University of California, Santa BarbaraMercury Thermometer Exchange Program

Environmental Health & SafetyLaboratory Research and Technical Staff: LabRATSThe Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)

Mercury Uses: Thermometers Fluorescent Lamps Bubblers Barometers Thermostats Auto Door/Trunk

Switches Novelty Devices (kids

shoes)

Dental Fillings Gold Mining Vaccines Paint Additive Batteries

National Geographic, 1972

Why Mercury Thermometers?

Potential for environmental release and human exposure when they break

Reduction in spill clean up costs There are cheap and available alternatives

Project Goals:

Reduce health and environmental risks of mercury pollution

Reduce time and cost of cleaning up broken mercury thermometers

Educate campus laboratories about non-toxic alternatives

Project Description:

Collect mercury thermometers from labs and send to a recycling facility

Replace with non-toxic thermometers (goal is to replace 300 thermometers)

Change future purchasing behaviors Volunteer Program (not a mercury ban)

Thermometer Exchange

VWR Exchange Program – accepts back the non-broken mercury thermometers at no cost sends to UC approved recycler

Cradle-to-grave documentation Easy-Read Partial Immersion -20 to 150

degree C Accuracy is +/- 1 celcius

Goal #1Reduce Environmental/Health Risks

Elemental Mercury vapor is dangerous to human’s nervous system OSHA: 0.05 mg/m3 (niosh) Thermometer has 1 - 3 grams of mercury

Organo-mercury compounds (methylmercury) bioaccumulates in the tissue of fish Extremely toxic

EPA hazardous waste level is 0.2mg/L Goleta Sanitary District discharge limit is .025mg/L

Environmental/Health Examples

Minamata Disease (Japan-2,200 victims) 1932-1968

Dartmouth professor dies from dimethylmercury exposure 1997

Mad Hatters Syndrome (felt making) EPA and FDA fish consumption advisories

Fish high as 1ppm

Goal #2Reduce Cleanups of Broken Thermometers

Counter tops, floors, fumehoods, sink traps, ovens, water baths, truck beds, lawns…

Time & cost of cleanup$69/thermometer24 breaks/year$1200 in savings per year

Goal #3 Education & Purchasing

Promote Alternatives EnviroSafe Citrus oil Mineral Spirit Thermometers Alcohol Digital Infrared Bimetallic strip

Target faculty, staff, students & purchasing agents in laboratory areas

Change purchasing behavior

Accuracy of non-mercury thermometers are as great.

Program Summary

TGIF Grant $6,490.00 (materials/labor) Program financial payback 5 years (~$1,200/yr

in cleanup costs) Environmental/Health impacts difficult to

quantify Measure of Success

Participation/interestfewer number of spills