April 7, 2019 –Legislator Kennedy (R-Nesconset) was joined by Suffolk County Legislator William Spencer & constituent Alisa Azarelli along with all her family and friends for a press conference followed by the building illumination for Mercury poisoning awareness at the Dennison Building in Hauppauge. This past November Leslie Kennedy’s legislation to designate April 7th as Mercury Poisoning Awareness day was unanimously passed at the Suffolk County Legislature. This piece of legislation decrees that the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge would be light blue to raise awareness of Mercury Poisoning.
Legislator Kennedy was first approached by Alisa Azarelli, a bright young student attending St. Anthony’s High School, to help raise awareness of a disease that effects many across the United States and can be avoided by simple diet modification. Alisa, became ill with mercury poisoning after consuming more than the weekly recommended amount of Tuna. Therefore Ms. Azzarelli made it her mission and Girl Scout Gold Award Project to pass legislation to help others that might not know the dangers of foods containing high levels of mercury in their everyday diet. It was due to Alisa’s plight and perseverance that Legislator Leslie Kennedy sprang into action to ensure that more people were made aware of this affliction. Alisa organized many to come down to several meetings of the Suffolk County Legislature Health Committee to speak in favor of Mercury Poisoning awareness, and spoke herself in a very articulate manner winning favor among committee membership.
For more information about this event or other events in the community, please call our office at (631)-854-3735 or log onto Legislator Kennedy’s Facebook page at facebook.com/legislatorlesliekennedy.
###