President Signs "Clear Skies" Initiative
One Target: Mercury Emissions
On February 14, 2002, President Bush announced the Clear Skies Initiative. One of the major provisions of the initiative was to cut mercury emissions by 69 percent, from current emissions of 48 tons to a cap of 26 tons in 2010, and 15 tons in 2018.
Based on the widespread uses and releases of mercury in a variety of consumer products, medical devices, electrical equipment and emissions from coal-fired utilities, mercury is one of the highest priority PBTs on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) list.
Mercury was the EPA's first choice for the first chemical action plan as part of the EPA National PBT Strategy. The EPA has also lowered the TRI (toxic release inventory) reporting limit for mercury from 10,000 lbs. to 10 lbs.
Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic pollutants (PBTs) are long-lasting substances that allegedly build up in the food chain to levels that are harmful to the health of humans and ecosystems. Because of their bioaccumulative properties, they are difficult to clean up (illustrated in figure 1). Many of these substances are manmade while others occur naturally
in the environment, such as mercury.
Mercury is an odorless, silver-white metal that is found naturally in the environment. Industrial sources such as coal burning industries, municipal and medical waste incinerators are believed to release mercury into the air. Once released into the air, the mercury can be deposited to water sources through atmospheric deposition. Mercury can then build up (bioaccumulate) in fish tissue and other aquatic life. Mercury can then be spread to humans through fish consumption.
Realizing that mercury is difficult to control in air emissions and water, most initiatives have focused on reduction and elimination of mercury in raw materials and mercury-containing processes and equipment.
Exposure to high levels of mercury can cause mercury poisoning. Symptoms of mercury poisoning include numbness of lips, fingers or toes, fatigue, blurred vision, mental disturbances, cerebral palsy and problems with motor skills.
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