Opinion ID: 4539367
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Uses and Dangers of Mercury

Text: Mercury is a naturally occurring element. It is also a potent neurotoxin that does not degrade over time, making it both a significant public health threat and a danger to the environment. One way that mercury enters the environment is through the manufacture, use, and disposal of products that contain mercury. Mercury released through those processes converts biologically into methylmercury, the element’s most toxic form, which bioaccumulates in wildlife. Methylmercury exposure in wildlife can cause death, reduced fertility, slowed development and growth, and abnormal behavior that affects survival. Human exposure occurs primarily from the ingestion of mercury through the consumption of fish and shellfish. Elevated methylmercury levels in the bloodstreams of young children and fetuses have been found to adversely affect cognitive development. Studies also suggest that mercury exposure may affect humans’ reproductive, renal, cardiovascular, and hematologic health. Mercury has long been used in a wide range of industrial processes and as an ingredient in many familiar products. Historically, mercury has been used in products including batteries within watches, toys, and cameras; paint; pesticides; 5 cosmetics and skin care products; pharmaceuticals; vaccines; dental amalgam; fluorescent, neon, and ultraviolet lamps used in car headlights, street lights, neon signs, commercial lighting, and tanning beds; thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, and other medical devices; and switches and relays used in pumps, appliances, and industrial machinery. Since 1980, largely due to increased awareness of the environmental and health dangers of mercury, the use of mercury-added products in the United States has decreased by over 97 percent. Nevertheless, mercury-added products including batteries, lamps, dental amalgam, and switches and relays continue to be sold extensively in the United States. Since at least 2006, EPA has made the reduction of mercury-related risks an agency priority. The United States is a party to the Minamata Convention, an international agreement that seeks to protect human health and the environment from the effects of mercury contamination. State governments have also been instrumental to the reduction of mercury use nationwide, by enacting legislation that restricts the production and sale of mercury-added products, regulates their disposal, and implements labeling requirements. Thirteen states, including Vermont, have formed a coalition of state environmental agencies, the Interstate 6 Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse (“IMERC”), which manages an interstate reporting system for manufacturers and a related database of information on mercury use.