university of california, santa barbara mercury thermometer exchange program environmental health...
Post on 21-Dec-2015
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University of California, Santa BarbaraMercury Thermometer Exchange Program
Environmental Health & SafetyLaboratory Research and Technical Staff: LabRATSThe Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)
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Mercury Uses: Thermometers Fluorescent Lamps Bubblers Barometers Thermostats Auto Door/Trunk
Switches Novelty Devices (kids
shoes)
Dental Fillings Gold Mining Vaccines Paint Additive Batteries
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National Geographic, 1972
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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
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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
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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