| [../../topinclude.html] | ||
|
PROGRESS REPORT 2000MERCURYCanadian workgroup co-chair: Robert Krauel Workgroup Activities and the 4-Step Process The focus of the mercury workgroup has been on Steps 3 and 4: the examination and implementation of reduction options, and the development of partnerships and commitments. Workgroup activities have included posting a draft report on U.S. Sources and Regulations (Steps 1 and 2) on the GLBTS web site (http://www.epa.gov/glpno/bns/mercury/stephg.html), as well as an "Options Report" (Step 3), posted to the web in September of 2000.Public comments have been received on the Step 1&2 report. Reduction Activities Numerous mercury reduction activities are occurring in Canada to meet the goal of reducingreleases of mercury in the Great Lakes Basin, and in the U.S. to meet the goal of reducing thedeliberate use of mercury and releases of mercury nationwide. The following is a selection of activities reported by Mercury workgroup participants. Links to web sites with additional details about many of these activities can be found at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/mercury/. Chlor-Alkali Industry:This U.S. industry, through the Chlorine Institute, committed (in 1996) to reducing mercury use 50 percent by 2006. Efforts have involved meetings to address technology issues, plant visits by USEPA, industry workshops, technology transfers between members, and reports of individual company activities to achieve the goal. The industry reported in May 2000 that they have reduced mercury use 42 percent, in addition to reductions that were the result of decreasing production capacity, between 1995 and 1999. Olin Corporation participated in a cooperative emissions characterization study with USEPA, State, and academic researchers.Medical Sector :Under the Memorandum of Understanding between the American Hospital Association and USEPA, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment has produced a Mercury Virtual Elimination Plan for U.S. hospitals. In addition, workgroups are implementing work plans on various aspects of hospital waste reduction. State and local governments are conducting outreach and providing technical assistance to hospitals, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has continued its outreach and education effort focused on hospitals. Nearly 600 medical facilities have taken NWF's "Mercury Free Medicine Pledge," committing to phase out mercury-containing devices and chemicals. In the past six months, new outreach materials have been developed and media coverage of the campaign has been expanded. Participating facilities receive information on mercury reduction practices and how to reduce overall hospital toxicity and volume and to implement environmentally preferable purchasing and alternative waste management practices. The Canada Centre for Pollution Prevention will hold a second series of pollution prevention training sessions for healthcare facilities during January-March 2001.Industrial Use of Mercury-Containing Devices :Bethlehem Steel Burns Harbor, Ispat Inland-East Chicago, and US Steel-Gary have developed mercury reduction plans, focusing primarily on mercury-containing devices, under a voluntary agreement with USEPA, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Lake Michigan Forum. They have agreed to help promote mercury reduction among their suppliers as well. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, with funding from EPA, conducted a mercury workshop in September 2000 for industries such as steel plants and utilities to educate them about ways of identifying mercury use and to encourage them to voluntarily discontinue mercury use and to replace any mercury-containing instruments with mercury-free alternatives. Wisconsin Electric Power (WEPCo) conducted a survey in 1999 showing that mercury-containing equipment in WEPCo's power plants contained a total of approximately 250 pounds of mercury, approximately 100 pounds of which will be removed from two older units during 2001. WEPCo also plans to change suppliers of caustic soda used in power plant water treatment processes in order to reduce mercury discharges.Consumers Energy Company began a Mercury Pollution Prevention Initiative in 1996, which has reduced stock mercury by 351 pounds, or 77%, since the beginning of the program. Consumers Energy has also 1) reinstituted a replacement program for older mercury-containing gas regulators, the company's single largest source of equipment related mercury, 2) replaced all mercury-operated flame sensor switches with a non-mercury, oil-filled switch, 3) continued the replacement and collection of company equipment containing mercury, 4) included safe mercury management information in the company's ongoing training programs, and 5) developed equipment procurement policies to minimize mercury in new purchases. A reduction of an estimated 648 pounds, or 22%, of mercury in use or in storage throughout the company has been achieved as a result of Consumer Energy's Mercury Pollution Prevention Initiative. Mercury in Schools:The University of Wisconsin extension office has created a website (www.mercury-k12.org) and list server to share information about mercury in schools, including mercury reduction opportunities and mercury cleanup, curriculum, and policy approaches. Together with local, State, and Federal sponsors, "mercury in schools" workshops have been presented to a Milwaukee meeting of science teachers from throughout the Midwest, as well as to groups of local teachers throughout Wisconsin and in Detroit and Chicago; another workshop is scheduled for Indianapolis. There have been several additional informational workshops for teachers and key administrators throughout various areas of Michigan. School collection events will be taking place in the Milwaukee and Superior areas, in which schools can turn in their mercury devices for recycling in exchange for money that can be used to purchase mercury-free equipment.
Batteries :Mercury levels in collected alkaline batteries continue to decline in the U.S. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) battery section conducted surveys of mercury levels in alkaline batteries collected in Camden County, New Jersey, and Lee County, Florida. Average mercury levels were 284 ppm for alkaline batteries in Camden County and 289 ppm for alkaline batteries in Lee County, down from the roughly 10,000 ppm in typical batteries before the battery industry began to eliminate mercury from most batteries in the late 1980s. NEMA projects that mercury levels will continue to decline by 50 percent every two years.Lamps:Since the mid-1980's, lamp manufacturers have reduced the mercury content of fluorescent lamps by approximately 80 percent. The average mercury content of a typical 4-foot lamp was 11.6 mg in 1999, according to a NEMA survey. Smaller diameter lamps, such as T8 (1") and T5 (5/8") have even lower mercury content and are more efficient, therefore resulting in reduced mercury emissions from the fossil fuels used to energize them over life. Other contributing factors to lower mercury emissions over lamp life are:
NEMA lamp manufacturers continue to endorse lamp recycling as the preferred method of disposal. Information on lamp disposal requirements in each state, and a list of U.S. lamp recyclers and lamp handlers, can be found at www.lamprecycle.org. Lamp manufacturers in Canada, through Electro-Federation Canada (EFC), have committed to a reduction in the average mercury content of fluorescent and HID lamps of 60 percent by 2005, and 80 percent by 2010, using a 1990 baseline. This is in support of the CWS (Canada-Wide Standards) for Mercury. Thermostats:In the U.S., the Thermostat Recycling Corporation has collected over 500 pounds of mercury from over 57,000 thermostats collected and processed from January 1, 1998 to June 30, 2000. Over 60% of the collected mercury, 319 pounds, came from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The program has recently been expanded to the Northeast and will gradually be expanded to include the entire country.Dentistry:The Great Lakes Dental Mercury Reduction Project funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund has produced a template brochure: Amalgam Recycling and Other Best Management Practices. By the end of the year all of the Great Lakes Dental Associations will have reprinted and distributed this document to their memberships. Both the University of Illinois-Chicago dental school and the Naval Dental Research Institute are conducting research on controlling mercury in dental wastewater and helping to educate dentists about best management practices. The Ontario Dental Association has developed a "Best Management Practices" manual, which includes information concerning amalgam separators. The manual has been distributed to all Ontario dentists. The City of Toronto has passed a sewer use bylaw that requires amalgam separators to be installed in all Toronto dental practices by January 1, 2002. Canada Wide Standards have been proposed for dental amalgam which would require the application of "Best Management Practices," including the installation of an ISO-certified trap or its equivalent in order to achieve a national 95% reduction in mercury releases from dental practices by 2005, from a base year of 2000.Thermometers :Coalitions including Health Care Without Harm and the National Wildlife Federation have successfully encouraged several U.S. retailers to stop the sale of mercury-containing thermometers to the public and have promoted local bans on the sale of mercury fever thermometers. Duluth, Minnesota, Ann Arbor, Michigan, unincorporated areas of Dane County, Wisconsin, as well as several Dane Country municipalities, have banned the sale of mercury thermometers. In addition, numerous thermometer exchanges have been conducted. For instance, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, local solid waste management districts, the Regional Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, Eli Lilly and Company, and Cinergy Corporation partnered to host a number of mercury thermometer exchanges throughout Indiana. In the past year, this partnership has given out over 3,500 free digital thermometers in exchange for mercury thermometers from households.Dairy Manometer Replacement:The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture have conducted a dairy mercury manometer replacement program to allow dairy farmers to replace their mercury manometers for electronic manometers at a discounted price. Dairy equipment dealers are given money to partially cover the cost of mercury manometer removal and replacement, and a contractor picks up the removed manometers for recycling. Approximately 375 mercury manometers have been recycled through this program.Household and Small Business Mercury Collection:Several Great Lakes States have conducted numerous successful mercury collection programs. For instance, since October 1998, Indiana has collected over 4,500 pounds of mercury and mercury-containing items from households, more than half of which has been collected in the past year. Bowling Green State University, in conjunction with the Ohio EPA and other private and public entities, collects uncontaminated elemental mercury from citizens, academic institutions, medical facilities, industries, and any other sources. This free program has collected over 1,500 pounds of mercury throughout Ohio, southern Michigan, eastern Indiana, and western Pennsylvania. The Wisconsin Mercury Recycling Program is in progress in eight Wisconsin mercury reduction communities. This program allows households and businesses to recycle almost all mercury-containing items for free, or at low cost, at local Clean Sweep events and Household Hazardous Waste Facilities. This program was designed to last one year but may be extended for one more year. In addition, Dane County, Wisconsin, has put together a mercury reduction plan and is working with the respective interest groups according to the plan's priorities, which include thermostats, switches in autos and appliances, fluorescent lights, medical facilities, and schools.Emissions from Coal-Fired Utility Boilers:USEPA evaluated data on mercury in coal and speciated emissions. The data were received in 1999 under an Information Collection Request (ICR). USEPA will use this evaluation, along with an evaluation of methyl mercury health risks by the National Academy of Sciences and studies of emissions control technology, in making a determination by the end of 2000 regarding whether to regulate mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers. In conjunction with the ICR, Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCo) initiated a comprehensive evaluation of mercury emissions as well as a screening assessment of possible emission reduction strategies for coal-fired units, including voluntary testing of six additional units for mercury speciation. The Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G), in partnership with Electric Power Research Institute, is currently conducting a pilot-scale evaluation of the capabilities of a polishing high air-to-cloth ratio pulse jet baghouse with sorbent injection as an effective particulate, mercury, and acid aerosol emission-control technology. The pilot demonstrated significant pollutant reduction levels, including up to 90 percent control of mercury emissions. PSE&G is seeking federal appropriations to assist in installing the technology on a full scale. As part of its efforts to control mercury emissions from coal combustion, Consumers Energy Company reported a 1998 fuel mix that consisted of 42.9% of nuclear energy, oil and natural gas, renewable resources, and other non-coal sources of energy. This represents a slight decrease (1.2%) in the company's coal use from 1995, and is comparable to the estimated 1998 U.S. fuel mix of 56.9% coal and 43.1% non-coal sources. For example, the company's Campbell plant used approximately 4,800 tons of sawdust as supplemental fuel in 1998.Automobiles:The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents auto manufacturers with operations in North America, committed to the eventual phase-out of mercury switches used in auto convenience lighting and agreed to work cooperatively with States on pilot programs to encourage auto dismantlers and scrappers to remove mercury switches. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has led discussions with the Automobile Alliance and the Automotive Recyclers of Michigan. DaimlerChrysler has completely phased out mercury-containing light switches, and Ford has provided a verbal commitment to phase out mercury-containing light switches by 2002. General Motors projects that mercury convenience lighting switches will be phased out of all but one low-volume vehicle line by the 2002 model year, with all mercury-containing switches replaced by model year 2004. A "clean sweep" to collect all mercury switches from vehicles currently in Michigan salvage yards was conducted during September and October, 2000. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has been implementing programs to remove switches from vehicle fleets and scrapped vehicles.Watershed Approaches:The National Wildlife Federation is co-chair of two multi-stakeholder task forces (one for the State of Ohio and one for the St. Louis River, MN) attempting to develop watershed cleanup plans (known as TMDLs, or Total Maximum Daily Loads) that address mercury from airborne and waterborne sources. The Ohio task force developed consensus recommendations for the process of developing watershed cleanup plans for mercury for the entire State. The recommendations strongly urge the State to establish and fund a mercury pollution prevention task force for the State. Efforts for the St. Louis River are ongoing.Ban on Mixing Zones:USEPA has finalized a regulation (Federal Register: November 13, 2000; Vol. 65, No. 219, pp. 67638-67651) that will ban the use of mixing zones that allowdischarges of bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCCs) into the Great Lakes Basin, subjectto certain exceptions for existing discharges. A mixing zone is an area where pollutants are mixed with cleaner receiving waters to dilute their concentration in the water. Inside a mixing zone, discharges of toxic pollutants are allowed to exceed the water quality criteria set by a State, as long as the standards are met outside or near the boundary of the mixing zone. The final rule, Final Rule to Amend the Final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System to Prohibit Mixing Zones for Bioaccumulative Chemicals of Concern, prohibits mixing zones for new discharges of BCCs and will phase out the use of existing mixing zones in the Great Lakes over the next 10 years. The regulation will eliminate discharges of up to 700,000 toxic pounds-equivalent annually of BCCs, including mercury, dioxin, PCBs, chlordane, DDT, and mirex, as well as 16 other highly bioaccumulative chemicals. Mercury discharges alone will be reduced by up to 90 percent. Five Great Lakes States – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – already prohibit mixing zones for bioaccumulative chemicals of concern in the Great Lakes Basin, although the mixing zone ban in Wisconsin currently applies only to new dischargers. Under the new rule, any Great Lakes State or Tribe that has not adopted BCC mixing zone provisions as protective as those in the rule (e.g., New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania) will have 18 months to adopt similar provisions prohibiting mixing zones.Mercury-Free DC:USEPA and the District of Columbia, along with partners such as Health Care Without Harm, the District of Columbia Hospital Association, and other Washington, DC-area local governments, have begun a "Mercury-Free DC" initiative. This effort includes hospital mercury reduction pledges, thermometer exchanges, household hazardous waste collections, and technical assistance in mercury reduction for businesses.New Hampshire Mercury Legislation:New Hampshire enacted mercury legislation which bans the sale of certain mercury-containing products, requires manufacturers to notify the State of the added mercury content of their products, bans the sale of mercury fever thermometers without a prescription, bans the use of mercury in grade schools, and restricts the sale and use of elemental mercury. The legislative effort was one recommendation of New Hampshire's Mercury Reduction Strategy which has also led to the organization of workgroups to address mercury emissions from utility boilers, mercury use in healthcare facilities, and mercury emissions from municipal waste combustors and to develop the recently drafted mercury Public Outreach Strategy. ECOS National Mercury Workshop:A grant was issued to the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) for an "ECOS National Mercury Workshop" to inform state environmental commissioners and upper level agency managers about mercury issues. The workshop was held in the fall of 2000 and served as an opportunity for states to exchange information about their mercury reduction activities. Monitoring Ambient Mercury Monitoring:In September, 2000, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management signed a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor mercury in both wet and dry deposition at four sites throughout Indiana. Additional data will be collected for other metals and for methyl mercury. The course of this project will run over 2 years, with a potential renewal for an additional 2 years. The Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) has funded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the University of Michigan to establish mercury monitoring at three urban sites and two rural sites. In addition, mercury levels in water, sediments, and biota will be measured at an impacted urban lake in southeast Michigan with assistance from MDEQ's Surface Water Quality Division.
Source Monitoring:Under EPA grants, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Illinois are purchasing continuous elemental mercury vapor monitoring equipment for evaluating mercury emissions from a variety of sources. Through another EPA grant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing assistance to States monitoring reactive gaseous mercury.Progress Toward Challenge Goals It is difficult to evaluate progress over the last year toward the goal of reducing mercury use and release by 50 percent nationally by 2006. The draft U.S. report on Mercury Sources and Regulations estimates that mercury emissions decreased approximately 25 percent between 1990 and 1995, and it is likely that reductions have continued, especially as the result of implementation of regulations on emissions from incinerators. Mercury use has been declining in the late 1990s, but progress over the last two years is difficult to gauge given changes in the sources of data about mercury consumption (see http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/mercury/progress.html).
|
||
| [../../botinclude.html] |
PROGRESS REPORT 2000
MERCURY
Canadian workgroup co-chair: Robert Krauel
U.S. workgroup co-chair: Alexis Cain
Workgroup Activities and the 4-Step Process
The focus of the mercury workgroup has been on Steps 3 and 4: the examination and implementation of reduction options, and the development of partnerships and commitments. Workgroup activities have included posting a draft report on U.S. Sources and Regulations (Steps 1 and 2) on the GLBTS web site (http://www.epa.gov/glpno/bns/mercury/stephg.html), as well as an "Options Report" (Step 3), posted to the web in September of 2000.Public comments have been received on the Step 1&2 report.
Reduction Activities
Numerous mercury reduction activities are occurring in Canada to meet the goal of reducingreleases of mercury in the Great Lakes Basin, and in the U.S. to meet the goal of reducing thedeliberate use of mercury and releases of mercury nationwide. The following is a selection of activities reported by Mercury workgroup participants. Links to web sites with additional details about many of these activities can be found at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/mercury/.
Chlor-Alkali Industry:
This U.S. industry, through the Chlorine Institute, committed (in 1996) to reducing mercury use 50 percent by 2006. Efforts have involved meetings to address technology issues, plant visits by USEPA, industry workshops, technology transfers between members, and reports of individual company activities to achieve the goal. The industry reported in May 2000 that they have reduced mercury use 42 percent, in addition to reductions that were the result of decreasing production capacity, between 1995 and 1999. Olin Corporation participated in a cooperative emissions characterization study with USEPA, State, and academic researchers.Medical Sector :
Under the Memorandum of Understanding between the American Hospital Association and USEPA, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment has produced a Mercury Virtual Elimination Plan for U.S. hospitals. In addition, workgroups are implementing work plans on various aspects of hospital waste reduction. State and local governments are conducting outreach and providing technical assistance to hospitals, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has continued its outreach and education effort focused on hospitals. Nearly 600 medical facilities have taken NWF's "Mercury Free Medicine Pledge," committing to phase out mercury-containing devices and chemicals. In the past six months, new outreach materials have been developed and media coverage of the campaign has been expanded. Participating facilities receive information on mercury reduction practices and how to reduce overall hospital toxicity and volume and to implement environmentally preferable purchasing and alternative waste management practices. The Canada Centre for Pollution Prevention will hold a second series of pollution prevention training sessions for healthcare facilities during January-March 2001.Industrial Use of Mercury-Containing Devices :
Bethlehem Steel Burns Harbor, Ispat Inland-East Chicago, and US Steel-Gary have developed mercury reduction plans, focusing primarily on mercury-containing devices, under a voluntary agreement with USEPA, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Lake Michigan Forum. They have agreed to help promote mercury reduction among their suppliers as well. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, with funding from EPA, conducted a mercury workshop in September 2000 for industries such as steel plants and utilities to educate them about ways of identifying mercury use and to encourage them to voluntarily discontinue mercury use and to replace any mercury-containing instruments with mercury-free alternatives. Wisconsin Electric Power (WEPCo) conducted a survey in 1999 showing that mercury-containing equipment in WEPCo's power plants contained a total of approximately 250 pounds of mercury, approximately 100 pounds of which will be removed from two older units during 2001. WEPCo also plans to change suppliers of caustic soda used in power plant water treatment processes in order to reduce mercury discharges.Consumers Energy Company began a Mercury Pollution Prevention Initiative in 1996, which has reduced stock mercury by 351 pounds, or 77%, since the beginning of the program. Consumers Energy has also 1) reinstituted a replacement program for older mercury-containing gas regulators, the company's single largest source of equipment related mercury, 2) replaced all mercury-operated flame sensor switches with a non-mercury, oil-filled switch, 3) continued the replacement and collection of company equipment containing mercury, 4) included safe mercury management information in the company's ongoing training programs, and 5) developed equipment procurement policies to minimize mercury in new purchases. A reduction of an estimated 648 pounds, or 22%, of mercury in use or in storage throughout the company has been achieved as a result of Consumer Energy's Mercury Pollution Prevention Initiative.
Mercury in Schools:
The University of Wisconsin extension office has created a website (www.mercury-k12.org) and list server to share information about mercury in schools, including mercury reduction opportunities and mercury cleanup, curriculum, and policy approaches. Together with local, State, and Federal sponsors, "mercury in schools" workshops have been presented to a Milwaukee meeting of science teachers from throughout the Midwest, as well as to groups of local teachers throughout Wisconsin and in Detroit and Chicago; another workshop is scheduled for Indianapolis. There have been several additional informational workshops for teachers and key administrators throughout various areas of Michigan. School collection events will be taking place in the Milwaukee and Superior areas, in which schools can turn in their mercury devices for recycling in exchange for money that can be used to purchase mercury-free equipment.
Batteries :
Mercury levels in collected alkaline batteries continue to decline in the U.S. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) battery section conducted surveys of mercury levels in alkaline batteries collected in Camden County, New Jersey, and Lee County, Florida. Average mercury levels were 284 ppm for alkaline batteries in Camden County and 289 ppm for alkaline batteries in Lee County, down from the roughly 10,000 ppm in typical batteries before the battery industry began to eliminate mercury from most batteries in the late 1980s. NEMA projects that mercury levels will continue to decline by 50 percent every two years.Lamps:
Since the mid-1980's, lamp manufacturers have reduced the mercury content of fluorescent lamps by approximately 80 percent. The average mercury content of a typical 4-foot lamp was 11.6 mg in 1999, according to a NEMA survey. Smaller diameter lamps, such as T8 (1") and T5 (5/8") have even lower mercury content and are more efficient, therefore resulting in reduced mercury emissions from the fossil fuels used to energize them over life. Other contributing factors to lower mercury emissions over lamp life are:- The introduction of lamps with average life ratings higher than 20,000 hours. These include fluorescent lamps with average life ratings of 24,000 and 30,000 hours and some specialty lamp types with average life ratings of up to 100,000 hours.
- Compact fluorescent lamps and some other lamp types with mercury content below 5 mg.
- High-pressure sodium lamps with lowered mercury content, and a limited range of mercury-free high-pressure sodium lamps.
NEMA lamp manufacturers continue to endorse lamp recycling as the preferred method of disposal. Information on lamp disposal requirements in each state, and a list of U.S. lamp recyclers and lamp handlers, can be found at www.lamprecycle.org. Lamp manufacturers in Canada, through Electro-Federation Canada (EFC), have committed to a reduction in the average mercury content of fluorescent and HID lamps of 60 percent by 2005, and 80 percent by 2010, using a 1990 baseline. This is in support of the CWS (Canada-Wide Standards) for Mercury.
Thermostats:
In the U.S., the Thermostat Recycling Corporation has collected over 500 pounds of mercury from over 57,000 thermostats collected and processed from January 1, 1998 to June 30, 2000. Over 60% of the collected mercury, 319 pounds, came from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The program has recently been expanded to the Northeast and will gradually be expanded to include the entire country.Dentistry:
The Great Lakes Dental Mercury Reduction Project funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund has produced a template brochure: Amalgam Recycling and Other Best Management Practices. By the end of the year all of the Great Lakes Dental Associations will have reprinted and distributed this document to their memberships. Both the University of Illinois-Chicago dental school and the Naval Dental Research Institute are conducting research on controlling mercury in dental wastewater and helping to educate dentists about best management practices. The Ontario Dental Association has developed a "Best Management Practices" manual, which includes information concerning amalgam separators. The manual has been distributed to all Ontario dentists. The City of Toronto has passed a sewer use bylaw that requires amalgam separators to be installed in all Toronto dental practices by January 1, 2002. Canada Wide Standards have been proposed for dental amalgam which would require the application of "Best Management Practices," including the installation of an ISO-certified trap or its equivalent in order to achieve a national 95% reduction in mercury releases from dental practices by 2005, from a base year of 2000.Thermometers :
Coalitions including Health Care Without Harm and the National Wildlife Federation have successfully encouraged several U.S. retailers to stop the sale of mercury-containing thermometers to the public and have promoted local bans on the sale of mercury fever thermometers. Duluth, Minnesota, Ann Arbor, Michigan, unincorporated areas of Dane County, Wisconsin, as well as several Dane Country municipalities, have banned the sale of mercury thermometers. In addition, numerous thermometer exchanges have been conducted. For instance, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, local solid waste management districts, the Regional Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, Eli Lilly and Company, and Cinergy Corporation partnered to host a number of mercury thermometer exchanges throughout Indiana. In the past year, this partnership has given out over 3,500 free digital thermometers in exchange for mercury thermometers from households.Dairy Manometer Replacement:
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture have conducted a dairy mercury manometer replacement program to allow dairy farmers to replace their mercury manometers for electronic manometers at a discounted price. Dairy equipment dealers are given money to partially cover the cost of mercury manometer removal and replacement, and a contractor picks up the removed manometers for recycling. Approximately 375 mercury manometers have been recycled through this program.Household and Small Business Mercury Collection:
Several Great Lakes States have conducted numerous successful mercury collection programs. For instance, since October 1998, Indiana has collected over 4,500 pounds of mercury and mercury-containing items from households, more than half of which has been collected in the past year. Bowling Green State University, in conjunction with the Ohio EPA and other private and public entities, collects uncontaminated elemental mercury from citizens, academic institutions, medical facilities, industries, and any other sources. This free program has collected over 1,500 pounds of mercury throughout Ohio, southern Michigan, eastern Indiana, and western Pennsylvania. The Wisconsin Mercury Recycling Program is in progress in eight Wisconsin mercury reduction communities. This program allows households and businesses to recycle almost all mercury-containing items for free, or at low cost, at local Clean Sweep events and Household Hazardous Waste Facilities. This program was designed to last one year but may be extended for one more year. In addition, Dane County, Wisconsin, has put together a mercury reduction plan and is working with the respective interest groups according to the plan's priorities, which include thermostats, switches in autos and appliances, fluorescent lights, medical facilities, and schools.Emissions from Coal-Fired Utility Boilers:
USEPA evaluated data on mercury in coal and speciated emissions. The data were received in 1999 under an Information Collection Request (ICR). USEPA will use this evaluation, along with an evaluation of methyl mercury health risks by the National Academy of Sciences and studies of emissions control technology, in making a determination by the end of 2000 regarding whether to regulate mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers. In conjunction with the ICR, Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCo) initiated a comprehensive evaluation of mercury emissions as well as a screening assessment of possible emission reduction strategies for coal-fired units, including voluntary testing of six additional units for mercury speciation. The Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G), in partnership with Electric Power Research Institute, is currently conducting a pilot-scale evaluation of the capabilities of a polishing high air-to-cloth ratio pulse jet baghouse with sorbent injection as an effective particulate, mercury, and acid aerosol emission-control technology. The pilot demonstrated significant pollutant reduction levels, including up to 90 percent control of mercury emissions. PSE&G is seeking federal appropriations to assist in installing the technology on a full scale. As part of its efforts to control mercury emissions from coal combustion, Consumers Energy Company reported a 1998 fuel mix that consisted of 42.9% of nuclear energy, oil and natural gas, renewable resources, and other non-coal sources of energy. This represents a slight decrease (1.2%) in the company's coal use from 1995, and is comparable to the estimated 1998 U.S. fuel mix of 56.9% coal and 43.1% non-coal sources. For example, the company's Campbell plant used approximately 4,800 tons of sawdust as supplemental fuel in 1998.Automobiles:
The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents auto manufacturers with operations in North America, committed to the eventual phase-out of mercury switches used in auto convenience lighting and agreed to work cooperatively with States on pilot programs to encourage auto dismantlers and scrappers to remove mercury switches. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has led discussions with the Automobile Alliance and the Automotive Recyclers of Michigan. DaimlerChrysler has completely phased out mercury-containing light switches, and Ford has provided a verbal commitment to phase out mercury-containing light switches by 2002. General Motors projects that mercury convenience lighting switches will be phased out of all but one low-volume vehicle line by the 2002 model year, with all mercury-containing switches replaced by model year 2004. A "clean sweep" to collect all mercury switches from vehicles currently in Michigan salvage yards was conducted during September and October, 2000. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has been implementing programs to remove switches from vehicle fleets and scrapped vehicles.Watershed Approaches:
The National Wildlife Federation is co-chair of two multi-stakeholder task forces (one for the State of Ohio and one for the St. Louis River, MN) attempting to develop watershed cleanup plans (known as TMDLs, or Total Maximum Daily Loads) that address mercury from airborne and waterborne sources. The Ohio task force developed consensus recommendations for the process of developing watershed cleanup plans for mercury for the entire State. The recommendations strongly urge the State to establish and fund a mercury pollution prevention task force for the State. Efforts for the St. Louis River are ongoing.Ban on Mixing Zones:
USEPA has finalized a regulation (Federal Register: November 13, 2000; Vol. 65, No. 219, pp. 67638-67651) that will ban the use of mixing zones that allowdischarges of bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCCs) into the Great Lakes Basin, subjectto certain exceptions for existing discharges. A mixing zone is an area where pollutants are mixed with cleaner receiving waters to dilute their concentration in the water. Inside a mixing zone, discharges of toxic pollutants are allowed to exceed the water quality criteria set by a State, as long as the standards are met outside or near the boundary of the mixing zone. The final rule, Final Rule to Amend the Final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System to Prohibit Mixing Zones for Bioaccumulative Chemicals of Concern, prohibits mixing zones for new discharges of BCCs and will phase out the use of existing mixing zones in the Great Lakes over the next 10 years. The regulation will eliminate discharges of up to 700,000 toxic pounds-equivalent annually of BCCs, including mercury, dioxin, PCBs, chlordane, DDT, and mirex, as well as 16 other highly bioaccumulative chemicals. Mercury discharges alone will be reduced by up to 90 percent. Five Great Lakes States – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – already prohibit mixing zones for bioaccumulative chemicals of concern in the Great Lakes Basin, although the mixing zone ban in Wisconsin currently applies only to new dischargers. Under the new rule, any Great Lakes State or Tribe that has not adopted BCC mixing zone provisions as protective as those in the rule (e.g., New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania) will have 18 months to adopt similar provisions prohibiting mixing zones.Mercury-Free DC:
USEPA and the District of Columbia, along with partners such as Health Care Without Harm, the District of Columbia Hospital Association, and other Washington, DC-area local governments, have begun a "Mercury-Free DC" initiative. This effort includes hospital mercury reduction pledges, thermometer exchanges, household hazardous waste collections, and technical assistance in mercury reduction for businesses.New Hampshire Mercury Legislation:
New Hampshire enacted mercury legislation which bans the sale of certain mercury-containing products, requires manufacturers to notify the State of the added mercury content of their products, bans the sale of mercury fever thermometers without a prescription, bans the use of mercury in grade schools, and restricts the sale and use of elemental mercury. The legislative effort was one recommendation of New Hampshire's Mercury Reduction Strategy which has also led to the organization of workgroups to address mercury emissions from utility boilers, mercury use in healthcare facilities, and mercury emissions from municipal waste combustors and to develop the recently drafted mercury Public Outreach Strategy.
ECOS National Mercury Workshop:
A grant was issued to the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) for an "ECOS National Mercury Workshop" to inform state environmental commissioners and upper level agency managers about mercury issues. The workshop was held in the fall of 2000 and served as an opportunity for states to exchange information about their mercury reduction activities.
Monitoring
Ambient Mercury Monitoring:
In September, 2000, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management signed a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor mercury in both wet and dry deposition at four sites throughout Indiana. Additional data will be collected for other metals and for methyl mercury. The course of this project will run over 2 years, with a potential renewal for an additional 2 years. The Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) has funded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the University of Michigan to establish mercury monitoring at three urban sites and two rural sites. In addition, mercury levels in water, sediments, and biota will be measured at an impacted urban lake in southeast Michigan with assistance from MDEQ's Surface Water Quality Division.
Source Monitoring:
Under EPA grants, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Illinois are purchasing continuous elemental mercury vapor monitoring equipment for evaluating mercury emissions from a variety of sources. Through another EPA grant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing assistance to States monitoring reactive gaseous mercury.Progress Toward Challenge Goals
It is difficult to evaluate progress over the last year toward the goal of reducing mercury use and release by 50 percent nationally by 2006. The draft U.S. report on Mercury Sources and Regulations estimates that mercury emissions decreased approximately 25 percent between 1990 and 1995, and it is likely that reductions have continued, especially as the result of implementation of regulations on emissions from incinerators. Mercury use has been declining in the late 1990s, but progress over the last two years is difficult to gauge given changes in the sources of data about mercury consumption (see http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/mercury/progress.html).
| [../../topinclude.html] | ||
|
PROGRESS REPORT 2000MERCURYCanadian workgroup co-chair: Robert Krauel Workgroup Activities and the 4-Step Process The focus of the mercury workgroup has been on Steps 3 and 4: the examination and implementation of reduction options, and the development of partnerships and commitments. Workgroup activities have included posting a draft report on U.S. Sources and Regulations (Steps 1 and 2) on the GLBTS web site (http://www.epa.gov/glpno/bns/mercury/stephg.html), as well as an "Options Report" (Step 3), posted to the web in September of 2000.Public comments have been received on the Step 1&2 report. Reduction Activities Numerous mercury reduction activities are occurring in Canada to meet the goal of reducingreleases of mercury in the Great Lakes Basin, and in the U.S. to meet the goal of reducing thedeliberate use of mercury and releases of mercury nationwide. The following is a selection of activities reported by Mercury workgroup participants. Links to web sites with additional details about many of these activities can be found at http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/mercury/. Chlor-Alkali Industry:This U.S. industry, through the Chlorine Institute, committed (in 1996) to reducing mercury use 50 percent by 2006. Efforts have involved meetings to address technology issues, plant visits by USEPA, industry workshops, technology transfers between members, and reports of individual company activities to achieve the goal. The industry reported in May 2000 that they have reduced mercury use 42 percent, in addition to reductions that were the result of decreasing production capacity, between 1995 and 1999. Olin Corporation participated in a cooperative emissions characterization study with USEPA, State, and academic researchers.Medical Sector :Under the Memorandum of Understanding between the American Hospital Association and USEPA, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment has produced a Mercury Virtual Elimination Plan for U.S. hospitals. In addition, workgroups are implementing work plans on various aspects of hospital waste reduction. State and local governments are conducting outreach and providing technical assistance to hospitals, and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has continued its outreach and education effort focused on hospitals. Nearly 600 medical facilities have taken NWF's "Mercury Free Medicine Pledge," committing to phase out mercury-containing devices and chemicals. In the past six months, new outreach materials have been developed and media coverage of the campaign has been expanded. Participating facilities receive information on mercury reduction practices and how to reduce overall hospital toxicity and volume and to implement environmentally preferable purchasing and alternative waste management practices. The Canada Centre for Pollution Prevention will hold a second series of pollution prevention training sessions for healthcare facilities during January-March 2001.Industrial Use of Mercury-Containing Devices :Bethlehem Steel Burns Harbor, Ispat Inland-East Chicago, and US Steel-Gary have developed mercury reduction plans, focusing primarily on mercury-containing devices, under a voluntary agreement with USEPA, Indiana Department of Environmental Management, and the Lake Michigan Forum. They have agreed to help promote mercury reduction among their suppliers as well. Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, with funding from EPA, conducted a mercury workshop in September 2000 for industries such as steel plants and utilities to educate them about ways of identifying mercury use and to encourage them to voluntarily discontinue mercury use and to replace any mercury-containing instruments with mercury-free alternatives. Wisconsin Electric Power (WEPCo) conducted a survey in 1999 showing that mercury-containing equipment in WEPCo's power plants contained a total of approximately 250 pounds of mercury, approximately 100 pounds of which will be removed from two older units during 2001. WEPCo also plans to change suppliers of caustic soda used in power plant water treatment processes in order to reduce mercury discharges.Consumers Energy Company began a Mercury Pollution Prevention Initiative in 1996, which has reduced stock mercury by 351 pounds, or 77%, since the beginning of the program. Consumers Energy has also 1) reinstituted a replacement program for older mercury-containing gas regulators, the company's single largest source of equipment related mercury, 2) replaced all mercury-operated flame sensor switches with a non-mercury, oil-filled switch, 3) continued the replacement and collection of company equipment containing mercury, 4) included safe mercury management information in the company's ongoing training programs, and 5) developed equipment procurement policies to minimize mercury in new purchases. A reduction of an estimated 648 pounds, or 22%, of mercury in use or in storage throughout the company has been achieved as a result of Consumer Energy's Mercury Pollution Prevention Initiative. Mercury in Schools:The University of Wisconsin extension office has created a website (www.mercury-k12.org) and list server to share information about mercury in schools, including mercury reduction opportunities and mercury cleanup, curriculum, and policy approaches. Together with local, State, and Federal sponsors, "mercury in schools" workshops have been presented to a Milwaukee meeting of science teachers from throughout the Midwest, as well as to groups of local teachers throughout Wisconsin and in Detroit and Chicago; another workshop is scheduled for Indianapolis. There have been several additional informational workshops for teachers and key administrators throughout various areas of Michigan. School collection events will be taking place in the Milwaukee and Superior areas, in which schools can turn in their mercury devices for recycling in exchange for money that can be used to purchase mercury-free equipment.
Batteries :Mercury levels in collected alkaline batteries continue to decline in the U.S. The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) battery section conducted surveys of mercury levels in alkaline batteries collected in Camden County, New Jersey, and Lee County, Florida. Average mercury levels were 284 ppm for alkaline batteries in Camden County and 289 ppm for alkaline batteries in Lee County, down from the roughly 10,000 ppm in typical batteries before the battery industry began to eliminate mercury from most batteries in the late 1980s. NEMA projects that mercury levels will continue to decline by 50 percent every two years.Lamps:Since the mid-1980's, lamp manufacturers have reduced the mercury content of fluorescent lamps by approximately 80 percent. The average mercury content of a typical 4-foot lamp was 11.6 mg in 1999, according to a NEMA survey. Smaller diameter lamps, such as T8 (1") and T5 (5/8") have even lower mercury content and are more efficient, therefore resulting in reduced mercury emissions from the fossil fuels used to energize them over life. Other contributing factors to lower mercury emissions over lamp life are:
NEMA lamp manufacturers continue to endorse lamp recycling as the preferred method of disposal. Information on lamp disposal requirements in each state, and a list of U.S. lamp recyclers and lamp handlers, can be found at www.lamprecycle.org. Lamp manufacturers in Canada, through Electro-Federation Canada (EFC), have committed to a reduction in the average mercury content of fluorescent and HID lamps of 60 percent by 2005, and 80 percent by 2010, using a 1990 baseline. This is in support of the CWS (Canada-Wide Standards) for Mercury. Thermostats:In the U.S., the Thermostat Recycling Corporation has collected over 500 pounds of mercury from over 57,000 thermostats collected and processed from January 1, 1998 to June 30, 2000. Over 60% of the collected mercury, 319 pounds, came from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The program has recently been expanded to the Northeast and will gradually be expanded to include the entire country.Dentistry:The Great Lakes Dental Mercury Reduction Project funded by the Great Lakes Protection Fund has produced a template brochure: Amalgam Recycling and Other Best Management Practices. By the end of the year all of the Great Lakes Dental Associations will have reprinted and distributed this document to their memberships. Both the University of Illinois-Chicago dental school and the Naval Dental Research Institute are conducting research on controlling mercury in dental wastewater and helping to educate dentists about best management practices. The Ontario Dental Association has developed a "Best Management Practices" manual, which includes information concerning amalgam separators. The manual has been distributed to all Ontario dentists. The City of Toronto has passed a sewer use bylaw that requires amalgam separators to be installed in all Toronto dental practices by January 1, 2002. Canada Wide Standards have been proposed for dental amalgam which would require the application of "Best Management Practices," including the installation of an ISO-certified trap or its equivalent in order to achieve a national 95% reduction in mercury releases from dental practices by 2005, from a base year of 2000.Thermometers :Coalitions including Health Care Without Harm and the National Wildlife Federation have successfully encouraged several U.S. retailers to stop the sale of mercury-containing thermometers to the public and have promoted local bans on the sale of mercury fever thermometers. Duluth, Minnesota, Ann Arbor, Michigan, unincorporated areas of Dane County, Wisconsin, as well as several Dane Country municipalities, have banned the sale of mercury thermometers. In addition, numerous thermometer exchanges have been conducted. For instance, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, local solid waste management districts, the Regional Household Hazardous Waste Task Force, Eli Lilly and Company, and Cinergy Corporation partnered to host a number of mercury thermometer exchanges throughout Indiana. In the past year, this partnership has given out over 3,500 free digital thermometers in exchange for mercury thermometers from households.Dairy Manometer Replacement:The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture have conducted a dairy mercury manometer replacement program to allow dairy farmers to replace their mercury manometers for electronic manometers at a discounted price. Dairy equipment dealers are given money to partially cover the cost of mercury manometer removal and replacement, and a contractor picks up the removed manometers for recycling. Approximately 375 mercury manometers have been recycled through this program.Household and Small Business Mercury Collection:Several Great Lakes States have conducted numerous successful mercury collection programs. For instance, since October 1998, Indiana has collected over 4,500 pounds of mercury and mercury-containing items from households, more than half of which has been collected in the past year. Bowling Green State University, in conjunction with the Ohio EPA and other private and public entities, collects uncontaminated elemental mercury from citizens, academic institutions, medical facilities, industries, and any other sources. This free program has collected over 1,500 pounds of mercury throughout Ohio, southern Michigan, eastern Indiana, and western Pennsylvania. The Wisconsin Mercury Recycling Program is in progress in eight Wisconsin mercury reduction communities. This program allows households and businesses to recycle almost all mercury-containing items for free, or at low cost, at local Clean Sweep events and Household Hazardous Waste Facilities. This program was designed to last one year but may be extended for one more year. In addition, Dane County, Wisconsin, has put together a mercury reduction plan and is working with the respective interest groups according to the plan's priorities, which include thermostats, switches in autos and appliances, fluorescent lights, medical facilities, and schools.Emissions from Coal-Fired Utility Boilers:USEPA evaluated data on mercury in coal and speciated emissions. The data were received in 1999 under an Information Collection Request (ICR). USEPA will use this evaluation, along with an evaluation of methyl mercury health risks by the National Academy of Sciences and studies of emissions control technology, in making a determination by the end of 2000 regarding whether to regulate mercury emissions from coal-fired boilers. In conjunction with the ICR, Wisconsin Electric Power Company (WEPCo) initiated a comprehensive evaluation of mercury emissions as well as a screening assessment of possible emission reduction strategies for coal-fired units, including voluntary testing of six additional units for mercury speciation. The Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G), in partnership with Electric Power Research Institute, is currently conducting a pilot-scale evaluation of the capabilities of a polishing high air-to-cloth ratio pulse jet baghouse with sorbent injection as an effective particulate, mercury, and acid aerosol emission-control technology. The pilot demonstrated significant pollutant reduction levels, including up to 90 percent control of mercury emissions. PSE&G is seeking federal appropriations to assist in installing the technology on a full scale. As part of its efforts to control mercury emissions from coal combustion, Consumers Energy Company reported a 1998 fuel mix that consisted of 42.9% of nuclear energy, oil and natural gas, renewable resources, and other non-coal sources of energy. This represents a slight decrease (1.2%) in the company's coal use from 1995, and is comparable to the estimated 1998 U.S. fuel mix of 56.9% coal and 43.1% non-coal sources. For example, the company's Campbell plant used approximately 4,800 tons of sawdust as supplemental fuel in 1998.Automobiles:The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents auto manufacturers with operations in North America, committed to the eventual phase-out of mercury switches used in auto convenience lighting and agreed to work cooperatively with States on pilot programs to encourage auto dismantlers and scrappers to remove mercury switches. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has led discussions with the Automobile Alliance and the Automotive Recyclers of Michigan. DaimlerChrysler has completely phased out mercury-containing light switches, and Ford has provided a verbal commitment to phase out mercury-containing light switches by 2002. General Motors projects that mercury convenience lighting switches will be phased out of all but one low-volume vehicle line by the 2002 model year, with all mercury-containing switches replaced by model year 2004. A "clean sweep" to collect all mercury switches from vehicles currently in Michigan salvage yards was conducted during September and October, 2000. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation has been implementing programs to remove switches from vehicle fleets and scrapped vehicles.Watershed Approaches:The National Wildlife Federation is co-chair of two multi-stakeholder task forces (one for the State of Ohio and one for the St. Louis River, MN) attempting to develop watershed cleanup plans (known as TMDLs, or Total Maximum Daily Loads) that address mercury from airborne and waterborne sources. The Ohio task force developed consensus recommendations for the process of developing watershed cleanup plans for mercury for the entire State. The recommendations strongly urge the State to establish and fund a mercury pollution prevention task force for the State. Efforts for the St. Louis River are ongoing.Ban on Mixing Zones:USEPA has finalized a regulation (Federal Register: November 13, 2000; Vol. 65, No. 219, pp. 67638-67651) that will ban the use of mixing zones that allowdischarges of bioaccumulative chemicals of concern (BCCs) into the Great Lakes Basin, subjectto certain exceptions for existing discharges. A mixing zone is an area where pollutants are mixed with cleaner receiving waters to dilute their concentration in the water. Inside a mixing zone, discharges of toxic pollutants are allowed to exceed the water quality criteria set by a State, as long as the standards are met outside or near the boundary of the mixing zone. The final rule, Final Rule to Amend the Final Water Quality Guidance for the Great Lakes System to Prohibit Mixing Zones for Bioaccumulative Chemicals of Concern, prohibits mixing zones for new discharges of BCCs and will phase out the use of existing mixing zones in the Great Lakes over the next 10 years. The regulation will eliminate discharges of up to 700,000 toxic pounds-equivalent annually of BCCs, including mercury, dioxin, PCBs, chlordane, DDT, and mirex, as well as 16 other highly bioaccumulative chemicals. Mercury discharges alone will be reduced by up to 90 percent. Five Great Lakes States – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin – already prohibit mixing zones for bioaccumulative chemicals of concern in the Great Lakes Basin, although the mixing zone ban in Wisconsin currently applies only to new dischargers. Under the new rule, any Great Lakes State or Tribe that has not adopted BCC mixing zone provisions as protective as those in the rule (e.g., New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania) will have 18 months to adopt similar provisions prohibiting mixing zones.Mercury-Free DC:USEPA and the District of Columbia, along with partners such as Health Care Without Harm, the District of Columbia Hospital Association, and other Washington, DC-area local governments, have begun a "Mercury-Free DC" initiative. This effort includes hospital mercury reduction pledges, thermometer exchanges, household hazardous waste collections, and technical assistance in mercury reduction for businesses.New Hampshire Mercury Legislation:New Hampshire enacted mercury legislation which bans the sale of certain mercury-containing products, requires manufacturers to notify the State of the added mercury content of their products, bans the sale of mercury fever thermometers without a prescription, bans the use of mercury in grade schools, and restricts the sale and use of elemental mercury. The legislative effort was one recommendation of New Hampshire's Mercury Reduction Strategy which has also led to the organization of workgroups to address mercury emissions from utility boilers, mercury use in healthcare facilities, and mercury emissions from municipal waste combustors and to develop the recently drafted mercury Public Outreach Strategy. ECOS National Mercury Workshop:A grant was issued to the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) for an "ECOS National Mercury Workshop" to inform state environmental commissioners and upper level agency managers about mercury issues. The workshop was held in the fall of 2000 and served as an opportunity for states to exchange information about their mercury reduction activities. Monitoring Ambient Mercury Monitoring:In September, 2000, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management signed a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor mercury in both wet and dry deposition at four sites throughout Indiana. Additional data will be collected for other metals and for methyl mercury. The course of this project will run over 2 years, with a potential renewal for an additional 2 years. The Michigan Great Lakes Protection Fund (GLPF) has funded the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the University of Michigan to establish mercury monitoring at three urban sites and two rural sites. In addition, mercury levels in water, sediments, and biota will be measured at an impacted urban lake in southeast Michigan with assistance from MDEQ's Surface Water Quality Division.
Source Monitoring:Under EPA grants, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Illinois are purchasing continuous elemental mercury vapor monitoring equipment for evaluating mercury emissions from a variety of sources. Through another EPA grant, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is providing assistance to States monitoring reactive gaseous mercury.Progress Toward Challenge Goals It is difficult to evaluate progress over the last year toward the goal of reducing mercury use and release by 50 percent nationally by 2006. The draft U.S. report on Mercury Sources and Regulations estimates that mercury emissions decreased approximately 25 percent between 1990 and 1995, and it is likely that reductions have continued, especially as the result of implementation of regulations on emissions from incinerators. Mercury use has been declining in the late 1990s, but progress over the last two years is difficult to gauge given changes in the sources of data about mercury consumption (see http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns/mercury/progress.html).
|
||
| [../../botinclude.html] |