Mercury reduction bill passes House committee

[March 13, 2007]  CHICAGO -- The House Environmental Health Committee unanimously passed House Bill 943, which would prohibit the sale of mercury-containing measuring devices, the largest class of mercury-containing products in Illinois. Mercury is a toxic that damages the human heart, brain and immune system -- but is widely used in medical thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and other measuring devices, despite the availability of alternatives.

"This bill is about protecting children's health," said Rep. Karen May, D-Highland Park, the bill's chief sponsor and House Environmental Health Committee chair. "If we don't curtail the major sources of mercury pollution, we are knowingly endangering the healthy development of Illinois children."

"It's senseless to continue to expose Illinois children, medical professionals and patients to the health [risks] and a financial risk of mercury spills when mercury-free alternatives are available and widely used," said Max Muller, environmental advocate at Environment Illinois. "Some organizations are already eliminating mercury-containing devices, but Illinois needs the Legislature to act to ensure the complete phaseout of this toxic, which is simply unnecessary in these products."

When disposed of, mercury-containing measuring devices are often crushed or incinerated, causing airborne release. A single gram of mercury -- less than the amount in many measuring devices -- is sufficient to contaminate a 20-acre lake. Thousands of pounds of mercury from these products is disposed of each year.

When a pregnant mother eats contaminated fish, mercury crosses the placenta to cause irreparable damage to the central nervous system of the developing fetus. Mercury contaminates fish in every body of water in Illinois, with 40 percent of fish samples exceeding the safe limit for twice-per-week consumption. A recent sample of Illinois legislators revealed that nine of 32 had mercury levels above the safe limit, and researchers have shown that up to 100,000 Illinois women have blood mercury levels high enough to put a fetus at risk.

For all measuring devices, mercury-free alternatives with equal or better performance are available at comparable cost. Leading hospitals like Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic have phased out mercury in medical measuring devices. In Illinois, Omron, a leading medical device vendor based in Bannockburn, has eliminated mercury from its product line, and Consorta, a bulk purchaser based in Schaumburg, has eliminated mercury-containing devices from its purchasing contracts.

"Hospitals are realizing that improper disposal isn't mercury's only problem," said John Gaudette, outreach coordinator at Illinois Environmental Council. "The risk of leaking mercury is dangerous for hospital staff and their patients, and when mercury spills, proper cleanup can cost hospitals tens of thousands of dollars."

Nine other states already have laws prohibiting mercury in measuring devices.

"This bill may help achieve nationwide phaseout by serving as the tipping point beyond which manufacturers find it uneconomical to continue making both mercury and non-mercury versions of their products," said Muller.

The committee vote on March 6 moved the legislation to a vote by the full House of Representatives. To become law, the bill must also pass the Senate and be signed into law by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

[Text from news release received from Environment Illinois]