Clean Wisconsin Pressroom
• News Releases
• Press Kits
• News Releases: Subscribe
• News Release Archive
• Media Contact
Resources for Journalists:
• Publications
• Photos
• Videos/Presentations
• Organizational Fact Sheet
• Opinion Editorials and Statements
• Staff and Board
April 5, 2007
For More Information Contact:
Senator Bob Jauch (608) 266-3510
Keith Reopelle (608) 212-2935
Great Lakes region poised to set national precedent for phasing out of mercury in products
Senator Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) announced today that he will soon
be joining legislators in several other Great Lakes states by introducing
legislation to phase out the sale in Wisconsin of numerous products
containing toxic mercury. Legislators in the Great Lakes states
of Illinois, Ohio and Michigan have made announcements about introducing
legislation, while similar product bans and phase out legislation
have already been passed and signed into law in California, New
York, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Washington state.
“Earth day is just a little over a week away,” Jauch stated. “We
ought to be promoting environmental cures to toxic substances that threaten our
natural resources and pose such a dangerous problem to public health.”
This bill will phase out the retail sale of several products that contain mercury – primarily
switches relays and measuring devices – where reasonable alternatives to
mercury are available. Examples of products covered include thermostats, space
heaters, and gas and water meters.
Currently these products and their mercury are crushed and dumped in landfills,
or worse yet, burned in incinerators (Wisconsin has two municipal solid waste
incinerators including Barron County). Either way a lot of mercury is entering
the environment. The DNR estimates that up to 5,000 pounds of mercury is released
into the environment in Wisconsin from discarded products each year.
“Based on Health Department studies, we estimate that more than 9,000 children
are born in Wisconsin every year with levels of mercury in their blood that impair
their memory, attention span and IQ development,” said Keith Reopelle,
Program Director for Clean Wisconsin. “The way to protect our children
is not by fishing less but by reducing the mercury loading into our lakes and
rivers and this bill is a critical step toward doing that.”
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in fish that are eaten and impacts
the developing brain and nervous system of small children and especially developing
fetuses so pregnant women need to be especially cautious.
”With fishing season just around the corner it is important to remember
that the State Health Department has issued a fish consumption advisory warning
anglers and their families to limit the number of fish they eat from all Wisconsin
lakes and rivers,” said Reopelle.
###
Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and corporations accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. On behalf of its 10,000 members and its coalition partners, Clean Wisconsin protects the special places that make Wisconsin such a wonderful place to live, work and play. Phone: 608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: info@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.