[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14618-14619]
[From the U.S. 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 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.

[[Page 14619]]

  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.

                          ____________________