Mercury Mess

Don’t mess with mercury – a persistent, bioaccumulative toxin (PBT).

* Persistent = Lasts a long time
* Bioaccumulative = Builds up in the body and affects reproduction
* Toxin = Poison

The long-term strategy for reducing health risks from exposure to mercury is to lower concentrations of methylmercury in fish that people eat – the primary route of human exposure. Currently, about 3,900 to 5,000 pounds of mercury are released into Washington’s environment each year from human sources within the state. By simply focusing on better waste disposal and recycling, mercury pollution can be greatly reduced. Pollution-prevention strategies are available to hundreds of businesses and industries.

Nearly one ton of mercury pollution can be prevented from entering Washington’s environment each year by improving waste-separation and disposal methods in dentistry, households, medical facilities and others. Actions being pursued include:

* Metals separators in dental offices. Many dentists have already invested in amalgam separators. The Washington Dental Association and Department of Ecology have agreed to a program that will require dental offices to install amalgam separators by August 2005. That program is described in an August 2003 “memorandum of agreement” (PDF). Dentists in King County were required to have amalgam separators beginning in July 2003.
* Safely disposing of mercury waste from products used in households and small businesses. More than half the state’s households – not to mention offices, schools and other facilities – report using fluorescent light bulbs or tubes. An estimated 10 million fluorescent lamps are disposed of in Washington each year.1 Button batteries are a staple of modern life, and many people still use mercury fever thermometers. Mercury-containing wall thermostats are still common in many homes. When these products are thrown in the trash, they release mercury when broken.2 Several counties sponsor thermometer exchanges or offer free mercury-recycling facilities for households. Businesses can contract for mercury recycling services or, in some cases, pay a fee to drop off materials at municipal hazardous-waste facilities. For information about mercury recycling opportunities in your area, go to http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/contact/recyclelinks.html.
* Replacing medical equipment containing mercury and improving waste separation in hospitals. The Washington State Hospital Association and Department of Ecology are working to reduce hospitals’ reliance on equipment containing mercury by using safer alternatives.
* State grants are available to local governments and non-profit organizations to strengthen and better publicize hazardous-waste services and facilities.

At least a half-ton of mercury pollution can be prevented in Washington by improvements in several areas:

* A national strategy is needed to address mercury in a comprehensive manner, as mercury pollution does not stay within state or national boundaries.
* Stronger federal environmental requirements for abandoned and active mines and coal power plants could achieve additional mercury reductions.
* Free technical and engineering assistance to manufacturers and waste processors is available through a team of engineers and pollution-prevention specialists from the Department of Ecology.

Mercury is an element that occurs naturally through volcanic or geothermal activity and in ore, such as cinnabar. These natural sources account for about one-third of the total mercury load in the environment and are not the focus of the mercury action plan. But as a waste, highly concentrated amounts of mercury and mercury compounds end up in the air, land and water through myriad human causes that can and will be addressed in the Mercury Chemical Action Plan.

Mercury waste is found at mines, coal-power plants, refineries, laboratories, garbage incinerators, municipal sewage plants, auto wreckers and repair shops, cement plants and printing industries. Mercury is a naturally occurring constituent of fossil fuels, such as oil or coal.

When released into the environment, mercury can recycle through the air indefinitely or can bind with bacteria in water to create such compounds as methylmercury. When a fish eats organisms containing these bacteria, methylmercury is ingested and builds up in fish tissue. If a person eats a tainted fish, the methylmercury “load” is transferred to the human and lodges in numerous organs and tissues.

Several studies by the Department of Ecology have evaluated the presence of mercury in toxic cleanup sites, urban bays and other water bodies.