- Mercury is a neurotoxin that can accumulate in fish
and predatory animals as methyl mercury which poses a health hazard to humans
and predatory animals such as the Florida Everglades panther and American
Eagle.
- 1953 Honeywell introduced
the T-87 round thermostat with mercury ampoule.
- Programmable digital or
electronic thermostats are up to 20%
more energy efficient than mercury thermostats. Manual Honeywell
YCT87N1006 ($1,008) compared to Programmable Type ($806 annual heating and
cooling cost). Consumer reports
found savings up to 20% on your heating and cooling bill by adjusting
temperatures 5 to 10 degrees at night or when you’re out. (Oct. 2008).
- USEPA estimates 63 million
mercury thermostats are in use in just the residential
sector.
- US government estimates 230
tons of mercury are in the current domestic mercury
thermostat inventory.
- Without proper management,
mercury may be released into the environment at the end of a thermostat’s
useful life during waste handling and/or disposal.
- Approximately 4 grams of mercury are present in the
ampoule switches in thermostats.
- Ingesting elemental
mercury poses little danger because mercury will pass through the digestive
system.
- Mercury volatizes (changes
from liquid to gas) if exposed to the environment. If undetected after a spill, a
significant amount of the vapor can build up in indoor air.
- Inhaling vapors as mercury
volatizes can cause serious damage because the mercury vapor passes into the
blood.
- Suphur
bacteria in soil and water converts mercury into methyl
mercury, a potent neurotoxin that is completely absorbed by the
gastrointestinal tract and is transported throughout the body to the
brain. Methyl mercury is
especially harmful to a developing fetus. Several studies link methyl mercury to
birth defects including loss of IQ, decreased performance in tests of language
skills, memory function, and attention deficits. Methyl mercury exposure in adults has
been linked to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- The most significant
pathway for human exposure is consumption of contaminated fish, resulting
largely from atmospheric deposition onto land and water and bioaccumulation in
the aquatic food chain.
- “There’s enough mercury in
a single thermostat when incinerated to pollute a 25 acre lake for a year,
thus perpetuating fish consumption advisories.” Michael Bender, director of the
Mercury Policy Project.
- 45 states have issued
mercury fish consumption advisories, warning citizens to restrict intake of
fish due to mercury contamination.
In 21 states, these advisories apply to all freshwater lakes and/or
rivers, and in 12 states the advisories apply to all coastal waters. Over 13
million lake acres and almost 800,000 river miles have mercury fish
advisories. 8/2004 EPA Fact Sheet
823-F-04-016
- Mercury is deposited from
the atmosphere as a result of thunderstorms in the Everglades.
Some Florida panthers prey mainly on
raccoons. The fish eaten by
raccoons are high in mercury. The panther offspring are severely brain damaged
and cannot hunt. This may result
in extinction of the Florida panther.
- In 1988, it was estimated that 24 million lb/yr (11
million kg/yr) of mercury were released into the air, land, and water
worldwide as the result of human activities. This included mercury released by
mercury mining and refining, various manufacturing operations, the combustion
of coal, the discarding of municipal refuse and sewage sludge, and other
sources.
- TRC program was established in 1997. The Thermostat Recycling Corporation
(TRC) is a voluntary service and a private corporation established by
Honeywell, General Electric and White Rodgers that recycles used
thermostats. The program is
offered in coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
state environmental officials. The program provides green bins at a one-time
cost of $25. Used thermostats are
deposited in the bins. The bins
are mailed at no cost to Honeywell and a new bin is provided to the
business. http://www.nema.org/trc or
800-238-8192.
- “There is a lack of
identification of who “owns” the TRC program among those participating in the
program.” Leading to a vacuum in
providing timely and useful information.
(Portland Research Group, 2003)
- Contractors don’t believe
there is a widespread participation in the program and lack of sufficient
information is believed to be a major significant factor.
- TRC is only capturing
between 1-5% of the thermostats annually disposed according to the Northeast
Waste Management Officials Association (www.newmoa.org)
- According to USEPA
approximately 245,000 residential structures and 44,000 non-residential
structures are demolished annually in the US. This
represents a significant mercury reservoir warranting appropriate
management. On small jobs there
may be a reluctance on the part of building owners to
act as generators and assume financial responsibility for hazardous waste
management. This attitude
encourages low bidders to avoid hazardous waste management costs by ignoring
mercury thermostats that should be removed.
- NY Academy of Sciences
estimated in a 2002 report that 2-3
million mercury thermostats were annually discarded nationwide.
- EPA estimates discarded thermostats release 8.5 to 12
tons per year of mercury into our environment.
- 14 states (IA, IL, MA, ME, RI, CA, CT, LA, MD, MN, NY, OR, WA, and VT) have
enacted legislation requiring thermostats with mercury switches to be
recycled.
- Thermostats with mercury
switches are still manufactured even though electronic thermostats are also
manufactured that do not require mercury to operate.
- 2001 Oregon passed a law
banning the sale of mercury thermostats beginning in 2006—despite considerable
opposition from Honeywell.
- 16 IA, CA, CT, IL, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NH, NY, OH,
RI, VT, and WA enacted legislation
restricting the sales and or installation of mercury thermostats.
- Passage of legislation in
other states could accelerate the decline of mercury thermostat sales for
installation.
- In 1997, mercury was
number 3 on the hazardous list of substances. EPA
- Nationwide 187
incinerators emit 70,000 pounds of mercury into the
atmosphere
Environmental
comments.
McRoberts
Consulting LCC, lobbyist against oil filter recycling, stated, “Recycling has
its place, but right now, it is the cart before the horse. We need to protect the competitive
market, then protect the land.”… Please be
careful.” This was in response to a
Housefile 257 bill requiring used oil filters to be
recycled. His lobbying efforts
caused our environment to continue to suffer.
On July 14, 2007 California
Governor Schwarzenegger commented on charges that protecting the environment
hurts the economy. He stated, “There’s just a planet earth and we all
have responsibility to take care of it.
This is all bogus, because we won’t have an economy if we destroy our
environment. We can grow the
economy and still simultaneously protect the environment. It’s not a choice, it’s not either or,
the two go hand in hand.”
On October 2007, Presidential Candidate Senator Barak
Obama stated, “We are not acting as good stewards of God’s Earth when our bottom
line puts the size of our profits before the future of our planet.” “It is our responsibility to ensure that
this planet remains clean and safe and livable for our children and for all of
God’s Children.”
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/mercury/laws.htm#Iowa
SF 2209 (LS: 04): The act prohibits the use of more than
a trace amount of mercury in immunizations for children under eight years of
age.
HB 00569 & SB 2287 (LS: 03): The act bans mercury in
product packaging.
HSB 191 (LS: 02): The act creates household appliance
product-banning legislation.
•(1.5 thermostats)(1,320,331
households)(83%) = 1,643,812 Hg thermostat in
households.
•(1.25 thermostats)(82,087
businesses)(83%) = 85,165 Hg Thermostats in businesses
•1,728,977 Hg thermostats/30
years = 57,632 Hg thermostats discarded in Iowa each year.
•(57,632)(4 grams each) =
230,530 grams = 507 pounds of mercury discarded each
year.
Data calculated by Theresa
Stiner with the Iowa Department of Natural
resources.
The following
states have enacted sales restrictions on the sale of mercury
thermostats:
California: Effective
2006
Connecticut: Effective
2004
Illinois: Effective
2008
Louisiana: Effective
2008
Maine: Effective
2006
Maryland: Effective
October, 2007
Massachusetts: Effective
2008
Michigan: Effective
2009
Minnesota: Effective
2007
New
Hampshire: Effective
2008
New
York: Effective
2008
Ohio: Effective
2008
Rhode
Island: Effective
2006
Vermont: Effective
2006
Washington: Ban, unless mfr
participates in recycling
