&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics
(7409)
EPA 742i'F-98f'OZ3
November 1 998
FACT SHEET
DRAFT EPA ACTION PLAN FOR MERCURY
WHAT is MERCURY?
Mercury, a naturally occurring metal, moves
between the water, the air, and soil as a result of
natural and human activities. It enters the .
environment from sources like coal-fired power
plants, mining and smelting of various ores, and the
disposal of consumer products manufactured with
it. Because it is a persistent, bioaccumulative and
toxic (PBT) pollutant, the amount of mercury in the
biosphere has been increasing since the beginning
of the industrial age. In fact, 870 pounds of
mercury is added to the atmosphere in this country
each day from human sources.
In its organic form, methylmercury
bioaccumulates in fish and becomes more
concentrated as it moves up the food chain to
humans and other animals who eat the fish.
Mercury is the most frequent reason for fish
consumption advisories in the U.S., accounting for
60 percent of all advisories in fresh water bodies. To
date, 40 states have issued advisories for mercury
in one or more water bodies, and 11 states have
issued them on a state-wide basis. :
WHY is MERCURY A PROBLEM?
Mercury is well known and long established
as a neurotoxin that slows fetal and child
development and causes irreversible deficits in
brain function. Scientific debate is ongoing to more
precisely determine the level of mercury exposure at
which effects begin to occur. Several, but not all,
existing studies show adverse human health effects
at the level at which many Americans are exposed
today from fish consumption. Tens of thousands of
babies are born each year after being exposed in the
womb to levels of mercury at which some studies
have shown adverse health effects. This is the same
uncertainty the Agency faced with respect to lead,
decades ago. Like lead, mercury poses threats to
our children that we must address now.
EPA will act to assure that our standards are
fully protective of public health. This draft mercury
action plan contains a list of actions that brings all
of the Agency's tools to bear on this potent
neurotoxin.
KEY MERCURY ACTION ITEMS .
The draft EPA Action Plan for Mercury is the
first of a series of .such national action plans. It is a
part of EPA's draft Multimedia Strategy for Priority
Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic (PBT)
Pollutants. The Agency has reviewed current
regulations, initiatives, and programs which manage
and control mercury, and has identified a set of
cost-effective options to move toward achieving
further reductions.
Specifically, the Agency proposes the
following actions, in consultation with other
federal agencies, and with the involvement of states,
tribes and other stakeholders:
CONTROL EMISSIONS FROM AIR
POINT SOURCES.
EPA has taken several important steps to
reduce the emissions from municipal waste
combustors and medical waste incinerators. These
actions will reduce mercury emissions caused by
human activities by 50 percent from 1990 levels.
Actions to reduce emissions of carbon
dioxide to control climate change will have a
significant co-benefit in reduced mercury emissions,
as well. Additional work is being done to evaluate
the linkage of air emissions to water quality impacts
and to help determine appropriate geographically
targeted reduction actions. The Agency will gather
high quality emissions data on coal-fired electric
generating plants to address the uncertainties
about mercury emissions and to support regulatory
actions.
REVISE THE WATER QUALITY
CRITERION, AND IMPROVE MEASUREMENT
OF MERCURY IN WATER.
EPA plans to revise its water quality human
health criterion for mercury and publish new
analytical methods for measuring mercury levels in
water.
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SEEK REDUCTIONS IN USES OF
MERCURY AND IMPROVE INFORMATION AND
CITIZENS' "RIGHT TO KNOW."
These use-reduction measures will lower the
levels of mercury in waste streams as well as the
danger of accidental releases. Generally, EPA will
look to voluntary rather than regulatory approaches
to reduce mercury use. Additionally, EPA is
considering lowering the level at which mercury
releases must be reported under the Toxic Release
Inventory (TRI), which could result in additional
reporting of mercury releases.
DEVELOP AN ENVIRONMENTALLY
ACCEPTABLE DISPOSAL METHOD FOR
MERCURY WASTES DESIGNATED AS
HAZARDOUS WASTES.
Currently, EPA requires that hazardous
wastes containing high levels of mercury be treated
for elemental mercury recovery. This requirement
may no longer be the preferred approach since the
demand for mercury has been reduced to the point
where the supply of recovered mercury exceeds it.
Also, there are some air emissions of mercury
associated with various waste treatment processes.
Therefore, EPA will seek information on alternative
treatment technologies which would permanently .
stabilize mercury wastes to allow their disposal in
hazardous waste landfills.
SEEK REDUCTION IN EXPOSURE TO
HIGHLY EXPOSED POPULATIONS.
Unfortunately, even with immediate
reductions in mercury releases into the
environment, it will be quite some time before there
is a measurable reduction in mercury levels in fish.
Therefore, EPA will continue public information and
outreach programs, including continued support
and strengthening of the states' and tribes' fish
advisory programs which warn people about
mercury levels.
DECREASE FURTHER ENVIRONMENTAL
CONTAMINATION FROM ILLEGAL
USE/DISPOSAL OF MERCURY THROUGH
FOCUSED COMPLIANCE MONITORING AND
ENFORCEMENT OF MERCURY
RESTRICTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS.
EPA will focus compliance' assistance and
outreach, monitoring and/or enforcement on
significant sources of mercury in the environment.
Where enforcement actions are warranted, EPA will
use Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs) to
encourage pollution prevention activities or mitigate
damage. Also, EPA will expand compliance and
enforcement activities for direct and indirect
dischargers of mercury to surface waters.
"^ CONTINUE INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS TO
REDUCE MERCURY RELEASES.
Internationally, the U.S. has made .
commitments with Canada through the Binational
Toxics Strategy to significantly reduce releases of
mercury and other priority PBTs. EPA is also
supporting early implementation of the Persistent
Organic Pollutants and Heavy Metals Protocols to
the Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution
Convention of the United Nations.
PERFORM AND SUPPORT FURTHER
RESEARCH ON ALL ASPECTS OF THE
MERCURY PROBLEM.
EPA is developing a research strategy that
will focus federal and other research on the most
important data gaps.
"4 SUPPORT REGIONAL, STATE, TRIBAL,
AND LOCAL ACTIONS TO REDUCE
MERCURY.
State, tribal, and local governments play a
key role in achieving mercury reductions. EPA will
support state and local efforts through funding,
information sharing, and coordination. For
example, EPA will expand outreach to publicly-
owned treatment works about preventing mercury
pollution in sewage discharges.
How Do I FIND OUT MORE?
For further information, contact Karen Maher
at (202) 260-3894. For copies of the Draft
EPA Action Plan for Mercury and other
related documents, call the Pollution
Prevention Information Clearinghouse at (202)
260-1023.
Documents are also available on the World
Wide Web at:
http://www.epa.gov/pbt
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