L.L. 2001/017

Enactment date: 3/30/2001

Int. No. 832-A

By Council Members Spigner, Carrion, Harrison, Lopez, Marshall, Eisland, Michels, Malavé-Dilán, Warden, Provenzano, Nelson, Linares and Stabile

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to banning gauges that use mercury to test gas piping, drainage and vent systems and banning the sale of such mercury gauges and replacement mercury.

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The Council finds that there are accurate gauges currently available to test gas piping systems, as well as drainage and vent systems, that do not use mercury. The Council further finds that when mercury is used in gauges it has been known to escape the gauge and cause contamination of the surrounding area. Mercury that has spilled and not been adequately cleaned up can have adverse effects on the inhabitants of buildings. As there are now viable alternatives to gauges that use mercury, and the risk of mercury contamination can be eliminated by banning its use for this purpose, the Council finds there is a compelling reason to ban the use of gauges that utilize mercury for gas pipe testing and to eliminate the use of such gauges for the testing of drainage and vent systems. Further, the Council finds that consistent with this ban on the use, is a ban on the sale, of gauges that utilize mercury for gas pipe testing and on the sale of replacement mercury for these gauges.

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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]

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§ 7. This local law shall take effect one hundred and eighty days after its enactment into law, except that section six shall take effect immediately, provided, however, that the commissioner of buildings and the commissioner of consumer affairs may promulgate any rules and take all other actions necessary to implement sections one through five of this local law on or before their effective date.