Groups
Urge House to Pass Bills before End of Year
Lansing—
A ban on the sale of certain products containing mercury, including thermostats
and blood pressure monitors, passed the Michigan Senate today. The House of
Representatives now has until the end of December to pass these bills before
session ends in order to protect Michigan’s
children and the state’s unparalleled natural resources from unnecessary
exposure to this neurotoxin.
“We applaud the Senate for taking this important first step
towards removing toxic mercury from everyday products in Michigan homes, businesses, and hospitals,”
said Kate Madigan, Deputy Policy Director for the Michigan Environmental
Council. “It is now up to our House members to embrace this critical
opportunity to protect our children’s health and wildlife, and end their
legislative session on a high note.”
Each year in the U.S. tons of toxic mercury is
manufactured into products. When these products are
sent to landfills, crushed in a garbage truck or demolition site, or
burned in an incinerator, the mercury can be released
into the environment.
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can affect brain
development and, because of this, is particularly harmful to infants, children
and pregnant women whose developing babies could be adversely affected. Once in
the air and soil mercury makes its way into the rivers and lakes were it works
up the food chain resulting in higher mercury concentrations in the fish we
eat.
Fortunately, cost effective mercury-free alternatives to
these products are readily available. The Senate’s bi-partisan bills would ban
the sale of thermostats, blood pressure measuring devices, and esophageal
dilators that contain mercury.
“Mercury is not only a major threat to public health,
especially children’s health and learning, it is also a threat to our wildlife
and environment” added Kim Pargoff, Advocate for Environment Michigan. “Many
other states have acted decisively to phase out products containing mercury and
Michigan
should do the same. These bills are a great start.”
These bills now must pass through the House Natural
Resources, Great Lakes, Land Use, and
Environment Committee, and then be voted on by the full House.
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