| MAP - Mercury Action Plan | |
|
In June 1998, the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers ... adopted the landmark Mercury Action Plan (MAP), which specifies actions to protect its citizens and its environment from the toxin mercury.
... [an] interim reduction goal or 75% or greater by 2-10, ... short-term goal of a 50% emission reduction target ... by 2003. |
|
| Cascadia Times "Water in the West" website | |
|
Cyanide and mercury emissions exceeded limits by more than five times the allowed levels in one 13-month period. |
|
| Friday, April 27, 2001 | |
Ventura signs...... on Thursday, Ventura signed a bill banning the sale and distribution of mercury thermometers. The measure makes an exception for instances in which they are needed for technical calibrations or food safety. -- Mark Brunswick © Copyright 2001 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. |
|
|
November 16, 2000 |
|
|
BOSTON ACTS TO BAN MERCURY THERMOMETERS From Tribune News Services BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- The City Council voted Wednesday to ban the sale of mercury thermometers as Boston joined a nationwide push to remove them from America's medicine cabinets as a threat to lakes and streams. The mercury often enters the environment after the thermometers are incinerated or disposed of in landfills, health activists say. The resolution, cleared unanimously, needs approval from Mayor Thomas Menino, who has not taken a position on the issue. The move is another blow to the mercury thermometer market. A growing number of cities have banned them, and many stores and hospitals are abandoning them for digital ones. Mercury is so toxic that 1 gram can contaminate a 20-acre lake. Most thermometers contain about 0.7 gram. |
|
|
Mercury related website |
|
Ban Mercury in Teeth Everywhere |
|
|
Wednesday, July 12, 2000 |
|
|
By Lucy Chubb Mercury report met with optimismPoliticians and activist groups fighting the fight against mercury pollution were heartened by the conclusions of a report on the mercury health risks issued Tuesday by the National Academy of Sciences. "There are no more excuses," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, in a statement released Tuesday. "It is time to cut mercury pollution and protect Americans' health. Mercury is the last major toxic substance without an emissions control plan. For years Congress and the special interests have kicked the ball down the field. This report brings us to the goal line, and Congress needs to act in the public's interest and to stop doing the bidding of the special interests." Copyright 2000, Environmental News Network |
|
|
2000 Legislation House Bill 1418 – Governor Shaheen signed House Bill 1418, making New Hampshire the first state to ban the sale of mercury thermometers without a prescription and the sale of novelty items containing mercury, such as games, toys, clothing and ornaments. The legislation limits the sale of elemental mercury to a few specific purposes and prohibits the use of mercury and mercury compounds in science labs in grades K-12. The legislation requires that manufactures of mercury-added products, such as fluorescent lamps, batteries, thermostats, and electrical switches, notify the state about how much mercury is contained in their products. |
|
|
August 1995 |
||
G. Bronson Methodist Hospital (Michigan, August 1995)
Educating the staff at Bronson Methodist Hospital, including the proper use of mercury-containing devices, eliminates breakages, and the proper procedures to follow in case of a breakage, has helped to decrease mercury from its system. In addition, instituting a purchasing policy to ban the purchase of mercury-containing items, if an alternative exists, has been formalized. A company that purchases the mercury-containing devices from the hospital has been located. Batteries that contain mercury are in the process of being phase out and replaced with mercury-free batteries. Sphygmomanometers containing mercury are being replaced with aneroid devices throughout the facility. |
||