Industrial Heating and Cooling Equipment

Be aware of potential mercury containing switches within the heating or cooling unit. Consult the manufacture for information concerning the potential for mercury release when disposing of the unit.

Elemental Mercury and Mercury Compounds

Description: Bottle or container labeled as mercury or with the periodic symbol 'Hg', possibly in a dentist's office, laboratory or in an industrial business. Properties of elemental mercury are liquid at room temperature, but with a metallic and shiny appearance, conductive, and highly volatile.

CAUTION! If a substance appears to be mercury, but is not labeled as such nor labeled as another material, contain the material and have a laboratory test the material to conclude what the substance is. When handling the unidentified material, take all safety precautions in handling the material so as to not come in contact with the material. Precautions should be taken as well to prevent introduction of the material into the environment. If a spill does occur, follow the proper safety guidelines to clean up and contain the spilled mercury.

Storage of Elemental Mercury:

• Elemental Mercury should be stored in non-breakable, labeled containers with the lids on tight. It should not be kept in rooms with carpet nor rugs on the floor. In the event of a spill, carpet and rugs will absorb the mercury, thus making it more difficult to clean up the spill.
• Keep the work area well ventilated.
• Workplaces that use mercury exposed to air should be well ventilated. Mercury tends to vaporize and the most dangerous and likely way to be contaminated by it is by breathing it in.

Alternatives: Chemical reagents, used with regularity in a wide range of laboratory testing, are likely sources of mercury contamination. The difficulty of identifying which chemicals and reagents contain mercury is compounded by the fact that Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are not required to list the hazardous components of a product unless that component is present at a level of >1% (0.1% for carcinogens). Below is a list that could be used as substitutes for mercury compounds.

Chemical Compounds and Alternatives:

• Mercury(II) Oxide -- Copper catalyst
• Mercury(II) Chloride -- Magnesium Chloride/Sulfuric Acid or Zinc Formalin, Freeze drying
• Mercury(II) Sulfate -- Silver Nitrate/Potassium/Chromium-(III) Sulfate
• Mercury Nitrate (for corrosion of copper alloys) for anti-fungal use (mercurochrome) -- Ammonia/Copper Sulfate Neosporin, Mycin * Mercury Iodide -- Phenate method
• Sulfuric Acid (commercial grade: mercury as impurity) -- Sulfuric acid from a cleaner source Zenker's Solution -- Zinc Formalin