August 14, 2006—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the first-ever comprehensive overview of agency mercury activities. “EPA’s Roadmap for Mercury” describes progress and ongoing efforts in reducing mercury in the environment, both domestically and internationally.
Domestic releases and uses of mercury have decreased significantly over the last 25 years, according to the report. For example, US mercury air emissions have been reduced by 45 percent since 1990, and mercury use in products and processes decreased 83 percent between 1980 and 1997.
The roadmap focuses on six key areas: 1) addressing mercury releases to the environment; 2) addressing mercury uses in products and industrial processes which can lead to releases to the environment; 3) managing commodity-grade mercury supplies; 4) communicating risks to the public; 5) addressing international mercury sources; and 6) conducting mercury research and monitoring.
In the last 15 years, EPA has focused its mercury reduction efforts on large point sources of air emissions from municipal waste combustors or incinerators, medical waste incinerators, and hazardous waste combustors.
More recently, EPA has focused its efforts on industrial boilers, chlor-alkali facilities, and coal-fired power plants. EPA says it now has standards in place limiting mercury air releases from most major known industrial sources in the US.
For more information and a copy of the roadmap, visit EPA.
