HB
943 to protect children's health by eliminating Illinois's largest remaining category of
mercury-containing products
SPRINGFIELD, IL—In a major victory for children's health and the
environment, the Illinois Senate yesterday unanimously passed House Bill 943
which, pending the Governor's signature, will prohibit the sale of mercury-containing
measuring devices, the largest class of mercury-containing products still legal
for sale in Illinois. A
potent neurotoxin particularly dangerous to developing children, mercury is widely
used in medical thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, and other measuring devices
despite the availability of safer alternatives.
"This bill is about protecting children's health," said Representative 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, hospital staff, and
patients to the health and financial risks of mercury spills when mercury-free
alternatives are available and widely used," said Max Muller,
Environmental Advocate at Environment Illinois.
"This bill further established Illinois's leadership on
mercury reduction," said John Gaudette, lobbyist for the Illinois Environmental
Council. "In the last five years, we've gone from the bottom 5 to the top
5 among states in protecting citizens from toxic mercury."
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.
Mercury is toxic to the human heart, brain, and immune system. When
a pregnant mother eats contaminated fish, mercury crosses the placenta to cause
irreparable damage to the developing fetus's central nervous system. 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 9 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 Muller. "The risk of leaking mercury is
dangerous for hospitals and their patients, and when mercury spills, proper
clean up can cost hospitals tens of thousands of dollars."
Illinois has made great strides in
eliminating preventable sources of mercury pollution by passing bills to
eliminate mercury in personal fever thermometers (2003), most switches and
relays (2004), children's vaccines (2005), and automobiles switches (2006).
Most significantly, in December 2006, Illinois
became the largest coal-burning state to require power plants to eliminate up
to 90 percent of their atmospheric mercury pollution. A bill to prohibit the
sale of mercury-containing thermostats is awaiting its final vote in the
Illinois House.
Nine other states already have laws prohibiting mercury in
measuring devices.
"Since Illinois is the nation's fifth biggest market, our
hope is that this bill will serve as a national tipping point beyond which manufacturers
find it uneconomical to continue making both mercury and non-mercury versions
of their products," said Gaudette.
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