Mercury Poisoning (cont.)
What about thimerosal in vaccines?
Some consumers are concerned about the use of thimerosal, a
mercury-containing preservative, in vaccines. Since 2001, with the exception of
some influenza vaccines (flu), thimerosal is not used as a preservative in
routinely recommended childhood vaccines.
To learn more about this use of thimerosal, please see information from the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on medicines that contain mercury and
thimerosal in vaccines, and
information from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention on thimerosal in vaccines.
Thermometers (Fever)
Mercury fever thermometers are made of glass the size of a straw, with a
silvery-white liquid inside, and are a common item in many households, schools
and medical facilities. There are two general types of mercury thermometers that
measure body temperature: (1) oral/rectal/baby thermometers, containing about
0.61 grams of mercury; and (2) basal temperature thermometers, containing about
2.25 grams of mercury.
The presence of a mercury thermometer itself is not a problem. However glass
thermometers may break while in use, releasing harmful mercury vapor and
exposing people in the immediate indoor area. Mercury thermometers are also
likely to break after being discarded in regular trash, resulting in mercury
releases in the landfill or trash incinerator, or during transportation to
either location.
Restrictions on Sales of Mercury Fever Thermometers
In order to help remove the threat of mercury fever thermometer breakage and
subsequent release of mercury vapor indoors, some states and municipalities have
passed laws or ordinances prohibiting the manufacture, sale and/or distribution
of these thermometers. As of October 2, 2008, thirteen states have laws that
limit the manufacture, sale and/or distribution of mercury fever thermometers:
- California,
- Connecticut,
- Illinois,
- Indiana,
- Maine,
- Maryland,
- Massachusetts,
- Michigan,
- Minnesota,
- New Hampshire,
- Rhode Island,
- Oregon,
- Washington.
The Health
Care Without Harm Web site presents information on specific state laws and
municipal ordinances.
Alternatives: Mercury-free Fever Thermometers
A variety of accurate and reliable mercury-free fever thermometers are
available at your local pharmacy. Alternatives most comparable in cost and use
to the mercury fever thermometer include battery and solar powered digital
thermometers. These can all be used orally, rectally, or in the armpit. You
should choose a thermometer that is easy to use and read.
If choosing a battery powered digital thermometer, choose one that contains a
replaceable battery; some are not replaceable. The battery is a button cell
battery and may contain a small amount of mercury, so it should be recycled
through a local battery collection program or
household hazardous waste
collection center. Consult your local or state collection program regarding
where batteries should be taken.
What To Do If a Mercury Fever Thermometer Breaks
A broken mercury thermometer is a serious health threat. If mercury spills
out of a broken thermometer and is not cleaned up, it will evaporate into
invisible vapor, potentially reaching dangerous levels in indoor air. If a
thermometer breaks in your home, please follow
EPA's recommended cleanup steps
to carefully clean up and dispose of the broken glass and silver mercury beads.
These recommendations will help minimize any exposure to released mercury vapor.
Disposal of Old Mercury Fever Thermometers
EPA encourages the recycling of mercury fever thermometers rather than
disposing of them in regular household trash. Recycling is one of the best ways
to help prevent the release of mercury to the environment by keeping mercury out
of landfills and trash incinerators.
Many states and local agencies have developed
collection/exchange programs
for mercury-containing devices such as thermometers. Some counties and cities
also have household hazardous waste collection programs. For information about
these programs, contact your local officials to find out when and where a
collection will be held in your area.
Next: What about mercury in recycling and waste disposal? »
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