![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
GLBTS Links
Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy
Press Release
Availability of the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy 2000 Progress Report
Did you know that:
- between January 1, 1998 and June 30, 2000 over 500 pounds of mercury were collected from thermostats in the U.S. and recycled;
- in Canada, there has been an approximately 80% reduction in releases of mercury from the 1988 base;
- three major U.S. automobile manufacturers have pledged to a 100% reduction of PCBs (toxic substance found in electrical equipment) by 2006;
- in Canada, 70% of the high level PCBs formerly in service have now been destroyed;
- the United States government has confirmed that the pesticides aldrin, dieldrin, chlordane, DDT, mirex, and toxaphene are no longer used or released from sources entering the Great Lakes, and the Canadian government has confirmed that these substances are no longer generated, used or released in Ontario
You can learn about similar toxic reduction achievements by reading the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy (GLBTS) 2000 Progress Report, which was recently released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Environment Canada (EC).
The GLBTS is an agreement between the U.S. and Canadian governments signed in 1997 that sets specific goals to reduce persistent, bioaccumulative, toxic (PBT) pollutants in the Great Lakes Basin over a ten-year period. These pollutants are especially dangerous to human health because they become more concentrated as they work their way up the food chain, and they remain in the environment for a long time. A number of adverse health and ecological effects have been linked to PBT pollutants; expecting mothers, fetuses and children are especially vulnerable to health damage from PBTs present in the food supply and the environment. Mercury and PCBs are just two of the several PBTs that the GLBTS addresses.
According to David A. Ullrich, U.S. EPA’s Acting Great Lakes National Program Manager: "The Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy depends on voluntary actions taken in local communities and in industry to reduce the amount of PBTs in the environment. The participation of Great Lakes stakeholders is crucial to the progress that we can make towards eliminating persistent, toxic substances from the air, water, and food chain."
The GLBTS 2000 Progress Report will be available on February 21, 2001 at www.epa.gov/glnpo/bns.