Political Quotes

“the Senate is considering, and will shortly pass, the Mercury Reduction Act of 2002. This legislation addresses the very serious problem of mercury in the environment and mercury disposal. It takes special aim at one of the most common and widely distributed sources of mercury; and that is, mercury fever thermometers. At the same time, the legislation will also create a nationwide policy for dealing with surplus mercury. I introduced this bill quite some time ago. It has bipartisan support. I am delighted that the Senate will be approving it this evening. Mercury is a potent neurotoxin that is widespread in the environment and is particularly harmful to developing children. In fact, a National Academy of Sciences report released last year attributed mercury exposure to birth defects and brain damage in up to 60,000 newborn children each year. Mercury takes on a highly toxic organic form known as methylmercury when it enters the environment. Methylmercury is almost completely absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed to all the tissues in the body, including the brain. Of course, with young children this is particularly problematic because their brains are still developing. This organic mercury can accumulate in the food chain and become concentrated in some species of fish, posing a health threat to people who consume the fish.”