[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 135 (Friday, September 18, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1322-E1323]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE MARINE & ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON ITS 25TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. CHELLIE PINGREE

                                of maine

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 18, 2015

  Ms. PINGREE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and applaud an 
organization in my state on its 25th anniversary year of studying the 
effects of toxic chemicals on environmental and human health.
  The Marine & Environmental Research Institute (MERI)--based in Blue 
Hill, Maine--began in 1990 with a group of scientists concerned about 
the impact of pollutants on marine mammal populations that were 
experiencing massive die-offs and disease outbreaks. Led by Dr. Susan 
Shaw, the organization has done incredible work since then 
investigating the effects toxic exposure has on health outcomes in the 
marine environment.
  Moreover, the group has shown that toxic exposure has significant 
consequences for

[[Page E1323]]

human health as well. I especially appreciate MERI's groundbreaking 
studies of the effects of chemical exposure on firefighters, a group 
that encounters high incidences of cancer. The organization has 
conducted the most extensive bio-monitoring assessment of firefighters 
to date and continues to gather information that can be used to protect 
the health of the first responders who keep our communities safe.
  As beings on this planet, we cannot separate ourselves from the 
environment. What we do to it, we do to ourselves. I truly appreciate 
MERI's work to remind us all that wildlife and humans alike benefit 
from protecting the environment and limiting the spread of dangerous 
chemicals. May it continue to do this important work for many years to 
come.

                          ____________________