Mercury in Vehicles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MONDAY, JULY 2
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Charles Griffith, Ecology Center, 734-663-2400 x116
Michael Bender, Mercury Policy Project, 802-223-9000
Dean Menke, Environmental Defense, 202-387-3500 x138
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS CALL ON AUTOMAKERS TO REPLACE TOXIC MERCURY
Groups Applaud Similar Call To Ford By State Attorneys General
(July 2, 2001 -- Washington) The Clean Car Campaign, with the support of 26
environmental organizations, today called on Ford and other automakers to remove
toxic mercury from vehicles in for service, repair, or recall. The Campaign
also endorses a similar call by 26 state attorneys general urging Ford to remove
mercury-containing devices as part of their Firestone tire recall. Mercury is
a potent toxic chemical that causes brain, lung and kidney damage in humans.
The substance has been used in switches for hood and trunk convenience lighting,
and in other devices, becoming a contaminant when vehicles are scrapped.
The Clean Car Campaign today sent letters to the heads of Ford, DaimlerChrysler
and GM asking the auto industry to show leadership in getting the toxic substance
out of the environment by having dealers remove switches for free when vehicles
come in for service. "It's time for automakers to take responsibility for the
environmental hazards of their vehicles," said Charles Griffith, Auto Project
Director at the Ecology Center. "By replacing these mercury switches they can
protect the environment and consumers with a simple, affordable fix."
Twenty-six state attorneys general today sent a letter to Ford's Chairman and
CEO (William Clay Ford, Jr. and Jacques Nasser) asking the company to replace
mercury lighting switches in vehicles recalled to replace Firestone tires. "New
York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the other attorneys general should be
commended for their leadership in promoting a workable plan to recover automotive
mercury," said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project.
The AG's recommended replacements would remove up to 2.5 tons of mercury from
the environment. "Ford could show real leadership among automakers by replacing
not just the tires but also the toxic mercury," said Dean Menke, an engineer
with Environmental Defense.
Concerns about exposure to mercury have grown in recent years, with many states
and stores banning mercury thermometers. More than forty states have issued
fish consumption advisories for mercury, and the National Academy of Sciences
2000 mercury report found that more than 60,000 children may suffer from exposure
to mercury while the womb. Mercury can cause neurological problems that range
from mild learning disabilities to mental retardation. The most recent data
from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that as many as one in ten women
of childbearing age are at risk of having newborns with neurological problems.
Despite growing concerns about the fate of mercury devices now contained in
automobiles, very little has been done to date to rectify the problem, and automakers
have generally pushed the problem off on auto dismantlers to deal with. The
Campaign proposes a national program for collecting up to 90% of the mercury
switches now on the road, that includes working with both auto dealers and recyclers.
The plan seeks to maximize the recovery of mercury by getting automakers to
start with their own dealers to remove and replace the switches whenever a vehicle
is brought in to be serviced or is recalled.
The Campaign released two reports earlier this year that document the continued
use of mercury in automobiles and show automobiles to be one of the nation's
largest sources of airborne mercury emissions, just behind power plants and
incinerators. Estimates suggest that up to 10 tons of toxic mercury may be released
each year when vehicles are scrapped; nearly 200 tons of mercury are contained
in vehicles currently on the road. The full text of the studies, as well as
the letters being sent today, can be found at: http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/mercury.html
The Clean Car Campaign is a national campaign coordinated by state, regional
and national environmental organizations promoting a clean revolution in the
motor vehicle industry. For more information, please visit the campaign's website,
at: http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/
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