Clean Car Campaign

Mercury in Vehicles

Response to AAM Statement on Toxics in Vehicles: Mercury and Toxic by Design Reports

The AAM has released a statement attempting to refute some of the findings in our reports: Toxics in Vehicles: Mercury and Toxic by Design. Below are our responses to the statements made:

1) The companies kept their 1995 pledge to eliminate mercury use in new models.

Response: Automakers pledged to be out of switches in their 1997 models, yet as many as 9 million switches were used in their 2000 vehicles--down only slightly from their 1995 levels.

2) Environmental groups want all switches taken out of cars on the road today at industry's expense. The capsule that contains the mercury is virtually indestructible.

Response: Despite commitments to phase out the use of switches, automakers have continued to make decisions to design mercury switches into the cars. As such, they should be held accountable for ensuring their safe removal. Given that most switches currently are not being removed at auto dismantling facilities, and that some percentage corrode or get damaged while still in use, it may in fact make more sense to take them out of cars before they are scrapped. A pilot project in New York state successfully demonstrated that lighting switches could be removed and replaced at oil change shops.

3) The 9.8 metric tons of mercury used in vehicles is only 1 1/2% of the total of anthropogenic sources, according to a report of the Michigan Environmental Science Board.

Response: The reference AAM uses to make its claim that switches are only 1 1/2 % of all sources comes from a 1990 paper that estimates GLOBAL environmental emissions to all environmental media, , so even if this estimate was accurate it is not a reasonable comparison. Our report uses official EPA estimates of US mercury emissions, specifically to the air. The AAM claim is therefore based on a apples to oranges comparison.

9.8 metric tons is a LOT of mercury, no matter how you slice it. Our study shows that EAF's make up nearly 10% of the total air emission inventory, which would rank them the 4th largest source overall and larger than all other manufacturing sources. Autos are likely the single largest source of mercury in EAFs, thus making their contribution quite significant.

Source: Toxics in Vehicles: Mercury and Toxic by Design; available at http://www.cleancarcampaign.org

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