, zooming in on high-resolution satellite images of a sprawling industrial complex. A voice describes a potent threat right here on American soil: Toxic mercury in our water; invisible poisons released in the air. And our government isn't stopping it. Terrorism? No. Just business as usual for hundreds of electric company power plants located in communities across America.

And the problem will get much worse under a bill introduced by the Bush administration and backed by big power companies that would roll back health and safety standards now required by the Clean Air Act.

A hard-hitting new television ad by NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) uses cutting-edge graphics to spotlight a deadly hazard in our own backyard. Mercury from power plant smokestacks puts countless infants and children at risk for brain damage, while other lethal emissions cause asthma, emphysema and cardiovascular illnesses. Carbon dioxide pollution causes global warming, posing worldwide health and environmental risks. The spots begin airing today in Washington, D.C. and other markets including the headquarters of the country's largest power plant polluters.

Click here to view the 'Mass Destruction' ad.