Mercury in Products and EquipmentHg a.k.a. quicksilver

Phyllis CarterMarch 13, 2012

EHS DLC Coordinator Meeting

Mercury (Hg) a.k.a. quicksilver

• History–Ancient Chinese and Hindus – Found in Egyptian tombs that date from

1500 BCE– Thought to prolong life, heal fractures, and

maintain generally good health–Greeks used mercury in ointments –Romans used it in cosmetics

“Mad As A Hatter”• “Carroting" process used to make felt hats (Mid-18th to the mid-

19th centuries)• Animal skins rinsed in an orange compound solution of mercuric

nitrate, Hg(NO3)2•2H2O• Separated the fur from the pelt and matted fur together• Highly toxic solution and vapors• Widespread cases of mercury poisoning among hatters• Symptoms: tremors, emotional lability, insomnia, dementia,

hallucinations – widespread CNS effects• 1941: United States Public Health

Service banned the use of mercury in the felt industry

Medical Use

• Mercurochrome TM: In 1998 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration removed Merbromin from general safe list – still sold widely in other countries

• Thimerosal: Well established organomercury topical antiseptic, antifungal agent and vaccine preservative

HG in the Environment

• Naturally Occurring• Natural Distribution: Volcanoes• Human Distribution:

Industrialization and Power Needs

HG in the Environment

USGS: Glacial Ice Cores in Wyoming

Mercury Air Releases in Massachusetts *1995

Nyanza Superfund Site

• 60-year period of industrial use ending in 1978:– 20,000 to 30,000 pounds of mercury were released

into the environment from a variety of sources at the Nyanza federal Superfund site in Ashland

– Much of this mercury made its way into the Sudbury River

– No industrial activity on the site for 18 years– Fish taken from the river today still are not safe to eat

Why Focus on Mercury?• Human Health Effects– Nervous system is very sensitive to all forms of mercury– Methylmercury and metallic mercury vapors (1) are more

harmful than other forms, these vapors reach the brain – Exposure to high levels of metallic, inorganic, or organic

mercury can permanently damage the brain, kidneys, and developing fetus

– Effects on brain functioning may result in irritability, shyness, tremors, changes in vision or hearing, and memory problems (CNS)

– Short-term exposure to high levels of metallic mercury vapors may cause effects including lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increases in blood pressure or heart rate, skin rashes, and eye irritation

(1) Hg has a high vapor pressure, therefore is usually not an exposure issue at ambient temperature

Why Focus on Mercury?• Environment– Mercury is a highly toxic metal– As an element, it never breaks down or decomposes– Methylmercury is most dangerous to humans– Elemental mercury is converted to methylmercury via

lower food chain– Majority of human exposure to methylmercury comes

from fish consumption– Elemental mercury methyl mercury: bioaccumulates

in wastewater sludge– Municipal Wastewater Plants convert wastewater sludge

to fertilizer and sell to the public: Mercury in your Garden Anyone?

US Environmental Protection Agency

• EPA Regulations on Mercury– Clean Air Act– Resource Conservation and Recovery Act– Safe Drinking Water Act– Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery

Management Act

–Clean Water Act

Why Focus on Mercury?

• Environment: MIT MWRA Permit–Mercury Wastewater Excursion(s):• Cambridge Campus• Notice of Noncompliance and Order -

2011•Weekly Hg Meeting: DoF, DLC

Coordinators and EHS Office• April 2012 compliance sampling

Wastewater Laws and Regs

• EPA / MA DEP / MWRA: No allowable mercury in wastewater discharge

• MWRA: Enforceable Mercury Limit of 1.0 ppb or 0.001 mg/l

• Difficult to regulate ‘zero’

• Impossible to achieve ‘zero’

Equipment Containing Hg

• Mercury used in thermometers, barometers, manometers, float valves, some electrical switches, and other scientific apparatus

• Alternatives: Equipment filled with alcohol, galinstan, digital-based, or thermistor-based instruments

• Hg Still Used: 1. Scientific research applications, 2. amalgam for dental restoration, and 3. Lighting: electricity passed through mercury vapor in a phosphor tube produces short-wave ultraviolet light which then causes the phosphor to fluoresce, making visible light

Mercury Equipment Exchange Program

• Bring Mercury Thermometers to VWR Stockroom• VWR will Order Replacement at no

cost• Other Hg Containing Equipment:

Contact EHS/Phyllis Carter for Determination

Mercury Users

• If your lab or DLC has known mercury or mercury compound usage:– Evaluate the work areas to ensure there are sufficient

controls to keep mercury or mercury containing materials out of sink drains, including lab hood cup drains

– If you are aware of a minor spill or release of mercury or mercury compound which was not reported to EHS because of its small size, but had the potential to go to drain, please contact the EHS office

– Evaluate if other mercury free options are available. • Contact EHS as soon as possible should a new spill

occur for assistance in clean up

Mercury Hiding• Mercury is below 1% in most materials, the MSDS disclosure

limit and may be at levels below standard assays• Hidden Mercury Sources:– Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorine, Bleach (sodium hypochlorite)– Photo processing – Pharmaceuticals, reagents, and chemicals (such as

ophthalmic and contact lens products, nasal sprays, vaccines, histological fixatives (e.g., B5 and Zenker's Solution) and stains, hematoxylin, and chemicals (e.g., Toxi-Dip B3 used for acidic drug analysis by thin layer chromatography)

– Medical and biological wastes

Mercury Hiding

• Hidden Mercury Sources (continued):– Tissue grinders – Cleaning materials, soaps and other chemicals used by

janitorial services – Contaminated manufacturing or processing equipment – Passive pH neutralization systems, i.e., limestone chip

tanks, can accumulate mercury-containing deposits – Low-grade mercury-containing alkaline (NaOH) or acidic

(H2S04 or HCl) wastewater neutralization and treatment chemicals

Mercury Elimination from Sink Discharge

• If your lab or DLC uses these materials or processes in quantity or on a regular basis and discharges or potentially discharges them to drain, evaluate if mercury levels are known and if controls are sufficient to keep mercury out of the drains

Mercury Product Lists and Databases

How to Identify Mercury Containing Products, Reagents, etc:

• Database of mercury-bearing substances, chemical reagents, and other commercial products that may be in use within a facility can be found at the following URLs:– MASCO Mercury database: Sponsored by MASCO, MA

OTA, MWRA and Harvard - http://www.masco.org/mercurydatabase

– Dana Farber Mercury Product List – MGH Mercury Containing Product List – EPA Mercury database – MIT EHS Mercury website link

MASCO Database

• Compound Test Case Number: 4793 Compound Name: Extraction Enzyme /Slidex Strepto A Manufacturer: bioMerieux Vitek, Inc. Concentration: 496 ug/L Concentration Ratio in pbb: 496 Load CalculationHazardous Waste: No

MGH Mercury Product List

• Ethanol 85% - Lab Safety Supply:1.86 ppb

• Formaldehyde 37% - Fisher Scientific: 24.83 ppb

• Hydrochloric Acid 38% - Fisher:17.38 ppb

*12/12/2007 list

Dana Farber Mercury Product List

Takeaway

• If your lab or DLC uses mercury containing materials or processes in quantity or on a regular basis and discharges or potentially discharges them to drain, evaluate if mercury levels are known and if controls are sufficient to keep mercury out of the drains

• If you are aware of a minor spill or release of mercury or mercury compound which was not reported to EHS because of its small size, but had the potential to go to drain, please contact the EHS office

• Contact EHS as soon as possible should a new spill occur for assistance in clean up

Questions?

• Review EHS Website Topics:– Mercury– Mercury in Wastewater (dBase for

materials/products)

• Contact: Phyllis Carter x22508