Title: Mercury Vapor Study Act of 2020
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Mercury Vapor Study Act of 2020
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to conduct a study and report on the potential exposure to mercury vapor from PMA flooring (synthetic flooring made using phenylmercuric acetate as a catalyst). The study and report must also cover the prevalence of PMA flooring in schools and establish appropriate industrial hygiene monitoring steps to prevent or interdict mercury vapor exposure. The report must be available on a publicly available EPA website.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4934 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4934

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
conduct a study on mercury vapor released from synthetic flooring made 
         using phenylmercuric acetate, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 1, 2020

  Mr. Booker introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
conduct a study on mercury vapor released from synthetic flooring made 
         using phenylmercuric acetate, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Mercury Vapor Study Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) PMA flooring, a type of rubberized polyurethane 
        flooring, was widely installed in schools, hospitals, 
        retirement homes, community centers, and other public spaces 
        starting in the 1960s;
            (2) PMA flooring may release mercury vapor into the air as 
        the flooring deteriorates;
            (3) mercury is a persistent bioaccumulative neurotoxin with 
        great potential for harm, particularly for children and other 
        vulnerable populations;
            (4) there have been no studies examining the effects on 
        children and other vulnerable populations from mercury vapor 
        emitted from PMA flooring;
            (5) several States have issued guidance on maximum 
        acceptable levels of mercury vapor from PMA flooring, but the 
        guidance levels vary from State to State and there is currently 
        no national standard;
            (6) school districts and other public spaces across the 
        United States are unaware of the risk of mercury vapor exposure 
        from PMA flooring; and
            (7) as of November 2020, it is not known--
                    (A) how many schools and public spaces have PMA 
                flooring installed;
                    (B) which schools and public spaces may have PMA 
                flooring installed; and
                    (C) whether PMA flooring is still being installed 
                in school districts and public spaces across the United 
                States.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) PMA flooring.--The term ``PMA flooring'' means 
        synthetic flooring made using phenylmercuric acetate as a 
        catalyst.

SEC. 4. STUDY ON THE EFFECTS OF MERCURY VAPOR FROM PMA FLOORING ON 
              HUMAN HEALTH.

    (a) Study.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Administrator of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 
the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the heads of other 
appropriate Federal agencies, shall conduct a study--
            (1) on the potential exposure to mercury vapor from PMA 
        flooring, including by collecting existing data and obtaining 
        new data on mercury vapor concentrations in facilities with PMA 
        flooring;
            (2) on the prevalence of PMA flooring in schools; and
            (3) to establish appropriate industrial hygiene monitoring 
        steps to prevent or interdict mercury vapor exposure.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 540 days after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress and make publicly 
available on the website of the Environmental Protection Agency a 
report that includes--
            (1) a description of the results of the study conducted 
        under subsection (a);
            (2) a calculation of the minimal risk level for exposure to 
        mercury vapor from PMA flooring;
            (3) a registry of schools with PMA flooring;
            (4) guidance on best practices to properly address and 
        mitigate the risk of mercury vapor exposure from PMA flooring;
            (5) a plan to communicate the potential hazards of PMA 
        flooring to school districts and the general public; and
            (6) a recommendation as to whether to ban, phase out, or 
        otherwise restrict the future installation of PMA flooring.
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