Janice Schakowsky: “Thank you, Madam Chair. My amendment is simple. It would include in the findings the scientific fact that mercury…”

“Thank you, Madam Chair. My amendment is simple. It would include in the findings the scientific fact that mercury released into the ambient air from cement kilns is a potent neurotoxin that can damage the development of an infant's brain. Let me just read the finding from my amendment. It says, ``The Congress finds that mercury released into the ambient air from cement kilns addressed in this act is a potent neurotoxin that can damage the development of an infant's brain.'' That is just fact. This is not up for debate. That is just a fact and should be acknowledged in the legislation, that mercury is one of the most harmful toxins in our environment. Forty-eight tons of mercury is pumped into our air each year, threatening one in six women nationwide with dangerous levels of mercury exposure. Pregnant women, infants, and young children are most vulnerable to mercury poisoning, which harms a developing child's ability to walk, talk, read, write, and comprehend. Developing fetuses and children are especially at risk to even low- level mercury exposure that causes adverse health effects. Up to 10 percent of U.S. women of childbearing age are estimated to have mercury levels high enough to put their developing children at increased risk for cognitive problems. Cement kilns are among the largest sources of airborne mercury pollution in the United States, and there is existing technology right now that would prevent that.…”