MINUTES
COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
& HEALTH
Monday, February 4, 2002
3:00
P.M.
PRESENT: M. Kaplowitz
(Chair); V. Pinto; J.
Maisano; U. LaMotte; S. Swanson;
W. Ryan; L. Bronz.
BOL & STAFF: T. Bernard/Prog.
Spec.; C. Ryer,
Sec’y.
ALSO PRESENT: Constance Corbett, Ronni Sandroff, Dan
Franklin, (Consumer Union); Elaine
Price, Richard Duschanecy (Consumer Protection); Marion Rose (CWCWC); Bill Randolph (CE’s ofc.); Christine Hindleverber (West. Health Action
Coalition); Amy
Parekh, Edna Sussman (FCWC).
DISCUSSION:
The meeting was called to order at 3:15 p.m. Elaine Price began the discussion and
passed out an informational list of products containing the drug Ephedrine, which has been sold (over the
counter) to minors. She added that the
drug is an herbal supplement that speeds up the heart rate and has been used
for purposes of boosting energy and sometimes, for weight loss. The drug is a stimulant that can be purchased
without penalty because it is not FDA controlled. Ms. Price emphasized that the County can
enforce a law to help the manufacturers by creating a penalty for selling the
(Ephedrine) products to minors. Ronnie Sandroff stated that the
Ephedrine drug is extremely dangerous to minors and has been associated with
heart attacks and strokes in teens. It
is known that the product is marketed to teens, by promoting a
muscle/body-building, slimmer look for teens.
The product has been sold as an energy enhancer, a sports performance
booster as well as for “recreational use”.
A Blue Cross survey noted that about 5% of teenagers from ages 12-17
have taken “sports supplements” to enhance their performance, due to peer and
professional coach pressures. Ephedrine
has been banned by the NFL. Charles Bell presented copies of
testimony and other articles relating to herbal supplements and the harmful
effects to minors. He expressed the need
MINUTES
COMMITTEE ON THE ENVIRONMENT & HEALTH
Monday, February 4, 2002
PAGE 2
the need for support from the County
Board of Legislators to pass legislation
banning the sale of Ephedrine and related products to minors. Legislator Swanson questioned what purpose
the law would have. Stacey Dolgin-Kmetz added that the law would enforce the merchants
to post visible signs with health warnings and to consult physician before the
individual use of the contained product.
Legislator Maisano expressed that he would like to hear from interested
parties and involved companies before signing or passing any resolution, and
recommended inviting representatives from the Department of Health to further
discuss this issue.
Next, Elaine Price spoke on the removal of mercury
switches. This legislation deals with
the mercury switches found in vehicles that are prepared for auto
recycling/disposal. Auto recyclers would
be provided with containers to safely store the removed switches, which would
then be transported to a permanent disposal facility. The mercury switch would be disposed of by
Mercury Waste Solutions in Wisconsin,
with an accurate account of how many cars are recycled/disposed
of per month. A brief discussion
continued. Chair Kaplowitz expressed
that he would like to hear from the industry before voting on this issue.
Maureen Morgan was next, to discuss and update issues
regarding the Tappan Zee Bridge. The results of a meeting held last July,
noted that the bridge would not be widened to accommodate 8-lanes; that Mr.
Spano has insisted on the use of mass transit; and that there would not be an
additional impact to river-towns on either side of the bridge. These findings has
allowed the major investment process study to proceed, and all the ideas will
be examined sometime in March 2002.
With no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned
at 4:25 p.m.