Mercury Products Bill Signed Into Law!

Efforts of Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow Successful

July 28, 2006 – Governor Mitt Romney today signed into law H5112, An Act Relative to Mercury Management, legislation reducing mercury pollution in the Commonwealth.

Passage of the Mercury Products Bill has been a top priority of the Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow, a coalition of organizations (including The Arc of Massachusetts), parents, teachers, doctors, scientists, workers, environmentalists, and faith leaders working to implement laws and policies to prevent harm to health from toxic chemicals.

“The passage of the mercury products bill is an exciting milestone for Massachusetts and its protection of public health,” said Megan Amundson, Legislative Director of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and an Alliance for a Healthy Tomorrow Board member.  “The threat mercury poses to health is well established and the Legislature has come together to make a bill that will go far to protect residents of the Commonwealth.”

According to John Thomas of The Arc of Massachusetts: “Mercury is toxic to the brain.  Exposure early in life when the brain is developing can lead to IQ loss and changes in learning and behavior, depending on the size and timing of the exposure.  High dose exposure prenatally can produce serious neurological damage, including cerebral palsy and mental retardation.  Exposure to lower doses may cause subtle neurodevelopmental effects on attention, memory and language skills.  While The Arc has always been a strong voice for increased services and funds for people with intellectual disabilities, we also recognize the positive implications of prevention before harm occurs.  This bill is a thoughtfully crafted prevention tool that will help protect present and future generations living within the Commonwealth.”

Mercury enters the environment via waste incinerators, pollution from power plants, chlorine production facilities and other sources.  In Massachusetts, a large source of air emissions is the states’ 5 municipal waste largest incinerators, which together emit 587 pounds of mercury a year according to DEP data.  The Mercury Products Bill is expected to dramatically reduce emissions of mercury from these incinerators.

In addition, the bill will phase out the use of certain mercury-containing products that have safer alternatives (such as thermostats and electrical switches).  It will require manufacturers of mercury-containing products (including automobiles) to set up collection programs to keep discarded products out of the waste stream.  It also requires light bulb manufacturers to educate the public about the mercury content and proper disposal of fluorescent light bulbs, and to provide grants to municipalities to set up collection programs for mercury-containing bulbs.

State Senator Pamela Resor (D-Acton), one of the bill’s lead supporters, said of the bill: “This bill is a fair and comprehensive approach to a difficult problem.  We have listened to industry, environmentalists, municipalities, and consumers and have proposed realistic measures that will protect the environment without hurting our economy.”

Upon signing the Mercury Products Bill into law, Governor Romney commented: “This bill is a logical step in addressing the health and environmental impacts resulting from mercury in our environment.  [It] will lead to further progress in reducing neurological damage to children and pregnant women and making fish from the Commonwealth safe to eat.”