It may be surprising to some Minnesotans to find that mercury thermometers are still available in many stores in the state.

Thursday, January 18, 2001

It may be surprising to some Minnesotans to find that mercury thermometers are still available in many stores in the state. Rep. Dan Dorman, R-Albert Lea, hopes to put a stop to it.

Dorman will introduce a bill today to ban the sale of mercury thermometers in Minnesota.

&uot;Mercury is very toxic to humans and very destructive to the environment,&uot; said Dorman. &uot;Just a little more mercury that what you find in a typical household thermometer is enough to contaminate all of the fish in a small lake.&uot;

Dorman said he was surprised to discover through his research that New Hampshire became the first state to ban sales of mercury thermometers last year. Several cities, such as Boston and Ann Arbor, Mich., have also instituted bans. Duluth recently followed suit with a ban of its own.

Though Minnesota law prohibits medical facilities from distributing mercury thermometers, the public can still purchase them in stores. The state even has a law that forbids mercury thermometers from placement in solid waste, Dorman said.

&uot;I think, given those laws, that banning the sale of mercury thermometers is the logical next step,&uot; said Dorman. There are plenty of good inexpensive alternatives available.&uot;

Dorman said major retailers such as Wal-Mart and K-Mart have agreed to halt the sale of mercury thermometers. Instead, they offer alcohol-based or digital thermometers to their customers.

&uot;Even though the bulk of mercury pollution still originates from industry, getting mercury out of the consumer arena is a good first step,&uot; Dorman said.

In the environment, Dorman said, mercury can enter the food chain and pollute air and water. People who ingest mercury can suffer impaired vision and hearing or even paralysis. It can also harm babies during fetal development.

Dorman expects his bill to reach the Environment Committee for a hearing at the end of January or the first week of February. He hopes support for the bill will cross party lines.

&uot;This is a relatively simple measure to improve the environment and safety of Minnesotans,&uot; Dorman said. &uot;Hopefully my colleagues will agree.&uot;

The Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance is also backing the measure.