The White House and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) made changes to a report from the National Academy of Sciences on the toxicology of mercury, a powerful neurotoxin that is especially dangerous to pregnant women and young children. According to documents obtained by the New York Times, White House staff made editorial interventions in the report, which was commissioned by Congress to establish the science on the risks associated with mercury. The White House's alterations downplayed the risks of mercury, replaced specific enumerations of mercury-related harms with bland, general references, and introduced additional emphasis on uncertainty. The examples speak for themselves: This language from the National Academy of Science experts on exposure to high levels of Hg and Ni-- Exposure . . . has been demonstrated to cause adverse health effects on the reproductive and central nervous systems; kidney damage; and cancer. --was replaced with this far blander version: Exposure . . . has been demonstrated to cause a variety of adverse health effects. And this clear reference to additional studies-- Recent published studies have shown an association between methylmercury exposure and an increased risk of heart attacks and coronary disease in adult men. --was muddied up by the White House revision: [I]t has been hypothesized that there is an association between methylmercury exposure and an increased risk of coronary disease in adults; however, this hypothesis warrants further study as the few studies currently available present conflicting results. The White House's revision of the experts' report coincided with the EPA's design of new regulations that make it easier for power companies to release mercury into the air.