Massachusetts Phases Out Mercury

Boston Globe: Senate passes bill to phase out mercury

BOSTON --Senate lawmakers unanimously passed a bill Wednesday that would phase out products containing mercury.

Environmentalists had argued that Massachusetts lags behind other New England states in regulating the sale and disposal of mercury-containing products such as thermometers, fluorescent light bulbs and electrical switches.

The bill calls on manufacturers to use available alternatives to the toxin in their products, and also requires environmentally safe disposal of the items.

Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Maine have all enacted laws restricting the use and disposal of mercury. In 2000, New Hampshire became the first state in the country to ban the sale of mercury thermometers.