BEST PRACTICES

Even when not required by environmental regulations, the following best practices are recommended.

• Learn which items in the residential facilities on your campus contain mercury. Mercury is found in thermometers, thermostats, barometers, switches, fluorescent bulbs, sprinkler system contacts, and cylindrical batteries made before 1990. The button batteries found in calculators, watches and hearing aids may also contain mercury, and so might some topical disinfectants (mercurochrome or tincture of merthiolate), contact lens solutions and detergents.
• Never put mercury-containing items in the trash, outdoors or down drains. When products that contain mercury are thrown away, they end up at landfills, incinerators or wastewater treatment plants, where the mercury can enter the environment.
• Never touch or vacuum spilled mercury. Keep people and pets away from the area and open the windows to ventilate the area. To reduce evaporation, lower the room temperature. Remove all jewelry from your hands since mercury bonds with most metals, and put on rubber gloves. Spilled mercury can spread quickly, so move furniture away from the spill and prevent the mercury from flowing into drains, cracks or crevices. Any remaining mercury will continue to emit dangerous vapors, so it is important to contain every drop. Vacuuming or sweeping up spilled mercury will contaminate your vacuum or broom.
• Dispose of mercury waste responsibly. Label the containers used to collect spilled mercury and keep people away from them. Never put mercury waste in the trash.
• Try to buy products containing little or no mercury. Choose alternatives such as digital thermometers or mercury-free thermostats.