What actions are being taken to reduce man-made sources of mercury into the environment?
There are several actions being taken, at the national, regional, state, and local level. At the national level, USEPA is developing Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards for air pollution sources that emit mercury, which should be released soon. It is also working on regulations or guidance on air pollution controls to limit the amount of mercury emitted from coal-burning power plants, which have been identified as significant sources of airborne mercury. At the regional level, the US-Canadian Binational Toxics Strategy has developed numerous approaches for voluntary reductions in mercury releases to the environment, some of which are already being implemented in the Great Lakes basin (ex., fluorescent bulb recycling programs, mercury thermometer exchange programs). At the state level, the IEPA has formed a mercury workgroup to research sources of mercury release to the air in Illinois, and to identify opportunities for mercury reductions through regulations and air p
