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Jacksonville
Electric Authority (JEA) Faces Suit Over Mercury
by Matt Galnor, Florida Times-Union, September 20, 2003
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Parents of more than two dozen Jacksonville children plan to sue
JEA, claiming mercury discharged by coal-burning power plants
contributed to their children developing autism.
In each of the 26 instances, the children were healthy at birth
and progressing fine into their second year, said Alan Pickert,
an attorney representing the families. Yet when the children
reached between 18 and 24 months, parents started to notice them
regressing, Pickert said.
Pickert claims mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants in
Jacksonville, coupled with vaccinations that contain mercury are
to blame for the neurological disorders in these children.
"It's a devastating one-two punch," Pickert said.
Findings are mixed in medical journals and the American Academy
of Pediatrics has discredited any connection between autism and
thimerosal, a chemical contained in some vaccinations that has
high mercury levels. Thimerosal has been pulled from the market.
JEA spokeswoman Hollie Smith declined to comment, saying the
utility does not publicly discuss pending litigation.
The suit has not yet been filed. Florida law requires attorneys
give six months notice when they plan to sue a governmental
agency and Pickert sent notice to JEA and the city this week.
After Timothy and Katheryn Hartigan gave birth to triplets in
1998, they saw no differences for the first 20 months between
son Conner and his sisters Ashlyn and Brittney. By the time
Conner was about 21 months old, the Arlington couple, who live
across the river from JEA's Northside Generating Station, said
Conner began taking steps backward.
After numerous tests from two different early childhood
programs, Conner was diagnosed with autism in 2001.
"We feel like our son's life has been taken away from him,"
Katheryn Hartigan said. "He's not going to have a life nearly as
full and vibrant as his two sisters."
A partial draft of an Environmental Protection Agency report on
the effects of mercury emissions on young children notes
children are more vulnerable to mercury because of the amount of
time they spend playing outside. Also, children, relative to
their size, breathe more air and drink more water than adults.
JEA burns coal at both the Northside Generating Station and the
St. Johns River Power Park.
Pickert said he expects more families to come forward as the
connection between mercury and autism becomes more widely known.
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