Illinois Moves from Bottom to Top in Reducing Mercury Pollution

In a major victory for children's health and the environment, House bill 943, sponsored by Representative Karen May (D-Highland Park), and Senate bill 1241, sponsored by Senator Mattie Hunter (D-3rd District), were signed into law in August, 2007. These bills prohibit the sale of mercury-containing measuring devices, the largest class of mercury-containing products still legal for sale in Illinois. This is the latest step in a four year campaign to eliminate mercury pollution in the state.

"This bill is about protecting children's health," said Rep. May, chief sponsor of our mercury bills and chairperson of the Illinois’ General Assembly’s Environmental Caucus. "If we don't curtail the major sources of mercury pollution, we are knowingly endangering the healthy development of Illinois children."

"This bill further established Illinois's leadership on mercury reduction. In the last five years, we've gone from being in the bottom five states to the top five in protecting citizens from toxic mercury," said John Gaudette, lobbyist for the Illinois Environmental Council.

Just last year, Illinois’ three biggest utility companies—Ameren, Midwest Generation and Dynegy—agreed to significantly reduce mercury emissions, as well as smoke-stack exhaust, from all of their coal-fired power plants in Illinois. These controls will eliminate more than 6,000 pounds of mercury per year from Illinois’ environment.

Mercury Free Illinois’ multi-year campaign to eliminate major sources of mercury pollution has been successful in eliminating sources producing 83 percent of the mercury pollution in Illinois:

• State laws banning sale and manufacture of mercury fever thermometers, mercury switches in consumer products and mercury products used in classrooms.

• The Mercury Switch Removal Act, a new state law that requires auto manufacturers to remove mercury switches from cars before they are melted down for recycling.

• Control of Mercury Emissions Rule, a new state rule that requires Illinois’ major coal-fired power plant owners to cap mercury emissions by 90 percent starting in 2009.

• Mercury added Medical Products Act and Mercury added Thermostat Act, new state laws banning the sale of medical products or thermostats containing mer ocury.

Still, every year, more than 1,500 pounds of mercury will be released in Illinois, creating an unnecessarily dangerous environment for our children. It only takes one gram of mercury to poison a 20 acre lake, and so more must be done. For more information about the dangers of mercury and how we’re working to make Illinois mercury-free, click here.