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June 11, 2003
New Pollution Probe Primer on
Mercury in the Environment:
Group releases new information as Canada’s environment ministers announce process for mercury emissions standard
(Toronto, ON)
June 11, 2003—To help
Canadians better understand how increasing mercury levels in the environment
can harm us, Pollution Probe today released a new information primer called
Mercury in the Environment. The
primer’s publication comes as the Canadian Council of Ministers of the
Environment (CCME) have agreed to a process to set a standard by 2005 to limit
the amount of mercury released to the environment from coal-fired electricity
plants – the largest source of mercury emissions in Canada.
As explained in the new 84-page
booklet, mercury is a dangerous heavy metal
that is listed as a “toxic substance” under the Canadian
Environmental Protection Act. Once
released to the environment, it cannot be recaptured.
Mercury is a persistent, bio-accumulative substance that converts in
water to form the highly toxic methylmercury which accumulates in fish and
other species. Dangerous levels
are accumulating in fish in central, northern and eastern Canada, sometimes
rising above levels established as acceptable by the World Health
Organization. Mercury is the
number one cause of fish advisories in Canada.
Methylmercury levels in eastern Canada have also been linked to
reproductive problems in loons.
While coal-fired electricity
plants are the largest source of harmful mercury emissions, mercury is
released into the environment by other activities as well. Despite the availability of cost-effective alternatives, it is
found in common products such as fever thermometers, thermostats, “silver”
dental amalgam, tilt switches that trigger vehicle hood and trunk lighting and
some anti-lock brakes, and in fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID)
lamps. Mercury can be released
during manufacturing when it is exposed to the air, when a product is broken
during use, crushed in dump trucks, burned in incinerators, or discharged to
sewer systems.
“The Primer helps reinforce
the point that rising levels of mercury emissions must be taken seriously in
order to protect Canada’s ecosystem and our health” said executive
director Ken Ogilvie. Pollution Probe supports the CCME setting a deadline for
establishing a standard from coal-fired electricity plants.
Pollution Probe is a 34-year old
Canadian non-profit environmental organization dedicated to achieving positive
and tangible environmental change. Active
programmes include Clean Air, Clean Water, Climate Change, Mercury Reduction,
Clean Energy, and Progressive Environmental Policy Development.
Mercury in the Environment is
available on Pollution Probe’s website at http://www.pollutionprobe.org/Publications/Mercury.htm.
For more information:
Ken Ogilvie, Executive Director
(416) 926-1907 x231
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