Environmental Working Group’s new study of over 250 women indicates that “US fish advice may expose babies to too much mercury.” EWG’s newly completed study enrolled 254 women who eat at least two meals of seafood, fish or shellfish every week and measured the amount of mercury in their hair to assess how much mercury was in their bodies. EWG’s study found that almost 30 percent of their participants had too much mercury exposure according to Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for pregnant women.
Read Morehealth

NEWLY UPDATED! — This document contains summaries of four studies conducted by The Sierra Fund to learn about the environmental health exposure potential associated with abandoned mines in the Sierra Nevada, and a pilot health outreach program to bring these findings to Sierra communities.
Read More
The Sierra Fund is proud to release a new report detailing activities, results, and lessons learned from a year-long pilot outreach program in four Sierra communities. The short term goals of this program were to prevent and reduce exposure to mercury from locally caught fish in Sierra communities, and to raise awareness about mercury in the fish and other mine-related toxins, among community members, leaders, and healthcare providers. The long term goal is to build a movement to clean up sources of legacy mining pollution in the Sierra.
Read MoreLast week, The Sierra Fund hosted a free public event, “Mercury and Human Health: An informational summit on the impacts of mercury exposure through fish consumption” in the California State Capitol Building. Attendees included medical doctors, public health experts, policymakers and others. The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Jane Hightower, a San Francisco […]
Read MoreThe Sierra Fund Science Director Dr. Carrie Monohan will present “Fish and Dust: Legacy Impacts from the Gold Rush.” This presentation is an overview of two studies The Sierra Fund completed to assess human exposure to heavy metals.
Read MoreLast week over seventy five people came to the Foresthill Veteran’s Memorial Hall for an informational event about legacy mines hosted by The Sierra Fund (TSF). This meeting attracted diverse attendees from local gold miners to Sacramento county residents.
Read MoreOn February 20th, 2014, The Sierra Fund will present information to the public about impacts of historic mining in Placer County. Dr. Carrie Monohan will present Fish and Dust: Legacy Impacts from the Gold Rush, an overview of two studies The Sierra Fund completed to assess human exposure to heavy metals.
Read More
Conference proceedings and follow up materials from Reclaiming the Sierra 2012: Green $olutions to Abandoned Mines, including PowerPoint presentations, notes, and much more! Click here for conference program Click here for conference abstracts
Read More
Working with partners from state, federal, and tribal governments as well as from the academic, health, and environmental communities, The Sierra Fund’s report Mining’s Toxic Legacy is the first comprehensive evaluation of what happened during the Gold Rush, including: the cultural, health, and environmental impacts of this era; the obstacles that lie in the way of addressing these impacts; and a strategic plan of action for cleaning up the Sierra Nevada.
Read More