Reducing Mercury Pollution

Mercury found in products finds its way into lakes and rivers

Keith Reopelle

State fish consumption advisories for mercury have been issued in more than 45 states, double the number from 1992, and EPA scientists now estimate that one in 6 women of childbearing age has unsafe mercury levels for the developing fetus. As awareness grows, an increasing number of states are developing policies to reduce mercury pollution.  While Clean Wisconsin has worked for many years on reducing mercury emissions from power plants, mercury found in a myriad of products also ends up in our lakes and rivers when those products are discarded and burned in incinerators or crushed during garbage collection or disposal in landfills (mercury easily volatizes into the air).

The vast majority (78%, almost 200 tons) of mercury used in products domestically is consumed in the production of switches and relays, measuring devices such as thermometers and barometers, and thermostats (a particularly important switch application).  Fortunately, there  is functionally-equivalent or better non-mercury alternatives for most of these products, as documented by a number of recent studies and European initiatives. Consequently, some states have already passed legislation prohibiting new sales of these mercury products.

Over the last six years, hundreds of mercury-related product bills have been introduced in over half of the state legislatures throughout the country. Some of these bills have been enacted into law, while many have not. For example, to date 13 states now ban sales of mercury thermometers and 5 states have adopted sales bans for mercury thermostats. 

Mercury thermostats, switches/relays, and other mercury measuring devices, are subject to existing or pending sales restrictions in Connecticut, Maine, and Rhode Island.  A recent Illinois law similarly prohibits these sales but exempts thermostats, while California and Oregon enacted laws prohibiting mercury thermostat sales only.  Therefore, five states have acted on thermostats, and four states have acted on other switches, relays and measuring devices.

Clean Wisconsin is working with the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, Physicians for Social Responsibility, the Sierra Club and many other state organization as well as members around the state to address a variety of mercury sources but will have a focus this year on policies to ban the use of mercury in the products mentioned above.  As always, we encourage our members to get involved and if this interests you please contact me, Keith Reopelle, at (608) 251-7020 extension 11.