Consumer Products and Recycling

1
Consumer Products and Recycling John Rogers
2
Mercury is in the Home
3
Mercury is in the Home

• Thermostats 46.7
• Dental Amalgams 21.0
• Light Switches 14.1
• Auto switches 4.7
• Thermometers 4.7
• Appliances switches 2.4
• Batteries 0.6
• Fluorescent Lights 0.5

4
Mercury is in Schools

• Lamps
• Thermostats
• Laboratory store rooms in jars
• Chemistry classroom p-traps
• Laboratory thermometers
• Nurses offices in thermometers and
  Sphygmomanometers (blood pressure devices)
• Switches
• Barometers and manometers

5
Mercury is in Hospitals

• Fever Thermometers
• Laboratory Thermometers
• Sphygmomanometers
• Gastroenterology instruments (Cantor and Miller
  Abbot tubes)
• Non-Clinical barometers, repair kits, switches.
• Other (thermostats, manometers, lamps)

6
Thermometers

• Contains about ½ gram of mercury.
• Small portion of total mercury but often
  improperly disposed.
• Broken thermometers in red bags may be
  incinerated.
• Most common source of mercury spills
• Most patient and staff device contact
• Alternatives available

7
Sphygmomanometers

• Contain 70-90 grams of mercury
• Located in heavy use areas where there is high
  exposure potential
• Often contains the largest amount of mercury in
  one device
• Can be inaccurate without regular maintenance
• Alternatives readily available

8
Gastroenterology Instruments

• Second largest concentration
• FDA- 58 incidents where tubes broke and released
  mercury inside patients (1991 to 2000)
• Alternatives available. Tungsten weighted just
  as effective and are opaque on x-rays

9
Sphygmomanometers and gastroenterology
instruments can be as high as 90 of the
elemental mercury in a hospital.
10
Mercury is in Automobiles

• Convenience Lighting Switches
• ABS Sensor
• Instrument lights
• Family entertainment system
• Hood and trunk
• Navigational display (option)

11
Other Mercury Products

• Weather stations (amateur professional)
• Laboratories
• Medical, Dental Veterinary Offices
• Flow meters
• Plumbers
• Gas metering
• Dairies

12
Consumer Products Safety Commission

• Oversees compliance with mercury labeling
  requirements.
• Issued 135 Consumer Safety Alerts
• Requires consumer sales of mercury to be properly
  labeled properly labeled.
• the sale of mercury for household use is not
  recommended by the CPSC.

13
(No Transcript)
14
For more information regarding mercury in
consumer products and recycling please contact
John Rogers john.rogers_at_la.gov (225)
219-3266 [phone]
15
(No Transcript)