University of California, Santa Barbara Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program Environmental Health & Safety Laboratory Research and Technical Staff: LabRATS The 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 #1 Reduce Environmental/Health Risks u Elemental Mercury  vapor is dangerous to human’s nervous system  OSHA: 0.05 mg/m3 (niosh)  Thermometer has grams of mercury u Organo-mercury compounds (methylmercury)  bioaccumulates in the tissue of fish  Extremely toxic u EPA hazardous waste level is 0.2mg/L u Goleta Sanitary District discharge limit is.025mg/L

Environmental/Health Examples  Minamata Disease (Japan-2,200 victims)  Dartmouth professor dies from dimethylmercury exposure 1997  Mad Hatters Syndrome (felt making)  EPA and FDA fish consumption advisories Fish high as 1ppm

Goal #2 Reduce Cleanups of Broken Thermometers  Counter tops, floors, fumehoods, sink traps, ovens, water baths, truck beds, lawns…  Time & cost of cleanup $69/thermometer 24 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, (materials/labor)  Program financial payback 5 years (~$1,200/yr in cleanup costs)  Environmental/Health impacts difficult to quantify  Measure of Success Participation/interest fewer number of spills