Obama Bill to Ban Harmful Mercury Exports Passes EPW Committee
Thursday, July 31, 2008
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CONTACT: Michael Ortiz, 202 228 5566
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama today released the following statement after the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee passed the
Mercury Market Minimization Act (S.906), which would ban the export of mercury from the United States. The United States is consistently ranked as one of the world's top exporters of mercury, a substance that, when ingested, can lead to learning disabilities and physical ailments. Obama introduced this legislation in March 2007 with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Tom Allen (D-ME).
"The harmful effects of mercury are widely known, and they pose a particular threat to the health and safety of pregnant women and children," said Senator Obama. "We know that mercury can cause serious developmental problems in children and problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure, and fertility in adults. While the United States has become more vigilant in collecting and containing mercury, this country remains one of the leading exporters of this dangerous product. This bill will remove a significant portion of mercury from the global market, and represents an important agreement reached between industry and environmental groups towards that goal."
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can cause serious developmental problems in children, ranging from severe birth defects to mental retardation. As many as 630,000 children born annually in the U.S. are at risk of neurological problems related to mercury. In adults, mercury can cause major neurological problems affecting vision, motor skills, blood pressure and fertility. As many as 10 percent of women in the U.S. of childbearing age have mercury in their blood at a level that could put a baby at risk.
The Mercury Market Minimization Act would:
- Prohibit the commercial export of elemental mercury from the United States in 2010.
- Prohibit the commercial sale or transfer of federal mercury stockpiles held by the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense for any purpose except for transfer into permanent storage.
- Provides for permanent storage of collected mercury by the Department of Energy.