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Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution
Meeting #44: Friday, March 28, 2003
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Location: Conference Room, Environmental Assistance Division
Laundry Building, Waterbury State Complex, Waterbury, Vermont
MINUTES
Members Present:
William Bress, Vermont Department of Health
Mary Canales, Department of Nursing, University of Vermont
Ric Erdheim, National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA)
Neil Kamman, Agency of Natural Resources, Water Quality Division
Michael Bender, Abenaki Self-Help Association, Inc.
Rich Phillips, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
Guests Present:
Gary Gulka, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
Julie Hackbarth, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Waste Management Division
Karen Knaebel, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
The Committee members and interested parties gathered in the Conference Room of the Environmental Assistance Division, Waterbury State Complex.
Rich Phillips called the meeting to order.
Agenda Item 1-
Accept minutes of February meeting changes to today's agenda.
Minutes for February meeting were approved with no changes.
Agenda Item 2-
Review time line for work plan (Revised time line attached).
Time line was reviewed and approved with the following changes:
- EXPOSURE: Voluntary filling guide for dental offices - Committee decided to address this issue after the legislative session and bring in Peter
Taylor to discuss the issue some time after June.
- EXPOSURE: Voluntary postings at food co-ops for commercial fish -
- Question as to whether this effort a pilot project or something else?
- Suggestion that this should not be a focus for MS SPOC but rather request Michael Bender to take the lead in any efforts.
- Suggestion to invite one or two representatives from restaurants or grocers associations to discuss potential voluntary postings - Committee
agreed to meet with co-ops first as grocers may not be receptive.
- The California "Warning" posting was reviewed by the committee and it was considered to be inappropriate for Vermont's use. Suggestion
was made to reconsider the fish poster developed through EPA funding and used by Maine.
- MERCURY IN WILDLIFE
- Committee agreed that presentation of this information should be moved to some date between July and September.
Agenda Item 3-
Committee member assignment updates.
Rich Phillips advised the Committee that there were still no legislative appointments to the Committee and he would write a second letter requesting
those appointments. It was also noted that some member's appointments would be up for renewal in August and those would have to be reviewed sometime
prior.
Agenda Item 4-
Updates and Next Steps.
- Sensitive Populations
- Last year many contacts were made through the MS SPOC sub-committee in an effort to reach sensitive populations. This year the ACMP is hoping
for a more targeted approach.
- Maine Health Department has done very extensive work to target sensitive populations through the use of focus groups and researching
data. The Committee agreed that it should invite someone from the Maine Department to either come to Vermont or attend by phone to share
their findings regarding outreach to sensitive populations. The Committee is interested in such things as how they funded their projects
and how their process worked.
- Comment was made that Maine's efforts were funded by EPA and perhaps Vermont could use those results to enhance Vermont's efforts.
- Suggestion that the contact from Maine should attend one of the Vermont Community Public Health meetings, which are held twice each
year.
- Committee agreed that a sub-committee should be formed using the members of the previous MS SPOC sub-committee plus additional people
who might be interested in becoming involved.
- Michael Bender and Mary Canales of the Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution expressed interest in being involved in the sub-committee.
- Committee agreed to have the first meeting of the sub-committee to focus on information gathering including obtaining information from
possibly Andy Smith or Eric Frohmberg of Maine Dept. of Health.
- Bill Bress suggested he could make arrangements for someone from Maine Health Department to come to Vermont. Question as to who would
pay Maine's expenses.
- Committee agreed that the sub-committee should develop a strategy for efforts to target outreach to sensitive populations and determine
who would be best suited to implement those efforts. Suggestion to set up plan to evaluate goals and objectives and time lines for completion.
- Suggestion to also include in the sub-committee other state's experts as well.
- Suggestion to evaluate risk assessment for other commercial fish such as canned tuna. Michael distributed a Resolution authored by Dr.
Jane Hightower and Dr. Judith Mates of California and endorsed by the California Medical Association which speaks to the issues of mercury
in fish and the effects on humans. The document urges physicians to educate their patients about the dangers of mercury toxicity in food
items and advise pregnant women and parents of young children to limit consumption of fish.
- Bill Bress advised the Committee that the Federal Government was awarding grants for human biomonitoring. He was advocating for mercury
testing and hopes that a grant will be awarded to the New England area for a joint effort. He will keep the Committee informed.
- Bill Bress will supply names of Vermont Health Department staff as potential participants for the sub-committee.
- Committee agreed to form sub-committee to meet in about two weeks and report back to the ACMP at the May meeting. Suggestion that there
be one or two meetings in 2-3 hour blocks to develop an outreach strategy.
- Suggestion to keep in mind other populations that may be considered "sensitive" to mercury but not the main focus (such as
the Abenaki or Asian populations that consume fish on a regular basis, young children or adults who also regularly consume larger quantities
of fish).
- Suggestion to explore any grant possibilities.
- Suggestion to include physicians in process. Committee agreed that it may be difficult for a physician to have the time for such an
involvement.
- Wildlife and mercury exposure
- Neil advised the Committee that he intended to ask Dave Evers for a possible presentation date.
- Suggestion to include a sufficiently large audience including wildlife biologists, NGOs. Suggestion to conduct in Skylight conference room
for 1-2 hours. Suggestion if presentation was moved to September that college students could also be invited.
- Suggestion that this presentation be kept to wildlife not human exposure.
- Neil volunteered to do a summary overview of what information is available, and will orchestrate the presentation. He will set a tentative
date with Dave Evers with enough lead time to set the presentation.
- Fish advisory postings at access areas
- Bill Bress advised that Health Officers have agreed to post fish advisory postings at fishing access areas.
- Neil supplied the list of access areas to Bill and the information was converted into labels.
- Suggestion that Neil or EAD would draft a letter to mail with the companion advisory and fish information posting to the health officers.
The letter should be on Health Department letterhead and signed by VDH.
- Bill Bress provided 200 laminated "Health Alert" advisories to post at the fishing access areas.
- EAD offered to do the mailing of the Health Alert advisory posters together with the companion poster developed by EAD to the town health
officers.
- Neil advised that there were approximately 140 access areas.
- Neil advised that he contacted the Lake Champlain Committee and they agreed to post and maintain all Vermont access areas for Lake Champlain.
Neil anticipated that this would take approximately 50 posters.
- Neil advised that he still had several hundred of the companion poster produced by EAD last year.
- Neil also advised that several Water Quality Division staff would be routinely visiting lakes and would need about 50 posters. Neil anticipated
they would be visiting from 50-70 ponds in a 2-3 week period.
- Committee agreed that there was a potential need for about 100 additional Health Alert posters. Michael Bender offered to have the additional
100 posters printed and laminated and funded through the Mercury Policy Project.
- Bill to provide information as to the printer for the Health Alert documents.
- Bill will forward Health Officer mailing labels to EAD
- Vermont's emissions/release inventory
- Neil advised that he contacted Margaret Round with NESCAM and they predict that the regional inventory should be complete around July. He
advised that reportedly, the emission numbers had decreased.
- Neil will provide the report to the committee when he receives.
- Karen advised that she contacted Bart Sponseller with the Department and he advised that they began revising the update of the Vermont air
inventory mid-March.
- Ongoing mercury reduction projects
- Manometer Replacement Project
The Committee was given a handout from Mike Loner, from the Northwest Vermont Solid Waste Management District, which updated the current financial
needs of the program. The project leaders are evaluating whether to submit another grant proposal to the Lake Champlain Basin Program next
year. Mike Loner requested the Committee provide a support letter if they decided to apply. There was concern that the Lake Champlain Basin
Program grant committee would not consider those remaining manometers that are outside of the basin. Other options may be the funding inclusion
for this project in the 15 Mile Falls settlement agreement. The Committee intends to follow up on this project and continue to explore potential
funding.
- Hospital Project
Currently 14 out of 16 hospitals have pledged to participate in the mercury reduction program. This program is being implemented with a contractor
who is assisting the hospitals with inventorying mercury in their hospitals and putting together a mercury reduction plan.
- Lamp Outreach Projects
Currently there are two main Vermont programs - one which involves AVR (Association of Vermont Recyclers) and NEMA which is focused toward
increasing recycling and educating Vermonters about the symbol Hg within a circle for homeowners and small businesses - the second program
is focused toward the larger business, also to increase recycling rates. There are two other programs related to lamp recycling in which NEMA
and NEWMOA received grants for outreach. The Committee is interested in an update on the efforts of these two programs. The Department will
make an effort to obtain this information.
Agenda Item 5-
Discussion of 15 Mile Falls settlement.
The Committee was informed that the original figure of $500,000 that would be available had been reduced to $300,000 and that EAD had provided
a revised proposal. Neil advised that 15 Mile Falls was entertaining an offer for a wholesale sale of their operation. Neil added that the original
settlement of $500,000 was signed by all parties, however, the NGO who is a party to the agreement is deciding how to balance the remaining funds
to keep the operation from additional financial difficulties and thus the funds are being shifted around to meet demands. Neil had concern that
the project funding request for environmental monitoring had been eliminated. Rich Phillips advised the Committee that any availability of funds
would be around a year from now. Mr. Phillips will keep the Committee posted on the progress of these negotiations.
Agenda Item 6-
Other topics not on agenda.
- Legislative Card Room - The Card Room has been reserved for Tuesday, January 20, 2004 for the display of the Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution.
- Suggestion was made to move the date to sometime in February or March when the issues related to mercury may be under consideration rather
than in the beginning of the session before any bill has a chance for review.
- Karen will check into moving the date for the 2004 year.
Agenda Item 7-
Set date and agenda for next meeting.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, 2003 from 9:00 am to 11:00 am in the conference room at the Environmental Assistance Division,
Waterbury state complex, Waterbury, Vermont.
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