I was born in the 1970s. I grew up using a mercury thermometer. I have seen a school building clear out because a kid found some mercury and thought it was fun to play with. Fast-forward two decades and schools are still clearing out and closing down because students come across forgotten mercury-containing products in science classrooms.
“From 2002 to 2006, more than 37,000 calls were made to U.S. poison control centers about children exposed to mercury. Of those, 30,891 concerned broken thermometers and 6,396 were caused by other sources, such as old science laboratories and religious or cultural ceremonies, according to a new report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Source: Environmental Health News
The report, Children’s Exposure to Elemental Mercury: A National Review of Exposure Events (PDF), is 65 pages of details on mercury exposures in the United States. The report does mention the use of mercury-containing compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which are becoming increasingly popular as they last longer, cost less, and are more energy efficient. However, CFLs apparently aren’t a significant source of exposure.
The report also looks at exposures by location – the home, the school, and other settings. Broken mercury thermometers are the most common reason for home exposure. My son was born in 2001 and I was given a baby first aid kit at his baby shower. The kit had a mercury thermometer in it – I was surprised but evidently they could still be found just a few years ago. If you have a mercury thermometer, you will want to ensure that it is disposed of correctly. Check the Environmental Protection Agency website to see if your state has a mercury collection/exchange/recycling program.
With regards to school exposures, “The most common elemental mercury sources in schools are mercury stored in science laboratories, mercury found in broken instruments, and mercury brought to school from other locations. In addition, some gymnasium floors contain a mercury catalyst that can release mercury vapor into the air.” Source: Children’s Exposure to Elemental Mercury.
For more information on this toxic element, view the Environmental Protection Agency’s mercury information page.
Photo by theakshay
