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Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution
Meeting #54: Tuesday, August 24, 2004
Time: 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Location: Conference Room, Environmental Assistance Office
Laundry Building, Waterbury State Complex, Waterbury, Vermont
MINUTES
Members Present:
Bill Bress, Vermont Department of Health
Neil Kamman, Agency of Natural Resources, Water Quality Division
Ruma Kohli, chemical Management Program Manager, IBM, Burlington
Rich Phillips, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
Guests Present:
Karen Knaebel, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
Greg Lutchko, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance
The Committee members and interested parties gathered in the Conference Room of the Environmental Assistance Office, Waterbury State Complex. Rich
Phillips called the meeting to order.
Agenda Item 1-
Possible changes to today's agenda.
An item was added to the agenda to discuss the report entitled "Reel Danger"
Agenda Item 2-
Updates on NESCAUM meeting - Neil Kamman.
Neil Kamman advised the Committee that there were several larger meetings where there were significant topics of interest; therefore, he would
be including those topics in with the information he thought was important from this meeting to cover Agenda Item 4.
- MACT - EPA emission control proposed regulation for mercury - Federal Register proposed regulation - The EPA extended its comment period several
times and the comment period is now closed. There were over 500,000 individual comments on their docket, which were overwhelmingly against pollution
trading. NESCAUM released a report some time back that identified that current technologies were available to reduce mercury emissions by 90%,
which is why many disagree with the regulation. Hubbard Brook Research Foundation, which is comprised of high- level scientists and environmental
engineers, recently provided comments presenting relevant scientific findings that specifically address the proposed regulation. Neil Kamman was
one of the scientists who signed on this comment. The Eastern Power Research Institute filed a lengthy set of comments in favor of the regulation.
Ellen Brown, USEPA Office of Air and Radiation, was in charge developing the MACT standard. She provided a presentation on the proposed regulation
at NESCAUM (and elsewhere). Ellen's presentation included a cost benefit analysis for pollution trading, using the premise inherent in the proposed
regulation that initial reductions in sulfate emissions will carry associated reductions in Hg emissions. EPA analyses, using sulfate only, indicate
that expenditures of <$10 billion in pollution control will yield $75 billion of benefit even while this cost analysis did not include fish
or human benefits attributable specifically to reduced Hg emissions. The initial control target, using sulfate only, is an unquantified Hg reduction
by 2008. Following that, the idea is to cap and trade (as invoked by §111 of C.A.A.) mercury specifically, to achieve a 40% reduction in
2011 and a total of 70% by 2014.
Kamman indicated that the scientific community views this type of trading as undesirable for Hg, due the likelihood that Hg emissions create localized
contamination hotspots in areas proximal to sources.
Kate McCaffrey, USEPA, at a recent national USGS Department of Interior meeting on Hg, estimated 600,000 children per year had sufficient amounts
of mercury to result in some health impact. Bill Bress commented that this figure was not representative of all children poisoned lately that
this was a modified number. The original figure was based on a ratio that was identified from hair samples from the mother in relationship to
the cord blood number. This ratio was miscalculated and the 600,000 figure was the recalculation but not an actual increase.
- METTALICUS Project is a mercury experiment used to assess loading in Canada and United States. This is an experimental project whereby a lake
was chosen and dosed with stable isotopes of mercury - one Hg isotope for each of three distinct sections of the lake watershed (terrestrial,
wetland, lake surface). Researchers in that project are then tracking the accumulation of the isotopically identified Hg in biota. The Project
has concluded that newly deposited mercury is what is most readily methylated and therefore more available to biota. This is a very important
finding and especially relates to the arguments against emission controls whereby many believe that the mercury is still in the lakes and there
would be no immediate effect by reducing mercury emissions.
Comment that the "Reel Danger" report included a chart that indicated there was an overall mercury reduction since 1990 of 40% just
from controls on incinerators. Why haven't we seen a reduction in fish tissue? Neil responded that we have indeed seen a reduction in fish tissue
in the Everglades project, as that project was specifically designed to monitor fish for the effects of emissions control. There are no incinerators
in Vermont and our monitoring data is not structured to capture that data. The Everglades report indicated mercury in fish was reduced by 40%.
Relatedly, the MDN wet Hg deposition network report for 2003 shows that ¾ of the sites show negative trends in mercury. Dave Evers indicates
that he has also seen declines in mercury levels in southeast New Hampshire loons. In Vermont we are not seeing it because we are not monitoring
it and we do not do enough fish testing. That is why the Committee's recommendation in last year's annual report was so significant. Fish and
Wildlife would be the group that collects the fish, DED tests and VDH puts together the data. Language is in our current S111 to encourage such
a design.
Another study was conducted in a national park near Lake Superior where Northern Pike were studied. The biomarkers in fish indicated endocrine
disruption from mercury.
- Another study analyzed 45,000 national level fish database records that will be available in the near future on a web site. This data will potentially
allow the user to identify a certain species of fish at a certain size and determine the level of mercury in a larger fish in a different lake.
Neil stated that he may be able to utilize some of these results for his own work.
- Global Pool - United States is responsible for about 15% of the global mercury pollution pool. Eastern Europe and Pacific Rim still the largest
polluters due primarily to burning dirty coal. Question as to what that means for our fish in Vermont? Neil Kamman explained that the mercury
that gets into our lakes is not necessarily from the global pool as it takes certain chemical reactions to bring that pollution down to the lakes,
what we experience in Vermont is more particulate mercury which we certainly see declining.
- On a local level, there is some controversy regarding lowering and increasing the water levels in the Waterbury Reservoir. The fluctuating levels
on one hand increase mercury methylation and on the other hand increase the amount of electricity that is generated. Neil indicated that he felt
the Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution may be called upon to provide recommendations on fluctuations of water levels.
Agenda Item 3-
- Updates on Committee membership renewals
Neil Kamman and Mary Canales memberships are both due to renew this year. Mary is no longer available to serve on the Committee. Members will
be providing names for nominations to fill this position. May wish to send an e-mail to smaller colleges to solicit ideas for nominees.
- Review of letter to Vermont Department of Health
The Committee reviewed the draft letter that had been modified prior to the meeting by Committee comments via e-mail. The Committee decided to
modify the letter further by changing the focus in the questions posed to the Health Department regarding crematoria. The Committee felt that
the crematoria issue was under explained in the letter and the letter assumes some background knowledge on crematoria. The letter will also be
modified to include the Norwegian study as a reference material for the Vermont Department of Health. No direct request by the Committee will
be included for the Health Department to review the document and provide comment. The letter will be revised as discussed in the meeting.
- Update regarding contact with VT Grocers Association
Jim Harrison was contacted by Karen to determine if the Grocers Association would be willing to provide the mercury in fish information to the
storeowners. The purpose of these materials would be to provide reference material that could be used by the grocers for customers' questions
on mercury levels in fish sold at retail. The Association was in agreement to disseminate the information. Five hundred copies of the Eat Fish
Low in Mercury card and 200 post cards for additional materials request would be provided for the Grocers' Annual Meeting. An article on the topic
will be included in the member newsletter.
- Update on Amalgam Separator Report
Greg Lutchko advised the Committee that the report was nearly complete. The draft report was submitted for review to the Advisory Committee on
Mercury Pollution, the Vermont State Dental Society, and each of the amalgam separator vendors to ensure accuracy in the information. The report
should be finalized within the next two weeks. The report will be mailed to dental offices and a display of the actual separators will be provided
at the Dental Society's annual meeting. The final report will also be placed on the www.mercvt.org web site.
Agenda Item 4-
Overview of current information regarding Mercury in the Environment - Neil Kamman, Gary Gulka.
Gary Gulka was not present to provide information on this topic. Neil Kamman gave an overview of current topics he felt were of significant importance
regarding mercury studies in Agenda Item 2.
Agenda Item 5-
Updates and other topics not on agenda.
Bill Bress had concern about the recent article that referenced a report entitled "Reel Danger' - Bill advised that he made comment to the
report in a Valley News article. There were two issues that were misleading in the report:
- The report is based on one water body in Vermont with 2 five fish composites and concludes that 100% of Vermont fish exceed some EPA standard.
- The report uses the EPA daily reference dose for pregnant women to extrapolate a child's allowable intake which is not appropriate.
The Committee determined they would put together an Op Ed piece closer to the legislative session including perhaps a quote from Health, DEC and
F&W to provide accurate information about the issue regarding mercury in fish. Suggestion that this should be put together and released before
Thanksgiving. EPA will be finalizing their rule soon. Suggestion to see if we can determine the timing for the release of the rule and coordinate
the piece with that release. Neil Kamman and Bill Bress will draft the OpEd piece some time in the first part of October. They will contact Fish
and Wildlife and Michael Bender for input as well and try to put a draft together for the November meeting heading toward potential release.
Agenda Item 6-
Set date and agenda for next meeting.
The next meeting will be held Friday, October 1, 2004 at the Waterbury State Complex in the Environmental Assistance Office conference room in
Waterbury, Vermont. The agenda will include an update by Air Quality regarding the contribution of crematoria to mercury pollution, updates on the
school mercury video project, lamp recycling outreach, outreach to doctor's offices and outreach to sensitive populations. The Committee decided
that since there were no available dates for a September meeting that the Committee work plan would move the report by Ruma Kohli regarding industry's
voluntary mercury reduction strategies to the November meeting and perhaps conduct the meeting at the IBM location.
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