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Also see
Fluorescent Lamps, Mercury, and
Universal Waste.
Resources
Documents
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Dental
Guides—These guides from
the National Wildlife Federation help dentists and office staff safely dispose of waste containing
materials such as mercury that could pollute area waterways. One of these
guides, The Environmentally Responsible Dental Office: A Guide to
Proper Waste Management in Dental Offices, won the American Dental Association's
coveted Golden Apple Award.
- Eliminating Mercury in Hospitals—Identifies where mercury is found in
hospitals and how it can be eliminated. Gives persuasive reasons
why it should be eliminated. Produced by U.S. EPA Region 9
Pollution Prevention Program. (Mention of trade names, products, or
services does not convey, and should not be interpreted as conveying,
official EPA or CIWMB approval, endorsement, or recommendation. Other
disclaimers apply.)
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Fact Sheets from the Sustainable Hospitals Project:
- Amounts of Mercury in Hospital Equipment
- Comparing Mercury and Aneroid Sphygmomanometers
- Interpreting Analytical Results for Mercury and Other Substances
- Is There Mercury In Your Coulter Counter?
- Mercury in Gauges and Switches
- Mercury Reduction at Home
- Selecting Non-Mercury Thermometers
- Tips for Procuring Aneroid Sphygmomanometers
- Removing Mercury from Hospital Labs
- Tips on Testing Reagents and Chemicals
- Guide to Mercury Assessment and Elimination in health care Facilities—From
the California Department of Health Services, and the California Department of
Toxic Substances Control (Adobe PDF, 2 MB). Also download the companion documents, the
Mercury
Assessment Toolkit (Microsoft Excel, 218 KB) and the
Toolkit Readme file (text file, 4 KB).
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Mercury-Free Medical and Surgical Supplies Fact Sheet—From
Inform.
- Mercury in the Environment—A set of brief fliers from
the California Department of Toxic Substances Control covering mercury-containing equipment commonly found in businesses and institutions (thermostats and probes, fluorescent and
high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps, thermometers, switches and relays, and
gauges). Multiple copies are available to California organizations that distribute
them free of charge. Call 1-800-700-5854 and ask for document number 623.
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Reducing Mercury Use in Health Care: Promoting a Healthier Environment—A
how-to manual to help hospitals start mercury pollution prevention programs or accelerate programs that have already
begun. Prepared by the Monroe County Department of Health,
New York, in cooperation with Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New York, and the Monroe County Department of Environmental
Services under a grant funded by U.S. EPA.
Web Sites
-
Mercury Elimination Leadership Program (HELP)—The HELP program
recognizes
hospitals who have built a mercury-free work environment. HELP is a joint effort of the California Departments of Toxic Substances
Control and Health Services, the California Healthcare Association, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) Region IX, Hospitals for a Healthy
Environment, and Publicly Owned Treatment
Works (POTW).
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Mercury
in Health Care Lab Reagents—This reference can help you identify
potential mercury-containing reagents, so you can work toward reducing or
eliminating mercury from your lab. From the University of Minnesota,
Technical Assistance Program.
- Mercury
Spill Resources—Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
(DEQ).
- Think mercury can't get to you? Watch the online
videos posted on the Michigan DEQ website that show mercury vapor
evaporating from spilled mercury at room temperature. Federal and
California regulations classify mercury waste as hazardous. Regulations try to keep mercury out of municipal trash and out of municipal
landfills, and these videos illustrate one reason why. Mercury vapor might
also escape municipal landfills by means other than evaporation.
- Mercury
Substitutes (Adobe PDF, 74 KB)—Information from Inform about mercury-free
industrial thermometers, manometers, thermostats, and switches.
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