ENACT LAW TO ABOLISH MERCURY POLLUTION, URGES ANGARA

Concerned of the health hazards that threaten the lives of many Filipinos, Sen. Edgardo J. Angara is lobbying for the Mercury Reduction Act of 2007 (Senate Bill 893) into law. The said law will reduce and eventually eliminate the distribution of products containing mercury in the country and push for a system of proper disposal to avoid its impact on the health of the citizens and on the environment.

Sen. Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Science and Technology and Engineering (COMSTE), had previously proposed a three-phase plan to address mercury pollution: the switch from mercury-using products and processes to non-mercury alternatives, the regulation in the release and sale of mercury-containing products and the proper waste management of products with mercury.

"Despite the risks, mercury is still used in various products and processes globally, including gold and silver mining, chlorine and caustic soda production, measuring devices like thermometer and manometer, electrical switches, batteries, Cantor tubes, fluorescent lamps and dental amalgam fillings," Sen. Angara notes.

Depending on the level of exposure, mercury can cause serious health hazards ranging from mild tremors, change in vision and hearing, insomnia, weakness, memory lapses, headaches, irritability, nervousness, to damage of the nervous system especially in developing fetuses and death. In its 2002 report "Global Mercury Assessment," the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) revealed that mercury levels in a risk-based threshold among fish has long exceeded in Asian countries such as the Philippines, Thailand, Japan and Korea.

Sen. Angara stresses, "In the Philippines, there are two main sources of mercury pollution: mined mercury deposits and the use of mercury in gold extraction by a crude method of mixing. Man-made sources of mercury come in the form of airborne particles released from burnt coal, oil or natural or burnt waste containing mercury. Bodies of water are polluted with mercury through industrial waste or sewage, which is then consumed by fish and eventually moves up into the [human] food chain."

Under this bill, when enacted into law, manufacturers and wholesalers may not supply mercury-added products to the public without first notifying the DENR of the amount of mercury on such products, the total annual amount of mercury in their products circulating in the market and the specific purpose that such mercury content serves. They are also mandated to disclose such mercury content to their consumers through proper labeling on their products, with sufficient information.

The bill will also create the Environmental Advisory Council on Mercury Pollution, which will report on and develop measures to safeguard citizens from contamination especially pregnant women, children and subsistence fishermen; and draft ways to eliminate non-essential use of mercury in health care, government, consumer and commercial operations.

Two years into effect of this Act, manufacturers and wholesalers will be no longer allowed to sell mercury-added products in the country. The former may apply for exemption to the DENR provided they prove that such products meet the essential-use requirements and that there is no comparable, feasible substitute alternative to such mercury-added products. In addition, mercury-containing toys, ornaments, cosmetics, apparel and novelties will be permanently banned for sale in the country.

Likewise, a year into the effect of the Act, thermometers containing mercury will be prohibited from sale, and the use of such will also no longer be allowed to be used in school science laboratories.

A Public Education, Information and Outreach program will be collaborated between the DENR, DOST and DOH to develop, design and distribute information on disposal of mercury-added products, the need for source separation, proper waste management and collection programs for the general public.

"Considering the effects of mercury, it is high time that measures of vigilance in the circulation of mercury in the environment are put forward in order to avoid any health hazards that our people may suffer from," Sen. Angara concludes.