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In the
last three years, over 54,000 additional pounds of mercury from auto
switches has been released to the environment since January 2001 when
the Clean Car Campaign issued the report "Toxics in Vehicles: Mercury."
This is due to lack of swift action by the responsible parties to
address this serious situation.
"Toxics in Vehicles: Mercury" called for automakers to immediately establish a mercury switch recovery program and phase out the use of mercury in new vehicles. If this does not occur, a new analysis by the Clean Car Campaign estimates that, in the US alone, automobiles will be responsible for the environmental release of up to 493,000 pounds of mercury from the estimated 217 million switches installed in vehicles from 1974-2003. Over 50%, or 259,526 pounds, of the mercury automakers had historically placed in autos has already been released to the environment. Auto mercury is the primary contributor of mercury contamination to the steel industry, which ranks as the 4th largest source of mercury emissions in the country.
To download a full copy of the report, please visit:The Report is jointly issued by the Clean Car Campaign, Ecology Center and Environmental Defense.
Other Resources:email: info@cleancarcampaign.org