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Re: E-M:/ Ford and Other Automakers Urged to Replace MercurySwitches
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Enviro-Mich message from Charles Griffith <charlesg@ecocenter.org>
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nope, no word from granholm's office.
At 5:36 PM -0400 7/2/01, Matthew R. Abel wrote:
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>Enviro-Mich message from "Matthew R. Abel" <attorneyabel@mediaone.net>
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>
>There is a blank line where Michigan would be listed.
>
>Has A.G. Granholm signed on?
>
>Matt Abel
>
>Charles Griffith wrote:
>>
>> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, MONDAY, JULY 2
>>
>> FOR MORE INFORMATION:
>> Charles Griffith, Ecology Center, 734-663-2400 x116
>> Michael Bender, Mercury Policy Project, 802-223-9000
>> Dean Menke, Environmental Defense, 202-387-3500 x138
>>
>> ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS CALL ON AUTOMAKERS TO REPLACE TOXIC MERCURY
>> Groups Applaud Similar Call To Ford By State Attorneys General
>>
>> (July 2, 2001 -- Washington) The Clean Car Campaign, with the support
>> of 26 environmental organizations, today called on Ford and other
>> automakers to remove toxic mercury from vehicles in for service,
>> repair, or recall. The Campaign also endorses a similar call by 26
>> state attorneys general urging Ford to remove mercury-containing
>> devices as part of their Firestone tire recall. Mercury is a potent
>> toxic chemical that causes brain, lung and kidney damage in humans.
>> The substance has been used in switches for hood and trunk convenience
>> lighting, and in other devices, becoming a contaminant when vehicles
>> are scrapped.
>>
>> The Clean Car Campaign today sent letters to the heads of Ford,
>> DaimlerChrysler and GM asking the auto industry to show leadership in
>> getting the toxic substance out of the environment by having dealers
>> remove switches for free when vehicles come in for service. "It's
>> time for automakers to take responsibility for the environmental
>> hazards of their vehicles," said Charles Griffith, Auto Project
>> Director at the Ecology Center. "By replacing these mercury switches
>> they can protect the environment and consumers with a simple,
>> affordable fix."
>>
>> Twenty-six state attorneys general today sent a letter to Ford's
>> Chairman and CEO (William Clay Ford, Jr. and Jacques Nasser) asking
>> the company to replace mercury lighting switches in vehicles recalled
>> to replace Firestone tires. "New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer
>> and the other attorneys general should be commended for their
>> leadership in promoting a workable plan to recover automotive
>> mercury," said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project.
>>
>> The AG's recommended replacements would remove up to 2.5 tons of
>> mercury from the environment. "Ford could show real leadership among
>> automakers by replacing not just the tires but also the toxic
>> mercury," said Dean Menke, an engineer with Environmental Defense.
>>
>> Concerns about exposure to mercury have grown in recent years, with
>> many states and stores banning mercury thermometers. More than forty
>> states have issued fish consumption advisories for mercury, and the
>> National Academy of Sciences 2000 mercury report found that more than
>> 60,000 children may suffer from exposure to mercury while the womb.
>> Mercury can cause neurological problems that range from mild learning
>> disabilities to mental retardation. The most recent data from the
>> Centers for Disease Control indicates that as many as one in ten women
>> of childbearing age are at risk of having newborns with neurological
>> problems.
>>
>> Despite growing concerns about the fate of mercury devices now
>> contained in automobiles, very little has been done to date to rectify
>> the problem, and automakers have generally pushed the problem off on
>> auto dismantlers to deal with. The Campaign proposes a national
>> program for collecting up to 90% of the mercury switches now on the
>> road, that includes working with both auto dealers and recyclers. The
>> plan seeks to maximize the recovery of mercury by getting automakers
> > to start with their own dealers to remove and replace the switches
>> whenever a vehicle is brought in to be serviced or is recalled.
>> The Campaign released two reports earlier this year that document the
>> continued use of mercury in automobiles and show automobiles to be one
>> of the nation's largest sources of airborne mercury emissions, just
>> behind power plants and incinerators. Estimates suggest that up to 10
>> tons of toxic mercury may be released each year when vehicles are
>> scrapped; nearly 200 tons of mercury are contained in vehicles
>> currently on the road. The full text of the studies, as well as the
>> letters being sent today, can be found at:
>> http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/mercury.html
>>
>> The Clean Car Campaign is a national campaign coordinated by state,
>> regional and national environmental organizations promoting a clean
>> revolution in the motor vehicle industry. For more information,
>> please visit the campaign's website, at:
>> http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/
>>
>> ####
>>
>> AG's Urging Ford to Replace Mercury Switches
>>
>> Alabama
>> California
>> Colorado
>> Connecticut
>> Florida
>> Georgia
>> Hawaii
>> Illinois
>> Iowa
>> Maine
>> Maryland
>> Massachusetts
>>
>> Minnesota
>> Montana
>> Nevada
>> New Hampshire
>> New Jersey
>> New York*
>> Northern Mariana Islands
>> Puerto Rico
>> Rhode Island
>> South Dakota
>> Tennessee
>> Vermont
>> Virgin Islands
>> West Virginia
>> --
>> _____________________________
>> Charles Griffith, Auto Project Director
>> Ecology Center
>> 117 N. Division, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
>> Ph: 734/663-2400, x116 /-2414 fx.
>> Email: charlesg@ecocenter.org
>>
>> Want to show your support for greener vehicles? Sign the Clean Car
>> Pledge, at: http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/pledge.html
>
>
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--
_____________________________
Charles Griffith, Auto Project Director
Ecology Center
117 N. Division, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Ph: 734/663-2400, x116 /-2414 fx.
Email: charlesg@ecocenter.org
Want to show your support for greener vehicles? Sign the Clean Car
Pledge, at: http://www.cleancarcampaign.org/pledge.html
==============================================================
ENVIRO-MICH: Internet List and Forum for Michigan Environmental
and Conservation Issues and Michigan-based Citizen Action. Archives at
http://www.great-lakes.net/lists/enviro-mich/
Postings to: enviro-mich@great-lakes.net For info, send email to
majordomo@great-lakes.net with a one-line message body of "info enviro-mich"
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