This material may not be published, broadcoast, rewritten, or redistributed. Sen. John Martin, D-Eagle Lake, envisions a program in which consumers would take their old household thermometers containing mercury to a drug store and swap them for environmentally friendly models. The Natural Resources Council of Maine said it is pleased to see the newest proposal. Thermometers are a significant contributor to mercury pollution in the environment. Broken fluorescent light tubes are another major mercury source.
Ingested mercury damages the liver and brain while eroding the nervous system.
Unborn and young children and the elderly are the most vulnerable. Mercury is especially dangerous because it accumulates in increasing amounts as it rises through the food chain. Martin said his bill stems in part from past work the Natural Resources Committee has done on mercury pollution, such as legislation dealing with mercury pollution from incinerators. Martin said people would be surprised to learn how much mercury finds its way into the environment from thermometers discarded from home medicine cabinets. Only a tiny amount, said Martin as he pinched the tip of his finger for emphasis, can pollute a whole lake.