After citing concerns that improperly discarded thermostats containing mercury are posing a serious public health threat and endangering children’s development, Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach) is urging Gov. Cuomo to sign legislation that the legislator said would help to fix the problem.
The bill, which was introduced by Assemblyman Robert Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), would require manufacturers to develop a collection program to recycle out-of-service thermostats, as well as other education techniques that would prevent harmful toxins from entering the state’s waste system. While it has been illegal to sell thermometers containing mercury for years, many people and organizations still own the items and often do not properly dispose of them.
A toxic substance that accumulates in the environment, mercury is a neurotoxin that, if people are exposed to it, can cause tremors, partial blindness, deafness, memory loss, and a host of other problems.
“Mercury is a dangerous toxin that presents a serious public health threat to New York families,” Goldfeder said. “In recent years, medical researchers have found traces of mercury to be linked to autism in children. As chairman of the state Subcommittee on Autism Retention, it is unacceptable to know that many cases of autism could have been prevented through legislation that would require education and proper disposal of mercury in New York state.”
Currently, just 1 percent of discarded mercury thermostats are collected in New York, and the remains usually end up in landfills or incinerators – contributing to more than one millions tons of mercury being released into the environment each year, Goldfeder noted.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 300,000 to 630,000 infants each year are born in the United States with mercury levels high enough to severely damage their IQ. Increasingly, medical researchers have said there is a link between mercury and a variety of neurological and other medical problems found in children. As many as one in six children across the country have been diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental disability, including autism, speech and language delays, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
“Mercury is toxic in any shape, form, or fashion,” said Andrew Baumann, president and CEO of the Howard Beach-based New York Families for Autistic Children. “Eliminating mercury is a great goal.”
In addition to mandating that manufacturers establish a free collection program, the legislation would also order the companies to submit an annual report to the state Department of Environmental Conservation on the number of thermostats collected, the total amount of mercury in the thermostats, and an evaluation of the program’s effectiveness.
The bill has passed both the Assembly and Senate and is currently awaiting the governor’s signature.
By Anna Gustafson
