ALBANY (AP) -- Health and environmental groups are calling on state lawmakers to enact mercury thermostat collection legislation.
The groups released a report yesterday showing that thermostat makers have collected less than 5 percent of the mercury thermostats coming out of service over the last 10 years nationally -- and just 1.3 percent in New York.
The report finds that the thermostats not collected in that time period accounted for an estimated 66 to 96 tons of mercury.
The groups want New York to adopt a law like that in Maine, where there's a 5-dollar bounty on the return of old thermostats.
Health experts say mercury poisoning can harm speech, hearing and vision and damage the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system.
Assemblyman Bob Sweeney says he'll file legislation in the next few weeks to facilitate greater collection of mercury containing products in New York State.
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