A landmark agreement was announced on August 11th that will greatly reduce a major source of mercury from the environment by creating a new, industry-funded, national program for recovering mercury switches from vehicles before they are dismantled and melted for recycling. The agreement was reached after years of research, advocacy and coalition-building by Environmental Defense and Ecology Center, working closely with the vehicle dismantlers, vehicle shredders, steelmakers, states, the auto industry and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Over the past 30 years, domestic automakers have installed over 200 million mercury switches – – containing nearly 250 tons of mercury – – in vehicles in convenience lighting and braking applications. When these switches are not removed prior to recycling, the mercury is released to the environment during the steel melting process, threatening public health. Auto switches from pre-2003 automobiles currently represent the largest manufacturing source of mercury air emissions, surpassed only by two combustion sources: coal-fired power plants and industrial boilers.
"Recovering mercury switches from old cars will remove up to 75 tons of highly toxic mercury from our air and water. Since mercury damages the human nervous system, our applause to all the parties for deciding to work this out," said Fred Krupp, President of Environmental Defense. "Look what can be done where there is the will to achieve real progress, and a cooperative approach. We're eager to work together to tackle other problems as well."
Ecology Center and Environmental Defense first called national attention to this issue more than five years ago with two groundbreaking reports that detailed the scope of the problem and proposed solutions. (See http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/reports.shtml). Environmental Defense and Ecology Center then formed a partnership with the steel and auto recycling industries to advance a common approach
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