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Office of Inspector General
At a Glance
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Catalyst for Improving the Environment
Why We Did This Review
In February 2005, a
representative of the Mercury
Poisoning Project, a private
organization that provides the
public with information on the
dangers of being exposed to
mercury, identified concerns
related to the ritual use of
mercury. He asked the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Office of
Inspector General to evaluate
EPA actions to address the
problem. The representative
also asked us to look into
whether EPA had falsified the
results of a study to measure
mercury vapors, or had
deliberately designed the
study to fail.
Background
Some people use mercury as
part of folk remedies and
religious practices to: attract
luck, love, or money; protect
against evil; or speed the
action of spells. These uses
may pose health risks because
mercury vapors can cause
health problems, such as
damage to the nervous system.
For further information,
contact our Office of
Congressional and Public
Liaison at (202) 566-2391.
To view the full report,
click on the following link:
www.epa.qov/oiq/reports/2006/
20060831 -2006-P-00031 .pdf
EPA Is Properly Addressing the Risks of
Using Mercury in Rituals
What We Found
EPA staff and the Mercury Poisoning Project representative agree that the ritual
use of mercury poses a health risk. Those who use mercury in folk remedies and
religious practices, as well as others who live in buildings where such rituals are
performed, may be exposed to mercury vapors. However, EPA and the
representative differ in how EPA should address the risks. The representative
believes EPA's actions are insufficient and wants EPA to:
•	regulate the use of mercury; and
•	be prepared to address what he believes are many homes throughout the
United States that are contaminated by the ritual use of mercury.
On the other hand, EPA staff:
•	believe that EPA regulations are not warranted at this time, and starting
the process to establish such regulations would drive the practice
underground; and
•	have addressed the issue by providing community education and outreach,
sponsoring research and environmental monitoring, and purchasing
63 portable mercury analyzers for measuring mercury levels.
We agree with EPA's assessment about regulating the ritual use of mercury, and
believe the actions taken by EPA are consistent with current legal requirements.
In 2002 and 2003, EPA performed a study measuring the levels of mercury vapors
from "spills" of differing amounts of mercury. One experiment simulated the
ritual use of mercury. According to the representative, if the experiments had
been performed differently, the results may have been more realistic. However,
the report details the experiments as they were performed, and identifies the
related assumptions. We found no evidence that the study was inadequately
designed or the results falsified.
Although we are not recommending additional actions by EPA, we are reporting
the results of our work to further emphasize that the ritual use of mercury poses a
health risk.

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