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Mercury and Product Stewardship Documents

This page contains both documents and links to web sites describing various aspects of mercury and product stewardship. Use the links below to jump to the portion of the library you would like to visit.

Shedding Light on Mercury Risks from CFL Breakage
This 2008 report, examines the health risks particularly on vulnerable populations when compact fluorescent lights break in the home. THe report recommends that sensitive populations should take extra precautions to reduce risks associated with breakage, but says that CFLs generally can and should still be used in everyone’s homes until a nontoxic light bulb becomes available. The report also recommends the adoption of more comprehensive environmental and human health guidelines by decision makers.

Maine Compact Fluorescent Lamp Breakage Study Report
In 2007, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection conducted 45 experimental trials where compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) were broken in a small to moderate sized room. Broken lamps were either not cleaned up, cleaned up using Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) pre-study cleanup guidance, vacuumed, or cleaned up using variations of the pre-study cleanup guidance. The mercury concentrations at the five foot height (adult breathing zone) and one foot height (infant/toddler breathing zone)1 above the study room floor were continuously monitored. The most notable finding of the study was how variable the results can be depending on the type of lamp, level of ventilation and cleanup method. Revised clean-up guidance recommendations are included.

Michigan Mercury Automotive 'Switch/Sweep' Program
Michigan has just become the first state in the country to enter into a cooperative agreement with automobile manufacturers to offer a voluntary statewide collection program for the recovery of mercury automotive switches from end of life vehicles. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (AAM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding July 20, 2004, establishing this program.

Curtailing Mercury’s Global Reach
The World Watch Institute has identified the international trade of mercury as an increasing problem resulting from mercury recycling programs established in the US and Europe. As laws begin regulating mercury-contained products allowed within Western countries, the international market for unwanted mercury products has become profitable. Countries with less stringent mercury regulations, most notably developing countries, are the main buyers of mercury products. Fortunately, the international supply of mercury is provided by very few suppliers which allows for targeted mercury reduction programs to substantially reduce the total supply of mercury worldwide.

Mercury Matters
The Hubbard Brook Research Foundation has identified airborne mercury emissions as the number one contributor to mercury contamination in our environment. Cap and trade policies, meant to put a ceiling on total mercury emissions from power plants while at the same time economizing the “sale” of emissions, have created “mercury hotspots” which not only elevates the level of mercury in contaminated areas, but also has the ability to spread regionally, nationally, and world wide. Quarantining mercury emissions will not relieve the environment of mercury contamination. Rather, emission reduction must be directed at the source in order to ensure overall improvement.

Mercury and IQ, Dose-Response Estimate of Prenatal Effect
Researchers studying the effects of methylmercury found that the level of mercury exposure to a fetus during pregnancy can affect a child’s IQ later in life. Studies in the Faroe Islands, the Seychelles Islands and New Zealand found that an increase of maternal hair mercury by one parts per million will decrease a child’s IQ by 0.18 points. Although the research was conducted using data from three samples within one specific geographical area, the types of mercury exposure present in the study are comparable to that found in the United States, shedding light on the significance the study has internationally in the study of methylmercury.

Release of Mercury from Broken Fluorescent Bulbs
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection conducted a study to determine the amount of mercury released by broken compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs and estimate the overall emissions nationwide. The study estimated that 18% of mercury contained in CFLs is released in the first 8 hours after breakage, releasing enough mercury to create a health risk to people within the vicinity. With 620 million fluorescent products being disposed of yearly while recycling rates stay at a constant 20%, there is an estimated 2-4 tons of mercury being released in the United States every year which can be potentially avoided.

An Investigation of Alternatives to Mercury Containing Products
To assist in preparing recommendations on a comprehensive strategy to reduce the mercury content of products, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) commissioned the Lowell Center for Sustainable Production to conduct a study of alternatives to mercury containing products. This report, published in January 2003, contains the description and application of mercury-containing products, lists non-mercury product substitutes, provides comparisons of cost and advantages, and presents manufacturer information for non-mercury alternatives.

Fluorescent Lamp Recycling in Washington State: Recycling Levels, Stakeholder Analysis, and Policy Options
In November 2006, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) contracted a study to identify an effective strategy to increase fluorescent lamp recycling. The report developed and utilized a standard methodology to assess the current statewide annual lamp recycling rate, estimated cumulative mercury reduction achieved through lamp recycling, gathered stakeholder input and identified policy options and recommendations for increased fluorescent lamp recycling in Washington.

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