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Vermont Agency of Natural Resources
Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution
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Advisory Committee on Mercury Pollution

 

Meeting #7 5: Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Time: 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Location: Conference Room, Laundry Building, Waterbury State Complex,

Waterbury Vermont

 

MINUTES

 

Members Present:

             

             Gary Gulka, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Environmental Assistance

             Neil Kamman, Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, Water Quality Division

             William Bress, Vermont Department of Health

             Ruma Kohli, Chemical Management Program Manager, IBM

                           

Guests Present:
             

             

             Lisa Carlson, Hinesburg, VT

             James A. Johnston, Vermont Funeral Director’s Association

             Matt Levin, Vermonters for Clean Environment – VCE

             Peter Taylor, Vermont State Dental Society

The Committee members and interested parties gathered at the Waterbury State Office Complex Laundry Building Conference room.  Gary Gulka called the meeting to order. The members present did not constitute a quorum; therefore, the committee had an informal discussion and this is the account of that meeting.

Agenda Item 1

Review minutes from April 9th meeting

  • The committee decided to continue this agenda item at the next meeting

Agenda Item 2
Committee member concerns/public comments.

  • The committee members present did not have any new comments or concerns to address.

 

Agenda Item 3
Election of Committee Chair

  • The committee was unable to perform the election as the number of committee members present did not constitute a quorum.

Agenda Item 4
Address updates on mercury-related programs.

Auto Switch Collection Program:

  • DEC reported that 65 salvage yards are participating in the mercury auto switch collection program. The Department is still in the process of identifying those salvage yards that process and crush vehicles on site. DEC has hired a consultant, DSM Environmental of Ascutney, to conduct field visits and training on switch collection and to conduct further follow-up on program implementation. Although facilities are still being identified DEC believes that the vast majority of facilities are now participating in the program. Switches are being collected in buckets that will be returned to the national collection center which will pay out a reimbursement of $1 per switch.

Button Cell Battery Recycling Program:

  • 100 pharmacies in state are participating, as well as over 20 nursing homes. Containers are not full yet but participants are actively collecting batteries. Pharmacy follow-ups are being conducted via phone and later by visit.

Lamp Recycling Program:

  • Fluorescent lamp recycling is continuing at over 80 hardware stores including True Value, ACE, and DoitBest, the most recent addition to the program. Approximately 133,681 linear feet of fluorescent tubes and over 4000 CFLs have been collected for recycling. There is dialogue with other hardware and home building supply stores such as Aubuchon’s and Home Depot. The committee questioned Home Depot’s role in the program, as they are a busy location with potential for large collection of lamps. They are not involved as of yet, due to various issues at the corporate level.

Dairy Manometer Exchange Program:

  • DEC has an MOU with the Agency of Agriculture to complete the collection of mercury dairy manometers. 142 mercury dairy manometers have been collected and an additional 26 have been identified and targeted for removal. Other manometers may exist at abandoned farms, which are more difficult to locate for the presence of dairy manometers.

Maple Thermometer Exchange Program:

  • DEC is working with the Agency of Agriculture to conduct a mercury thermometer exchange with maple sugaring operations, identifying where the thermometers are by postcard response. Results to date indicate 109 maple sugar makers w/over 200 mercury thermometers that will be exchanged for mercury-free alternatives at no charge. The Fifteen Mile Falls mercury reduction fund will be used for this effort. Chittenden Solid Waste District has agreed to pick k up the exchanged mercury thermometers for proper recycling. The exchange is targeted for January at annual training events held regionally in the state.

Thermostat Pilot Project:

  • Legislation passed in 2006 requires the Agency to report on recommendations to enhance the collection and removal of mercury thermostats, including the appropriateness of financial incentives for turning in thermostats. After talking with other states, DEC decided to conduct a limited pilot collection program for homeowners, using hardware stores which sell thermostats- $5 per thermostat during October & November of this year, limited to three thermostats. Homeowners will be given a 5 dollar coupon good for any in-store purchase. DEC will pay each participating hardware store $5 per thermostat collected, using the 15 Mile Falls mercury reduction fund. Purchase of a non-mercury thermostat is not required. DEC felt that requiring the purchase of a non-mercury thermostat would be a disincentive to turning in thermostats. The $5 voucher would provide more flexibility to those who may choose to purchase a thermostat of their choice elsewhere. DEC is in the process of recruiting Aubuchon, ACE, True Value and DoitBest hardware stores.
  • Thermostat manufacturers (primarily Honeywell) are opposing financial incentives because of the cost of rebate programs (including third party administrative fees). DEC’s pilot potentially avoids costs for implementing the rebate program and provides an incentive for both the homeowner and retail store to participate in the program.
  • DEC estimates $10-20,000 program cost for the two-month pilot and is hoping for 4,000 mercury thermostats collected.
  • This pilot will provide further additional information to the legislature in consideration of any thermostat collection bills that may be introduced, and may also assist the ACMP in thermostat collection program recommendations.

Mercury Contact Information:

  • To better communicate a consistent message to the general public, the Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health together with Efficiency Vermont worked collaboratively to develop a contact sheet, fact sheet for compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and a fact sheet for mercury spills.
  • The facts sheets will be targeted toward homeowners and will relate to the general use and benefits of CFL use, clean up and disposal information for lamps and mercury spills guidance for other mercury-containing products.
  • Fact sheets and an emergency contact information sheets will be distributed across the state to locations that are likely to receive calls on mercury spills or broken fluorescent lamps.

Grocers Postings and Fish Advisory:

  • Grocers voluntarily agreed last year to post fish advisory posters in their stores. The Vermont Department of Health will be monitoring to check if the advisories are posted as a part of routine health inspections.
  • Bill Bress shared Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Shaw’s posters for fish advisory postings at grocery stores. Dr. Bress highlighted what he considered the positive aspects of these documents which included an emphasis on the health benefits of fish consumption. The VDH will consider taking this same health approach with future documents. The Committee agreed that small brochures are more effective as it is something consumers can easily carry with them in the store.
  • The Vermont fish advisory is transitioning and may, because of additional testing, include more species, and may be changed to be specific according to lake our county. Suggestion to set up a web site that would include information on levels for ocean fish.
  • Suggestions to creating a hybrid of poster and pamphlet including more health information such as omega-3 fatty acids.
  • The process of getting access area posters to Town Health Officers (THO) is underway. The VDH budget was cut for THO’s effective July 1st which eliminates such things as training.
  • Environmental epidemiologist is doing study at FAHC for fetal cord blood measurements for mercury. The internal review board is giving directors a hard time: if they find high levels, they’re not allowed to tell women results, for fear it will upset the women.
  • Mercury total maximum daily load (TMDL)is out for review. 17 individual comment sets received, including well founded technical comments from EPA and industry-represented groups. Responsiveness summary in July for EPA to continue within time period, covering New England and NY. Implementing mercury control plans and clean air mercury rule raising bar to 90%, vs. 75% by 2028.
  • These levels can be significantly reduced by urging other states to lower their levels by utilizing the work that has already been done by Vermont.

Agenda Item 5
Continued discussion of mercury reduction in crematoria.

Jim Johnston, Vermont Funeral Directors Association briefs the committee on updated findings:

  • Jim Johnston noted that lack of evidence and numerical statistics are confusing and is unable to conclude anything from the Colorado study.
  • Funeral Directors in Colorado had pulled out participating because they thought it should be mandated, not voluntary. They believe this is really a social problem and a difficult piece of legislation to pass without solid figures. Compared to Colorado’s mercury levels from Crematoria, VT is insignificant.
  • If amalgam extraction was mandated, cremations would be sent out of state due to expense of extraction and Vermont crematories would go out of business.
  • Not all bodies go to Funeral homes, and are cremated privately.
  • The average age of persons cremated is 85, contrary to report findings (78).
  • Lisa Carlson (sent email) remarked that the mercury filter is half a million dollars, and a million regarding building needed to house the filter. Again this would drive cremations to other states, putting the ones in VT out of business. Lisa did survey responding to use of Amalgam (banning), many dentists were not happy about this- they did NOT want to support banning amalgam.
  • Informed consent may be a political alternative, people know they are getting a toxic thing in their mouth; the use of amalgam will plummet, so getting an informed consent/signature from patients getting mercury fillings in their mouth may be a more viable approach.
  • Bereaved people do not want to go into the details of amalgam. Rigarmortis is not issue, but embalming will make removal difficult and will have to disfigure body.
  • This is still a significant source of mercury going into environment, but we should not let it go due to social reasons. Perhaps a larger state should do a study that can be backed up to move forward and get public on board; the numbers available now remain unconvincing.
  • Jeff Merrill’s estimate coming from crematoria will be increasing by up to 50% in VT alone. John Reindll’s fuel oil is incorrect, most of it is gas.
  • If dentists stop using amalgam today, there are still people who have them in-mouth now. Public will probably shift to other materials, but cremations are increasing and bodies with amalgam are and will continue to be cremated for some time. Numbers don’t show how much is going up stack, and are inaccurate right now. There’s a need to look at facilities and what testing can the process begin with to at least impact and increase awareness to industry people such as funeral home directors, crematoria, etc.
  • Current bill on dental amalgam really didn’t go anywhere. Revised emissions show we underestimated levels of emissions.
  • Numbers need to be determined as to how many teeth are actually being cremated that contain mercury amalgam. A suggestion of volunteer funeral homes to conduct counts of such information is suggested.
  • Overview on numbers from Colorado crematory report (UK’s numbers - Numbers seem high because of UK/US cremation rate difference):
    • Typical dental filling 0.5g mercury.
    • Number of typical fillings per cremated person: 8.6
    • Percent of adults (over 60) tooth loss: 25% (75% of adults have 8.6 fillings)
    • Cremations: 16,000
  • Mr. Johnston suggested medical schools and the corpses used for student dissection. Bodies to eventually end up with funeral directors; therefore information can be collected from them. Form to be emailed to Jim Johnston, who will forward form on to volunteering funeral homes.
  • Mr. Johnston agreed that he would contact several funeral directors and seek voluntary cooperation to collect data related to amalgam fillings in bodies to be cremated or buried. Study to include the following information to gather:
    • Information to be gathered within a certain time frame (include start and end dates on form: August 1st, through Sept. 30th on datasheet.)
    • Number of cremated corpses within that time frame
    • Number of amalgam fillings per corpse
    • Gender, sex and age (at death) of corpse
    • Teeth or no teeth
    • Ultimate disposition – cremation or burial
  • DEC will develop a log sheet and provide to Mr. Johnston in the coming week.

Agenda Item 6
Set date and agenda items for next meeting:

  • Dental mercury – dental amalgam survey and patient notification
  • Mark Smith’s availability to attend via phone regarding the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers Mercury Action Plan and status on meeting 2010 mercury emissions reduction targets.
  • Gary to distribute New England Governors and Canadian Premiers Task Force final report to Committee members for review at next meeting.
  • Approve minutes for current and previous ACMP meetings.
  • Discuss Thimerasol issues
  • ACMP chair elections.
    
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