mercury for local governments chris piehler, john rogers ldeq staff
TRANSCRIPT
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Mercury for Local Governments
Chris Piehler, John Rogers
LDEQ Staff
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Acknowledgement• This program has been made possible by a
generous grant from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Persistent, Bioaccumulative, and Toxic Pollutants (PBT) Program.
• Region VI staff: Ruben R. Casso, PBT/Toxics Coordinator, Donna Cooper, Project Manager
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What is mercury
• Naturally occurring• Metallic mercury is a
shiny, silver-white, odorless liquid
• If heated, it is a colorless, odorless gas.
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Mercury combines with other elements
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Mercury is pervasive
• Naturally occurring• Garbage and coal
combustion • Industrial processes• In products
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Mercury is in the home
Thermostats 46.7%Thermostats 46.7%
Dental Amalgams 21.0%Dental Amalgams 21.0%
Light Switches 14.1% Light Switches 14.1%
Auto switches 4.7%Auto switches 4.7%
Thermometers 4.7%Thermometers 4.7%
Appliances switches 2.4%Appliances switches 2.4%
Batteries 0.6%Batteries 0.6%
Fluorescent Lights 0.5%Fluorescent Lights 0.5%
Thermostats 46.7%Thermostats 46.7%
Dental Amalgams 21.0%Dental Amalgams 21.0%
Light Switches 14.1% Light Switches 14.1%
Auto switches 4.7%Auto switches 4.7%
Thermometers 4.7%Thermometers 4.7%
Appliances switches 2.4%Appliances switches 2.4%
Batteries 0.6%Batteries 0.6%
Fluorescent Lights 0.5%Fluorescent Lights 0.5%
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Health Effects Inorganic and Elemental
Mercury Renal toxicitySkeletal muscle degenerationGastrointestinal irritationPulmonary edema - fluid in the lungsElevated blood pressureLow grade/intermittent feversFlushing of palms and soles
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Health Effects Methylmercury
Neonatal brain damageNephritis - inflammation of the kidneyParesthesia - tingling skin sensationMuscle fasciculation - twitching musclesAbnormal heart rhythmsChromosomal aberrationsDermatitis - skin inflammation
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The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry &
the Environmental Protection Agency
Issued a Warning About Continuing Patterns of Metallic Mercury
Exposure!
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Context of PoisoningThere is a continuing pattern of metallic
mercury exposure in:
1.children and teenagers,
2.persons using certain folk medicines, or
3 participating in certain ethnic or religious practices
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Children and teenagers• Increasing numbers of metallic mercury spills and
contamination involving schoolchildren have been reported:– Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida– A middle school in St. Joseph, Missouri– A high school in Oskaloosa, Kansas – A convalescent home in Johnson County, Kansas,; – A high school and a home in Dallas, TX– Wilkes-Barre. Montgomery
County, Pennsylvania.
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LDEQ/LDHH Fish Consumption Advisory Areas for Mercury
Louisiana Water Bodies
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The LDEQ Mercury Program
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Mercury Program Components
• Sampling – biota, water, sediment
• Data Management
• Risk Assessment
• Risk Communication
• Recycling
• Remediation
• Pollution Control
• Research
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Mercury Cycle
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•One-half occurring due to natural processes (~0.5ppm in earth’s crust)•Garbage and coal combustion •Industrial processes•Household products
Mercury is pervasive
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Fish Consumption Advisories due to Methyl Mercury
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Frequency of Occurrence of Freshwater Fish Species in 29 Louisiana Mercury Advisories
2524
20
15
13
7
32
0
5
10
15
20
25
30B
owfin
Bas
s
Fres
hwat
erD
rum
Cra
ppie
Cat
fish
Buf
falo
Bre
am
Whi
te B
ass
Num
ber o
f Occ
urre
nces
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0
0.5
1
1.5
1
Average Mercury Concentrations in Marine Fishes Blackfin Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna
Cobia
Dolphin
Amberjack
King Mackerel
Red Snapper
Grouper
Spotted Seatrout
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Statewide Mercury Sweep
• A voluntary statewide collection program. • Universities & colleges, medical facilities,
laboratories, maintenance facilities • Auto salvage yard operators• A voluntary dental mercury reduction
program
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Focus on Hospitals & Schools
• Fever thermometers • Laboratory thermometers• Sphygmomanometers• Gastroenterology instruments (Cantor and
Miller Abbot tubes)• Non-clinical barometers, repair kits,
switches.• Other (thermostats, manometers, lamps)
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Eight Local Government Projects1. Make mercury a priority2. Identify sources3. Choose a specific sector4. Enact protective laws5. Capitalize on existing programs6. Publicize7. Properly collect, handle and recycle8. Utilize existing resources
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Make Mercury a Priority
• You’re the first line of information
• Mercury is toxic
• Exposure typically though fumes or fish
• Implement a municipal purchasing policy that chooses non-mercury products
over those that contain mercury
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Goals
• Continual reduction in the use and release of anthropogenic (man-made) mercury in Louisiana
• Minimize human exposure to mercury though better mercury collection, disposal, and management options
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Identify Sources of Mercury In Your Community
• Familiarize yourself with the items that contain mercury
• Perform an audit of mercury device in municipal buildings
• Largest waste contributors are:– Fluorescent lamps– Mercury fever thermometers– Hg thermostats and switches
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Choose a Specific Sector• Volume of Hg is overwhelming
• Work with one sector, then move to the next
• Option: work on a target mercury containing product
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Enact Protective Laws
• Focus on children
• Focus on prevention
• Use existing laws
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Capitalize on Existing Programs• Add mercury devices to
your next HHMD• Encourage pharmacies• To accept mercury
fever thermometers• Organize your own
mercury fever thermometer collection
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Conduct a mercury inventory• Utilize your materials management staff• Computerize the inventory by location• Mercury inventory tools are widely
available on internet. We have included an Excel inventory tool* on the mercury CD for Louisiana Hospitals along with EPA’s Mercury in Hospitals, and this presentation.
* California Department of Health Services, Medical Waste Management Program
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Where is mercury found in hospitals?• Sphygmomanometers and Gastroenterology
instruments instruments can be as high as 90% of the elemental mercury
Fixatives andStains
Gastroenterology
Barostats
Sphys
x-ray tubes
Nonclinincal
Thermometers
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Evaluate Alternatives
• Context of your hospitals operations– Performance comparisons– Purchase cost– Offsets for lower handling, disposal,
maintenance
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Institute Best Management Practices• Educate staff on hazards, handling and recovery
• Eliminate mercury equipment and products
• Establish and monitor mercury-free purchasing
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Measure Success
• Use your inventory to chart your progress
• Identify your successes
• Communicate your successes to your staff
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Keep the Mercury Out
• Purchasing agents to act as gatekeepers
• Require vendors disclose mercury content
• Develop a mercury free purchasing policy
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Mercury Spills• Decide on your policy
– Specify amount of spill to evacuate. In all cases evacuate children, infirmed, and pregnant women.
– Allow small spill cleanup by trained staff person
– Call in a spill team
• Put it in writing
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Contacts
• Enforcement – Chris Piehler – 225.219.3609– [email protected]
• Recycling – John Rogers– 225.219.3266– 800.305.6621– [email protected]
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Websites• DEQ www.deq.louisiana.gov
• EPA www.epa.gov/pbt
• Sustainable Hospitals www.sustainablehospitals.org
• Hospitals for a Healthy Environment http://www.h2e-online.org/
• Health Care Without Harm http://www.noharm.org
• Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association http://www.newmoa.org/Newmoa/htdocs/about/AboutUs.cfm
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Questions