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List of State Officials - Martin O'Malley, Governor; Anthony Brown, Lt. Governor; Shari T. Wilson, MDE Secretary 

Volume III, Number 11

 July 2009

eMDE is a bi-monthly publication of the Maryland Department of the Environment. It covers articles on current environmental issues and events in the state. 

Maryland Mandates Mercury Switch Recovery in Vehicles

By David Mrgich, Waste Management Administration

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In May, Governor O’Malley signed House Bill 1263 requiring vehicle recyclers and scrap recycling facilities to recover mercury switches from vehicles to reduce mercury pollution. This legislation also requires motor vehicle manufacturers who sell vehicles in Maryland to develop and submit a mercury minimization plan that includes information on mercury switch removal, with at least a 90 percent capture rate, from motor vehicles to MDE on or before September 30, 2009. The plan will contain information about the types of vehicles that may contain mercury switches and where those switches are located; information to assist vehicle recyclers and scrap recycling facilities regarding removal of the switches; proposals for storing or disposing the switches; and details on the financing of the removal, collection, and recovery system for the proper management of the switches.

Mercury is an element found naturally in the environment. It conducts electricity, forms alloys with other metals, and expands in response to changes in temperature and pressure. It is used in many different products including thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent lights, blood pressure machines, and barometers. Some mercury compounds are also used as preservatives in medicines and other products. The automotive industry used pellet-sized mercury switches in convenience lights in trunk and hood compartments and in anti-lock brakes built as late as the 2002 model year. HB 1263 will ensure the removal of the pellet-sized switches from end-of-life vehicles.

Mercury exposure at high levels is harmful to people and animals. In humans it can damage many bodily organs and systems, including the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system of people of all ages. High levels of mercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm the developing nervous system, making the child less able to think and learn. The effect on animals includes slow growth and development, reduced reproduction, behavior problems, and death.

House Bill 1263 requires automobile manufacturers to pay a small fee as partial compensation for the labor and other costs incurred by a vehicle recycler or scrap recycling facility in the removal of the mercury switch or mercury switch assembly. It also requires payment a $1 payment to MDE as partial compensation for MDE’s costs incurred in administering and enforcing the provisions of the law.

Maryland became a participant in the voluntary National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program (NVMSRP) in 2007. The NVMSRP was formed as a result of an agreement by representatives of dismantlers, automotive steel and scrap industries, environmental groups, the Environmental Council of States (ECOS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The main goal of the NVMSRP is to reduce mercury exposure and maximize mercury switch collection in scrap automobiles nationally and provide a nationwide mechanism for mercury vehicle switch recovery. Manufacturers will be allowed to continue to utilize this already established program to manage switches as long as the program meets the requirements of HB 1263.

As of May 31, 2009, 79 of a possible 152 Maryland recyclers and dismantlers are participating in the NVMSRP and have collected 7,762 switches resulting in 17.08 pounds of mercury being removed from the environment. Data compiled by the NVMSRP contractor, End-of-Life Vehicle Solutions, (based upon data from R. L. Polk & Co. and the Michigan Switch Study) indicates that while a good start, the amount of vehicle switches and mercury collected in Maryland is small compared to the estimated 144,302 switches and 319 pounds of mercury available from vehicle switches during the January 2007 – May 2009 time period. The data further indicates that 51,000 mercury switches or 110 pounds of mercury is available from end-of-life automobiles for collection in 2009, and a total of 477,000 mercury switches or 1,050 pounds of mercury could be removed from end-of-life vehicles through 2017.

For more information on Maryland’s Mercury Switch Removal from Vehicles law contact Hilary Miller at Hilary.Miller@maryland.gov or by phone at 800-633-6101 x 3431. 

Click here for additional information on mercury.

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©2009 Copyright MDE

 
Editorial Board
Maryland Department of the Environment
1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230
http://mde.maryland.gov/
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