Mercury Control and Prevention
Mercury is a difficult compound to control due to the
fact that most forms of mercury are absorbed easily into
the body. One of the major problems is that people do
not realize what product contain mercury, and are not
careful with handling techniques. In a study done by the
EPA, items found in schools containing elemental mercury
are as follows: thermometers, barometers, switches, thermostats,
flow-meters, lamps, shoes, and laboratory reagents in
the science department. There are also other items around
schools that could contain other types of mercury: pesticides,
paints and stains, laboratory reagents in the science
department (e.g. mercuric salts and oxides), batteries,
and fluorescent lamps. Due to the prevalent nature of
these items, mercury needs to be controlled correctly
without harming individuals.
Monitoring and prevention in the United States is very
important. The best way to avoid mercury spills is to
replace mercury containers before they break. The EPA
provides three different procedures to cleanup spills
such as thermometer spills see: Spills
on epa.gov |
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For more info:
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There are many different ways to prevent or control mercury. Educating
the community may be the most important. There are many different
ways that the community can be educated: |
- “Determining the products that may contain mercury in
the home, how to safely remove and replace them with non- mercury
substitutions
- Disposal of mercury as a hazardous waste
- How to safely clean up a mercury spill in the home or office”
- Reducing the amount of fish (especially larger fish) in the
diet
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There are also many things that can be done in the workplace to
protect employees against mercury poisoning: |
- “Engineering, including process enclosure, exhaust ventilation,
and dilution ventilation
- Administration practices, such as job rotation to limit exposures
- Education, such as implementing training programs
- Personal protective equipment, such as, respirators, goggles,
face shields, and full body covering”
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There are instructions provided by the U.S. Department of Labor,
Occupational Safety & Health Administration that employers must
follow to protect and control the work environment. These include: |
- “Potential health hazards, signs and symptoms of over-exposure,
and to advise the employer if symptoms occur; effective hygiene
practices to prevent ingestion; and how to remove mercury from
body surfaces
- Correct work activities for handling, use, release, storage
or disposal of mercury in normal operations; housekeeping practices
that prevent exposure; written emergency procedures in the case
of a spill; and how to remove mercury from working surfaces, or
machinery
- Personal protective equipment, including wearing protective
clothing on the job and not wearing it out of the workplace to
prevent contamination
- Respirators including their purpose, use and limitations
- Medical surveillance and biological monitoring
- The on premise location of written procedures and Material Safety
Data Sheets (U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety &
Health Administration, 1978).”
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