Home | Keep Mercury from Rising

Changes, Step-By-Step

Making small changes in our daily routines will make a significant difference in our environment now and years to come. Some of these changes will need to address mercury pollution which is the focus of this site. Together, our efforts will help preserve our quality of life in Massachusetts, for ourselves and for future generations.

The waste-to-energy (or energy-from-waste) facilities in your area are leaders in the responsible management of products containing mercury. With your help and cooperation, our advanced technology and the efforts of every community, we can keep things safe around your home and the around the planet. The best way to help is to be well informed with best practices and disposal options. Most are easy. To the right you’ll see a few quick tips to get you started.

Mercury Fact One

Mercury won’t harm you or the environment as long as it stays inside the product in which it originated.

Handling Mercury

Handle glass thermometers, old thermostats, fluorescent tubes and other mercury-containing products with care and caution. Read More

Disposing of Mercury

Never throw mercury items in the trash or into recycling. Never pour mercury down the drain. Store them in a safe place, such as an unbreakable plastic container—away from children and pets. Read More

Broken Containers

If you break something with mercury in it in Massachusetts, call 1-866-9MERCURY (1-866-963-7287) for expert advice on safe clean-up methods to keep mercury out of the trash and water supply. Read More

Videos to Watch and Share

To learn more about mercury and where it might be found in your home or business we’re providing some videos for you to watch and share with your friends. We’ve also have some jingles we hope make you smile and remember our mercury tips.

Don’t Toss It! Don’t Put Mercury In The Trash

There are a lot of questions about Mercury. And here are some of the most common questions.

How does mercury get into our environment?

Mercury is found in three forms in the environment: .

The toxicity of mercury to humans is dependent upon its form, concentration and exposure pathway.

Mercury emissions into the environment result from both man-made and natural sources. Natural sources of mercury emissions include volcanic activity, forest fires, and the off-gassing of soils, rocks and the oceans. There is no direct scientific evidence of the total amount of naturally-released mercury. However, estimates range from 13 million pounds per year to 36 million pounds per year.

Man-made mercury emissions are estimated to represent less than half of the total mercury emitted into the environment. Estimates vary, but approximately 5 million pounds per year are believed to come from man-made sources.

Man-made sources of mercury emissions include chemical and industrial processes, metal smelting, home heating oil, medical waste incinerators, coal-fired utility boilers, agricultural operations, and solid waste disposal facilities.

Municipal solid waste combustion was once one of the largest known sources of mercury emissions. However, today, because of reduced mercury in consumer products and advanced pollution control devices on municipal waste combustion facilities, these facilities are an insignificant source of mercury emissions into the environment.

Health risk assessments completed over the past several years for new and existing waste-to-energy plants consistently reveal that the levels of mercury emissions result in exposures which are 100 times less than the threshold health effects standard established by federal and state regulatory agencies.

How does mercury exposure affect us?

Mercury can be absorbed through inhalation, skin contact or ingestion. Mercury can travel a long way from the point of release, settle in the soil and drain into surface water bodies. Once in water, Mercury is converted to methylmercury by bacteria. Water borne creatures pass this toxin up the food chain. The concentration of methylmercury increases the higher you go in the food chain.

Low exposure to mercury can cause immune system dysfunction, muscle tremors and irritability. High exposure can cause speech and hearing problems, respiratory problems and sometimes death. Fetuses and young children are at greatest risk due to the ongoing development of their nervous systems. They could suffer from developmental problems in learning, walking, talking and birth defects.

Button Batteries

Manufacturers have largely replaced mercury in their battery products. Most batteries manufactured prior to 1980 contained mercury. Button batteries, disc-like batteries used in hearing aids and cameras may contain mercury. Any disk battery made prior to 1994 should be suspect.

Source reduction, product reformulation, and increasingly effective battery recycling programs have reduced mercury in trash by about 90% since 1990, according to the EPA. Pollution control equipment on waste-to-energy plants thereafter remove about 90% of the remaining mercury in the waste stream that is used as a fuel to generate power. Currently, AAA, AA C, D and 9 volt batteries are manufactured mercury-free.

The use of mercury by U.S. manufacturers will decline even further due to the virtual elimination of mercury from alkaline batteries and aggressive recycling and product substitution at hospitals, homes, and businesses.

Household Switches

As a good conductor of electricity, mercury is often used in switches. Temperature-sensitive switches and tilt switches used in thermostats often contain mercury. Automatic shut off switches used in clothing irons and some top-loading freezers could also have mercury. Check with manufacturers for mercury-free alternatives.