June 8, 2006

Pollution Probe calls for a national strategy on mercury reduction

TORONTO, ON — Pollution Probe is pleased with the recent announcement by the Hon. Rona Ambrose, Minister of the Environment, of a national automobile mercury-containing switch collection program. After waiting for five years for voluntary action on this file, it is encouraging to see this essential step towards removing sources of mercury to the environment.

Mercury is released to the environment from a number of sources, including the deliberate use of mercury in products and industrial processes. Mercury is used in electrical switches, thermostats, dental amalgam, thermometers and a variety of medical equipment. The mercury in these products may be released to the environment during manufacturing, from applications where the mercury is exposed to air, when products are broken while in use, when products are crushed in garbage trucks and when products are dumped in landfills, burned in incinerators or discharged to sewer systems. Canada lags leading countries in reducing and eliminating mercury uses and releases from switches, thermostats and thermometers.   

In January 2006, Pollution Probe, along with 14 health and environmental NGOs from Canada, the United States and Europe, called upon the Canadian federal and provincial governments to immediately develop and implement a mercury elimination and reduction strategy for Canada. We encouraged the following actions:

1.      phase out mercury-containing products where alternatives are available;

2.      increase the collection and recycling of mercury-containing products;

3.      develop and adopt a national mercury strategy and take a leadership role internationally in promoting global mercury reduction strategies (leading up to the next UNEP Governing Council meeting in 2007).

The strategy and supporting documents are available to download at www.pollutionprobe.org/Publications/mercstrategyletterJune_05.pdf.

While the implementation of a national collection system for mercury-containing switches from automobiles is a positive step, Pollution Probe believes Canada needs to go further and adopt a comprehensive mercury elimination and reduction strategy. This strategy should be part of an even larger global strategy to protect people and the environment from unnecessary exposure to this dangerous neurotoxin that is bioaccumulative and persists in the environment. The nervous system is very sensitive to all forms of mercury. Pollution Probe has written a primer on mercury, downloadable at www.pollutionprobe.org/Publications/mercurydwnldpage.htm.

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For more information, contact:

Ken Ogilvie, Executive Director, Pollution Probe
416-926-1907 x231 or kogilvie@pollutionprobe.org

Krista Friesen, Senior Project Manager, Pollution Probe
416-926-1907 x242 or kfriesen@pollutionprobe.org