2005/2006/2007 HIGHLIGHTS
Knox County Health Department over the past 3 years has held a series
of very successful mercury thermometer exchanges, in cooperation with
the TN Department of Environment and Conservation, the City of Knoxville
Public Service Division, and the Safe Kids Coalition of the Greater
Knox Area.
The Solid Waste Office is pleased to announce the progress made
in 2007 protecting the environment and public health through its
ongoing mercury thermometer exchange program.
The exchanges, conducted in cooperation with the TN Department
of Environment and Conservation, the City of Knoxville Public Service
Division, and the Safe Kids Coalition of the Greater Knox Area,
has collected 1891 mercury thermometers from Knox County residents
since the program began in 2005, containing a total of 4.2 pounds
of mercury. New digital thermometers were given out for each used
mercury thermometer turned in.
One gram of mercury (1/28 of an ounce, the content of one thermometer)
is sufficient to contaminate a 20-acre lake to the point that the
mercury would concentrate in the fish and result in a fish advisory.
The mercury thermometer collection program in Knox County collected
enough mercury to date to protect 1891 such 20-acre lakes, or 37,820
lake-acres, or 2.3 times the surface area of Ft. Loudon Lake!
Thermometer exchanges were held in locations around the county,
including Earth Fest, Safety City, UT, West Town Mall, Home Depot
stores, Earth Fare, and the O'Connor Senior Center. Additionally,
exchanges were offered on an ongoing basis at Farragut Town Hall
and the Knoxville/Knox County Household Hazardous Waste Collection
Center.
Upcoming thermometer exchanges are planned for 2007 at the following
locations, and additional sites are now in the planning stages for
groups that might want to sponsor a thermometer exchange at their
site or event.
Please note thermometers can be exchanged at all Knox County
Convenience Center locations (during hours when an attendant is
present) as additional sites where thermometers may be exchanged:
Knox County Fire Halls - Continuous Basis
Farragut Town Hall - Continuous Basis
Knoxville/Knox County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Center
- Continuous Basis
Knox County Convenience Centers - Ongoing Basis (when attendant
is present)
Additional Information:
Mercury thermometers are both an environmental and a health and
safety problem. Broken thermometers are a potential source on
injury from the broken glass, as well as a chemical hazard from
the mercury in the thermometer.
In the environment, mercury falls with rain and snow, contaminating
lakes and streams and accumulating in the bodies of fish and wildlife.
It is found in small amounts in coal, and so is released into
the air from coal-burning power plant emissions. It is released
from trash incineration if the trash contains thermometers, batteries,
or other sources of mercury. It can also leach into streams and
lakes from landfills or dumps where mercury-containing trash is
disposed. Natural processes can convert mercury into methylmercury,
an even more dangerous form of the metal. In either form, the
mercury concentrates up the food chain as larger animals eat smaller
ones. Humans are not exempt from this process.
Mercury has many toxic effects in the human body. If a thermometer
is broken and not properly cleaned up, tiny droplets of mercury
can evaporate over time. When mercury vapor is inhaled, it enters
the blood and can damage the brain, spinal cord, kidneys and liver.
Children and fetuses are at special risk. Swallowing or touching
mercury metal is not nearly as toxic; thus if a broken thermometer
is cleaned up properly and promptly people will not be harmed.
Mercury was used for many years in thermometers designed for
household use because no alternatives were available. However,
this is no longer the case today. In July 2001, the American Academy
of Pediatrics issued a policy statement about the health effects
of mercury, and urged doctors and parents to stop using mercury
thermometers and to dispose of them properly.
In the event a mercury thermometer breaks, the public is reminded
that they should NEVER use a vacuum cleaner to clean up the mercury.
The vacuum cleaner can make tiny droplets in the air, increasing
the problem and contaminating the vacuum cleaner as well. The
state of Tennessee has a fact sheet describing proper cleanup
procedures for broken thermometers at http://www2.state.tn.us/health/FactSheets/mercury.htm
Parents are especially encouraged to take advantage of the local
thermometer exchange program to safely dispose of a household
hazard and replace it with a safe substitute for free. Small children
can easily break thermometers, and they find the shiny drops of
mercury fascinating.
To avoid possibly cleaning up a broken thermometer, residents
are encouraged to come to any of the thermometer exchange events
held around the county. Exchanging mercury thermometers for digital
ones at the thermometer exchange gives each participating family
one less thing to worry about.
For safety while transporting the thermometers, the public should
bring them in their storage cases. If the case is not available
or the thermometer is broken, the thermometer can be brought in
a 12-ounce plastic soda bottle with a screw-cap lid.
Note: If your thermometer contains a RED LIQUID it is NOT a mercury
thermometer, and can be disposed safely in your trash. Mercury-containing
thermometers always have SILVER liquid.
Unless otherwise announced, exchanges are limited to mercury
thermometers from households; other type of mercury-containing
waste such as old non-digital thermostats, barometers, manometers
and other household mercury waste or devices should be brought
to the City of Knoxville Household Hazardous Waste Center, where
it will be accepted for disposal during business hours. The Household
Hazardous Waste Center is free to residents of Knox County and
City of Knoxville residents only and is located at 1033 Elm Street.
The Center does not accept material from businesses, or residents
from outside Knox County. Additional information about the Knoxville
Household Hazardous Waste Center is available at 865-215-6700
or on their website at http://www.cityofknoxville.org/solidwaste/hazwaste.asp
Media Inquiries can be directed to:
John Homa, Waste Reduction Specialist, City of Knoxville, 215-2872
Albert Iannacone, Environmental Epidemiologist, Knox County Health
Department, 215-5242
Mark Penland, Environmental Coordinator, TN Dept. of Environment
and Conservation, 594-5512
ON-LINE RESOURCES ABOUT MERCURY POLLUTION
USGS Mercury in the Environment
Fact sheet that includes toxic effects, risk to people, risk to
wildlife, fish advisories, sources of mercury, environments where
methylmercury is a problem, and mercury contamination - past,
present, and future.
http://www.usgs.gov/themes/factsheet/146-00/
Additional USGS Sites
Mercury Contamination of Aquatic Ecosystems
http://wi.water.usgs.gov/pubs/FS-216-95
Mercury Research in the USGS
http://minerals.usgs.gov/mercury/
U.S. EPA Mercury Website
Includes general information, actions, fish advisories, and technical
information
http://
www.epa.gov/mercury/
Mercury in the Environment - by Environment Canada http://www.ec.gc.ca/MERCURY/EN/bf.cfm
Mercury in Schools and Homes
http://www.mercuryinschools.uwex.edu/mercury/index.htm
South Florida Restoration Science Forum
Includes: Can control of local sources reduce the risks? How will
Everglades restoration affect mercury risks? Can management of
water quantity or quality reduce the risks? Tracing Foodweb Relations
and Fish Migratory Habits in the Everglades and Mercury Toxicity
in the Food Chain. Related sites are http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/mercury/food_chain/
and http://sofia.usgs.gov/sfrsf/rooms/acme_sics/
|