Coalition Press Release

Today, environmental groups applauded U.S. Senator Susan Collins (Maine) for being the first to introduce comprehensive legislation that would begin to eliminate and permanently retire mercury. The bill would ban the sale of mercury fever thermometers, fund a thermometer exchange program to provide consumers with mercury-free alternatives and ensure that the mercury collected would be taken out of circulation for good.

The bill would establish a federal task force to identify ways to permanently retire mercury leftover from industrial production and military stockpiles and to reduce the mining, use and release of mercury on a global basis. The task force would make recommendations for further Congressional action within one year.

"We applaud Senator Collins for promoting safe alternatives to highly toxic mercury products," said Michael Belliveau, toxics project director for Natural Resources Council of Maine. "Preventing mercury pollution means healthier kids and wildlife," he said. "We need to phase out mercury products because they can't be used without poisoning the environment," he stated.

"Senator Collins is leading the effort to solve the global mercury crisis," said Michael Bender, Executive Director of the Mercury Policy Project based in Montpelier, Vermont. "As we phase out this dangerous toxin in the U.S., we must also prevent the export of mercury to industrializing countries," said Bender. "By permanently retiring mercury from circulation, we can prevent this circle of poison from continuing," he said.

"Senator Collins' leadership will help ensure that chemical plants like HoltraChem don't export their toxic mercury to India where controls are lax," said Richard Judd, a member of the Maine People's Alliance who lives within a half mile of the HoltraChem plant in Orrington. "We need to permanently lock up leftover mercury, not sell it abroad where it will keep on polluting."

"This is a win-win-win," said Bill Ravanesi, Boston campaign director for Health Care Without Harm. "We praise Senator Collins' pioneering proposal to protect children, wildlife and the environment from the scourge of mercury pollution," he said.

Approximately 17 tons of mercury in thermometers are disposed of each year in solid waste in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency. As awareness of the dangers of mercury grow, cities like Boston and San Francisco, and the State of New Hampshire, have banned the sales of mercury thermometers. The Maine State Legislature will also consider legislation this year to ban mercury thermometer sales and tighten water quality standards for mercury pollution. Many local communities are organizing exchange programs for consumers to obtain mercury-free digital thermometers when they trade in mercury thermometers.

The mercury saga of the recently closed HoltraChem plant in Orrington, Maine illustrated the need for federal policy making on mercury retirement and export. HoltraChem sold its 260,000 pounds of leftover mercury to a dealer who began to ship it to India. International protests and India+s rejection of the shipment returned the mercury to the U.S. Ten other chemical plants like HoltraChem that make chlorine will gradually close over the next several year as the obsolete mercury technology is phased out, freeing up another 5 million pounds of mercury. The U.S. Department of Defense also stockpiles nearly 10 million pounds of mercury leftover from Cold War era weapons production. They halted sales of this mercury in 1994 in response to global environmental concerns.

Mercury uses in products and industrial emissions have contributed to the three-to-five fold increase in atmospheric deposition over the past century. Over the past several years, mercury use in the United States and other developed countries has steadily declined as awareness of this dangerous toxin grows. In developing countries, however, mercury is still used widely in the manufacture of consumer products, like thermometers, and in chlorine production where regulations are often lax.

The recently released National Academy of Sciences report, Toxicological Effects of Mercury, estimates that over 60,000 U.S. children are born each year at risk for adverse neurodevelopmental effects due to maternal exposure to methylmercury through consumption of contaminated fish. The growing brains of babies are extremely sensitive to mercury+s toxic effects. Mercury exposure hurts the ability of children to pay attention, remember, talk, draw, run and play. This may increase the number of children who struggle to keep up in school and who might require remedial classes or special education.

CONTACT:

Mike Belliveau, NRCM (207) 622-3101 ext. 212 or (207) 631-5565

Michael Bender, Mercury Policy Project (802) 223-9000

John Dieffenbacher-Krall, Maine People+s Alliance (207) 990-0672

Bill Ravanesi, Health Care Without Harm (617) 244-2891