New Jersey Passes Bill That Will Reduce Health Risk From Toxic Mercury

Environmental Defense praised the New Jersey Senate today for passing a bill that will greatly reduce mercury pollution from the state’s top source.  The law will prevent mercury in vehicles from escaping into the environment by providing vehicle dismantlers with a cash incentive to remove mercury switches from vehicles before they are scrapped.

“New Jerseyans couldn’t have asked for a better gift this Valentine’s Day,” said Kevin Mills, Clean Car Campaign director at Environmental Defense.  “The recycling of scrap vehicles in steel mills is the top source of mercury air emissions in New Jersey, and this bill provides a cost effective plan for addressing that source.”

The bill, which now needs the signature of the Governor to be put into action, would require auto manufacturers to reimburse the vehicle dismantlers and the state for removing the switches.  Vehicle dismantlers will receive $2.00 per switch, and the state will receive 25 cents per switch to cover the cost of administering the switch removal program.  Environmental Defense now calls on the Governor to swiftly sign the bill into law. 

“This program provides auto makers with a cost effective solution to rectify a dangerous design choice they made despite the availability of cheap, equally effective and environmentally benign alternatives,” said Mills.  “States like New Jersey and Maine are lighting the way for an urgently needed national system to collect the nearly 100 million mercury switches in vehicles still traveling the roads today.”

Mercury switches are the nation’s largest manufacturing source of toxic mercury.  Since automakers began installing mercury switches in autos over 30 years ago, the mercury from these devices has been released into the environment as vehicles are scrapped at the end of their useful life.  The auto industry used an estimated 197 tons of mercury in vehicle switches in the U.S. and continued to use mercury switches - - saving only pennies per switch - - for many years after promising to switch to mercury free alternatives. 

Providing a national perspective, Environmental Defense was an integral part of a strong New Jersey coalition of environmental organizations and steel, scrap and automobile recycling industries formed to address this issue.  Environmental Defense works on this issue under their Clean Car Campaign through the Partnership for Mercury-Free Vehicles, which includes the Steel Manufacturers Association, Institute for Scrap Recycling Industries, Steel Recycling Institute, Automotive Recyclers Association, and the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center.  Coordinated by Environmental Defense and the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center, the Clean Car Campaign is a national campaign promoting a clean revolution in the motor vehicle industry.