Mercury Thermometer Exchange Program
Help UCR become Mercury Free by:
- Reduce the health and environmental risks of mercury pollution,
- Reduce the time spent cleaning up broken mercury thermometers and,
- Exchange mercury thermometers with spirit-filled thermometers for FREE.
To exchange your thermometer, follow these three easy steps
1. Complete this short Request Form
2. Generate a WASTe tag for your old thermometer
3. EH&S will pick up the old thermometer(s) and deliver the new one(s)!
HEALTH REASONS:
Mercury is a neurotoxin and can also impact an unborn child. Depending on the type of mercury exposed, victims may experience a variety of effects, but none of them are good (sensations, motor skills, cognition, etc)
OPERATIONAL REASONS:
Mercury spills, no matter how small, require EH&S to come in and clean-up the space, including performing surveys to ensure that there is no mercury left. Mercury can get stuck in cracks in the floors, cupboards, benches and, therefore, require even more effort in order to clean them up. Many mercury thermometers are used in ovens and water baths and, if the mercury is released into a high temperature environment, it can evaporate into the air, which is especially problematic for labs with less-than-perfect air-flow in a closed space. When EH&S comes in to clean up the space, the area has to be closed off and kept clear, which sometimes means there is no access to the entire room until the mercury is all cleaned up. The more complicated the spill, the longer it takes, and the longer it takes for the lab research to continue. If this occurs in a shared space, it can affect the operations of adjacent labs as well.
COST REASONS:
Depending on how time sensitive is the research, closing off the area can mean loss of samples and experiments, costing the labs. Appropriate clean-up and disposal of mercury spills also costs the university.
For questions or concerns, please contact EH&S (951) 827-5528
