Manufacturers to Label Mercury Fluorescent Lamps Nationwide

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Manufacturers to Label Mercury Fluorescent Lamps Nationwide

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Manufacturers to Label Mercury Fluorescent Lamps Nationwide

Passage of First-in-Nation Vermont Law Prompts Labeling of 600 Million

Lamps Sold Each Year Across the U.S., But Advocates Urge Global

VERMONT, MONTPELIER, Jan. 16 -/E-Wire/-- Fluorescent lamp makers, required by Vermont law to label all lamps sold in-state containing mercury, announced plans on Wednesday for "a nationwide program to labeling fluorescent and high intensity discharge (HID) lamps that contain mercury, as well as their packaging." While advocates noted that the lamp makers commitment was a step forward, they questioned why they don't label lamps worldwide.

"It's nice to see that lamp makers have finally seen the light," said Michael Bender, Director of the Mercury Policy Project, who helped drafted the legislation and win its passage. "Yet we question the practicality of only labeling lamps sold nationally based on NEMA's own statement that lamp makers sell to 'international markets and do not control the distribution system.' Because mercury is both a local and global pollutant, we urge lamp makers to recognize their responsibility and label all lamps worldwide to reduce mercury pollution—and exposure to mercury—both at home and abroad."

After passage of the Vermont mercury law in 1998, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, a trade group representing lamp makers, filed a lawsuit arguing that the Vermont law violated the Commerce Clause as well as other Constitutional provisions. NEMA court documents stated that lamps sales in Vermont accounted for less than $2 million worth of fluorescent lamps purchased annually, representing a tiny percentage of lamp sales nationally—and questioned how "tiny Vermont" would "purport to dictate worldwide lamp labeling requirements." While NEMA won the first court round, they lost in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and again when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear their case, setting the stage for NEMA's announcement yesterday.

"A harmonized national label is the only labeling approach that makes sense," said NEMA President Malcolm O'Hagan in a prepared statement. "Lamp manufacturers make their products for national and international markets and do not control the distribution system. Disposal requirements vary greatly across local, state, and international boundaries, making anything other than a national label impractical."

Lamp makers are now expected to label an estimated 600 million lamps—and their packaging—sold nationwide. each year. By Nov. 30, 2003, all lamp makers selling their products in Vermont are required to provide a website and toll free number for consumers to readily obtain information on recycling and proper management of spend light bulbs. Manufacturers will also spend $10,000 a year for two years to help educate Vermonters to keep lamps from being broken or thrown in the trash.

Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin that poses a risk to human health, wildlife and the environment. Levels of mercury have increased 3-5 fold over the past century due to human activities. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that 1 in 12 women of childbearing age have mercury levels in their bodies that are considered unsafe—translating into nearly 400,000 children born in the United States at risk of mercury exposure each year. Over forty states now warn the public to limit consumption or not eat mercury-contaminated fish. The Food and Drug Administration advises pregnant women not to eat certain seafood due to high mercury levels, and ten states warn pregnant women and young children to limit consumption of canned tuna, the most consumed fish in the US, due to mercury levels and high rates of consumption.

Last year, Connecticut passed a law requiring lamp makers to label lamp packaging. Legislation was recently introduced in Washington State mirroring Vermont's law and similar legislation was expected to be introduced in California and across the U.S.

Members of the NEMA lamp section are both national and multinational companies and include EYE Lighting, GE Lighting, Light Sources Inc., OSRAM SYLVANIA, Panasonic Lighting, Philips Lighting, Ushio America, and Venture Lighting. The Lamp Section represents virtually all manufacturers of mercury-containing lamps that sell such lamps in the U.S., according to NEMA.

In mid-December, the United Nations released its first-ever Global Mercury Assessment Report indicating that mercury is a serious global problem warranting international action. The United Nations Governing Council will be meeting in Nairobi in early February 2003 to discuss solutions to the global mercury pollution problem.

For more information, see:

http://www.mercurypolicy.org http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/ead/mercury/Labeling/manufact.htm http://www.nema.org http://lamprecycle.org http://www.chem.unep.ch/mercury.

Mercury Policy Project

Michael Bender, [REDACTED-PHONE],

http://www.mercurypolicy.org

http://www.anr.state.vt.us/dec/ead/mercury/Labeling/manufact.htm

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