Where Is In My Home? How Do I Dispose Of Mercury Valparaiso City Utilities Containing Items Safely? Many household items may contain mercury. Use the M.A.P. Mercury Search checklist to conduct your home in- You should first contact Porter County Recycling & Mercury Awareness Program ventory. These items pose no threat to you or your Waste Reduction at (219) 465-3694 or visit their web- family when used properly. They can be hazardous if site www.itmeanstheworld.org. Go to “Services” and misused or improperly disposed. Look for these mer- then to “ Hazardous Waste.” cury containing items in your home: Things to remember when disposing of objects contain-  Fever thermometers and products that contain thimerosal or merbromin in the bath- ing mercury: room, kitchen or bedroom.

 Fluorescent lights in the bathroom, basement,  Never break open items that contain mercury. garage or shed.  Mercury thermostats.  Never pour mercury down the drain.  Clothes irons in the broom closet, kitchen, laun-  Never burn mercury. dry room or bedroom. How Can I Prevent Mercury Pollution?  Never put mercury in the trash. Minimizing mercury releases from all sources is im- portant. Local and state governments are working in partnership with businesses to develop collection sys- tems for mercury. Here’s what you can do:

 Know which items contain mercury. Use the Mercury Checklist that accompanies this bro- chure to do an inventory of mercury containing items in your home.  Avoid buying products that contain mercury, except fluorescent light bulbs. Fluorescent lights www.ci.valparaiso.in.us use less electricity than incandescent bulbs.  Label or use a “Contains Mercury-Recycle” sticker to identity mercury containing items. Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator  Conserve energy to reduce coal burning for elec- Valparaiso City Utilities tricity generation. Water Reclamation Department  Properly recycle mercury containing items, such 1251 Joliet Road as batteries or thermostats. Valparaiso, IN 46385

What Is Mercury? Mercury Checklist: A Little Bit of Mercury is a Lot

 Thermometers: colored liquid inside. Mercury is toxic in small quantities. It only takes 3 Mercury, also known as quicksilver, is one of 92 natu- grams (approximately 1/25 of a ral occurring elements in our world. It is a metal that  Thermostats: nonelectric. teaspoon) of mercury to contam- conducts electricity and is liquid at room temperature. inate a 60 acre lake. Because of these properties, mercury has been used in  Fluorescent and other Mercury Vapor Light- ing: HID (high intensity discharge), metal many household, medical, industrial and scientific halide, high pressure and neon bulbs.  A typical mercury fever products. thermometer contains about 0.6 grams of mercury per  Automotive Headlamps: blue tint when lit. USEPA. Although mercury does perform many useful functions in our workplaces and homes, it is toxic and can im-  Pilot Light Sensors: in some gas appliances:  A mercury switch contains about 3.5 grams of pair the way we see, hear and function. stoves, ovens, clothes dryers, water heaters, fur- naces and space heaters. mercury.

Mercury evaporates slowly. If  Gauges: barometers, manometers, blood  A mercury thermostat contains about 3 grams spilled or improperly stored, the pressure and vacuum gauges with silver colored of mercury. evaporation of mercury will cause liquid. continuous contamination of the air  Switches and Relays: in some chest freezers,  100 4 foot fluores- you breathe. pre-1972 washing machines, sump pump and cent bulbs contain bilge pumps, electric space heaters, silent light about 4 grams of switches, vehicles and farm equipment. mercury.

 Clothes Irons: automatic or tilt shut offs. via breathing contaminated air will attack the central nervous system in all humans. Chil-  Elemental Mercury: silver colored liquid dren, especially those under the age of 6, are most sus- metal sometimes found in children’s chemistry ceptible to mercury poisoning. sets. For More Information Or Assistance Call: Less than a third of the mercury in the environment is  Vintage Toys: paint on toys and mercury maze games. naturally occurring. The majority of mercury in the Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction environment is released through human activities. It  LA Gear Athletic Shoes: made before 1997 can enter the atmosphere, lakes and streams from coal with flashing lights in soles. District (219) 465-3694. www.itmeanstheworld.org burning for power generation, from industrial sources and by improper disposal of mercury containing scien-  Batteries: mercuric oxide and some alkaline tific and household products. batteries. Indiana Department of Environmental Management

 Paint: latex manufactured before 1990, and (317) 232-8603. www.in.gov/idem/4245.htm When mercury seeps into lakes and some oil base paints; check label. waterways, it undergoes a natural Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator chemical process and is converted to  Thimerosal or Merbromin: in some antibac- –methyl mercury. It can contaminate terial products. Valparaiso City Utilities the food chain by building up in the tissue of fish and animals. The State of Indiana will  Look for Other Items: this list is not com- Water Reclamation Department issue fish consumption advisories due to high mercury plete. (219) 462-6174 x1366 concentrations found in fish. The advisories are availa- ble from your local health department. www.ci.valparaiso.in.us