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Following are a set of P2 options you may wish to implement. No option is perfect for everyone, but sometimes options
that have worked at one facility can work at yours. They might also serve as inspiration. |
Reviewed Hospitals - Mercury Options
Options below have reviewed by pollution prevention specialists. They are commonly recommended and implemented
for facilities. |
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| Blood Pressure Units |
| Replace mercury blood pressure units with
non-mercury alternatives. |
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| Replace mercury thermometers |
| Replace mercury thermometers with non-mercury
alternatives.
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| Mercury spill-response |
| In case of a very small spill (such as breakage of a fever thermometer):
Try to ventilate the room to outside air and close the room off from the rest of the house. Promptly turn off central heating or cooling systems. Be sure to seal the heating and air-conditioning ducts. If available use fans for a minimum of one hour to help ventilate the room.
Pick up the mercury with eye dropper or scoop up beads with a piece of paper and place it in a sealable plastic zipper bag, a plastic or glass jar or bottle and tightly close the lid. Use any non-metallic material to clean up scattered mercury beads - a suitable scraper and dustpan can be constructed from a plastic soda bottle or similar container. Leave the recovered mercury in the room where the spill occurred. Then, call your local health department for the nearest approved mercury disposal location. If the disposal location is not convenient, wrap mercury and broken glass in plastic or newspaper and dispose of with other household solid waste.
When cleaning up a very small mercury spill:
DO NOT use household products to clean up the spill - particularly Windex®, Formula 409®, bleach or similar cleansers containing ammonia or chlorine. They will react violently with mercury, releasing toxic gases.
DO NOT attempt to clean up the mercury by sweeping or by using a vacuum cleaner. Never use a household vacuum cleaner because it causes the metallic mercury to vaporize in the air, creating greater health risks. And, you may have to dispose of the vacuum cleaner later.
DO NOT place contaminated garments in a washing machine or clothes dryer or combine with other clothing. Instead, place contaminated garments in a plastic bag and then seal the bag before ensuring proper disposal.
DO NOT wash mercury into drains. |
 Unreviewed Hospitals - Mercury Options
Options below have not been reviewed by pollution prevention specialists. They are commonly recommended and
implemented for facilities. |
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| replace mercury switches |
| As campus buildings undergo renovation it is an ideal time to replace Hg components such as mercury switches. |
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| Replace Hg manometers |
| As part of the Central Energy Plant upgrade all mercury bearing manometers are replaced with non-mercury digital replacements. |
Find Options for other processes
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