I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2813 
To address the risks of exposure of children to mercury from mercury- 
contaminated industrial sites. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 21, 2007 
Mr. LOBIONDO (for himself and Mr. ANDREWS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To address the risks of exposure of children to mercury 
from mercury-contaminated industrial sites. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Children’s Mercury 
Exposure Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds as follows: 
(1) Mercury is a highly volatile, naturally occur-
ring element that does not break down in the envi-
ronment. 
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(2) Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that can af-
fect the nervous system, lungs, brain, and kidneys. 
(3) Potential sources of human exposure to 
mercury include breathing mercury vapor from spills 
or a contaminated workplace, absorbing mercury 
through direct contact or dental work, or eating fish 
or shellfish contaminated with methylmercury. 
(4) Children can be exposed to mercury by 
many of the same pathways as adults. 
(5) Children are not small adults. A child’s ex-
posure may differ from an adult’s exposure in many 
ways. Children drink more fluids, eat more food, 
breathe more air per kilogram of body weight, and 
have a larger skin surface in proportion to their 
body volume. 
(6) A child’s behaviors and lifestyle also influ-
ence exposure. Unlike adults, children crawl on the 
floor; they put things in their mouths; they may in-
gest inappropriate things such as dirt or paint chips; 
they spend more time outdoors. Children also are 
closer to the ground, and they do not have the judg-
ment of adults in avoiding hazards. 
(7) Forms of mercury are used in manufac-
turing processes, such as the production of chlorine 
gas, and may also be an added ingredient in prod-
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ucts such as thermometers, fluorescent lights, cos-
metics, and dental fillings. 
(8) Due to these uses, mercury is present at a 
number of contaminated industrial sites in the 
United States. 
(9) Children’s unique behaviors, such as soil in-
gestion from normal hand-to-mouth contact, puts 
them at particular risk of exposure from these mer-
cury-contaminated industrial sites. 
(10) The Agency for Toxic Substances and Dis-
ease Registry has determined that the risk of chil-
dren’s exposure to mercury from mercury-contami-
nated industrial sites has emerged as an important 
public health issue. 
SEC. 3. EXPOSURE OF CHILDREN TO MERCURY FROM MER-
CURY-CONTAMINATED INDUSTRIAL SITES. 
(a) RESEARCH.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec-
retary’’), acting through the Director of the National In-
stitutes of Health and in consultation with the Adminis-
trator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall es-
tablish a program for the conduct or support of research 
regarding the risks posed by all levels of exposure of chil-
dren to mercury from mercury-contaminated industrial 
sites. 
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(b) STUDY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, 
acting through the Director of the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention, shall conduct a study 
and submit a report to the Congress on the preva-
lence of the exposure of children to mercury from 
mercury-contaminated industrial sites. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con-
duct the study under this subsection in consultation 
with the Governor, and with appropriate State agen-
cies, of each State. 
(c) GRANTS.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Director of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, may make grants on a com-
petitive basis to State departments of health to con-
duct initial and long-term testing of children exposed 
to mercury from mercury-contaminated industrial 
sites. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For 
the purpose of carrying out this subsection, there 
are authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary 
for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2013 
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(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) The term ‘‘Governor’’ means the chief exec-
utive officer of a State. 
(2) The term ‘‘State’’ includes the several 
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Vir-
gin Islands, and any other territory or possession of 
the United States. 
Æ 
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