Presented to the Joint Committee on Natural Resources
April 12, 2001

Chairman Pacheco, Chairman Koczera and members of the committee:

Good morning. My name is Jessica Champness and I am a policy analyst with the Environmental League of Massachusetts. The Environmental League of Massachusetts asks to be recorded in favor of House Bill 4717, "An Act Regulating Products Containing Mercury."

When products containing mercury are discarded, they end up in incinerators. Mercury emitted from incinerators falls out of the air in rain which then pollutes our waterways. An average 500 ton/day municipal waste incinerator operating with typical emission controls releases approximately 310 pounds of mercury into the atmosphere every year. These emissions may sound small, until you consider that one study estimates that the annual addition of only 0.006 pounds of Mercury, less than the amount in 3 thermometers and enough to fill 1/25th of a teaspoon, is enough to contaminate the 75 acre Jamaica Pond to the point that the fish in that pond are unsafe to eat. When humans eat fish contaminated by mercury, they risk nerve damage. If a pregnant woman regularly eats contaminated fish, her fetus suffers brain damage. There are people in Massachusetts who rely on fishing for a large part of their diet, in many cases forced by poverty to find food where they can get it. We must not make these subsistence fishermen chose between healthy minds and healthy bodies for their children.

In order to properly warn everyone to the dangers of eating fish contaminated by mercury, we would have to post signs at every single pond, lake, river and favorite fishing spot in the state. This doesn't take into consideration that everyone won't be able to read and see these signs. This is not acceptable. We can keep writing fish advisories, but do you know what? Fish and birds can't read health advisories and our citizens shouldn't have to. We must act now to enact policies that reduce the amount of mercury our citizens and wildlife are exposed to.

House Bill 4717 is a comprehensive approach to the problem of mercury in our environment. We urge you to issue a favorable report on the bill as submitted.

I would also like to note that we will be submitting a letter in favor of House Bill 4717 signed on to by members of the Massachusetts Environmental Collaborative.

In addition, I am pleased to say that there are two good proposals regarding tire piles and plans for recycling. This is an important issue and the Environmental League of Massachusetts hopes that the committee will take the best of both bills and come up with a comprehensive way to address this heinous problem.

Thank you for the opportunity to testify.