Amalgamverbot- Petition an President Obama

[Lucca]

Please consider signing on to letter below to U.S. President Obama in support of a legally binding treaty to reduce mercury exposure.

hi Everyone,

Thanks to Sherri's suggestion, provided we have drafted a sign on (see attached letter) to U.S. President Barack Obama. Please let us know via email at your earliest possible convenience if you are wish to sign on to the letter and include your name, affiliation, city and country. This is our time........thanks!!!

Please feel free to forward this on to your colleagues, and to other lists and send us your response as soon as possible, so that we can forward our letter to President Obama and his staff. thanks again

Best,

Michael

Michael Bender, Director
Mercury Policy Project/
Zero Mercury Working Group
1420 North Street
Montpelier, VT USA 05602
http://www.mercurypolicy.org
http://www.zeromercury.org
Tel: +802-223-9000





February 5, 2009

Subject: Support legally binding treaty to reduce mercury exposure

Dear President Obama,

We, the undersigned groups, strongly urge you to support an international agreement to control mercury pollution and reduce human exposure to mercury.

Mercury is a dangerous neurotoxin that can make its way up the food chain into humans, and poses an increased exposure risk to developing fetuses and young children, causing permanent learning disabilities. Mercury is a persistent, bioaccumulative transboundary pollutant. Emissions from other countries travel to the U.S., contaminating our air, soil, water and fish. Because of this potential for global contamination, mercury pollution requires a coordinated international response.

Of high concern are mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants, and indeed these are important sources of mercury pollution in our country and throughout the world. However, as you know, mercury is also a commodity metal (like iron or copper), traded on the global market, and is used, both here and abroad, for many industrial and commercial purposes.

As a result, the continued trade in mercury also contributes to global mercury pollution. Because of its toxic nature and increasingly available alternatives to its use, we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to address this contaminate through international regulation or ban of its trade.

Since 2001, countries around the world have been discussing options to control mercury pollution and in 2003 agreed that enough was know to warrant immediate action to reduce global mercury pollution. Most countries now favor the negotiation of a legally binding international agreement as the most viable approach to deal with this problem. However, over the past six years, the Bush administration consistently opposed this position.

In mid-February, the world will take up this question again at the 25th meeting of the United Nations Environment Programme Governing Council. At this meeting, the United States must change its current position on mercury and come prepared to support a legally binding agreement to reduce mercury exposure.

The UNEP Governing Council meeting will provide your administration with its first opportunity on the world stage to demonstrate a real change in approach to international environmental issues, an approach that embraces cooperation and leadership, rather than obstruction and inaction. Therefore, we urge you to seize this opportunity for leadership, and support an international agreement to control this dangerous pollutant.


Sincerely,