MERCURY IN MEDICAL FACILITIES

At least 99 percent of all mercury in the atmosphere exists in the elemental gaseous form of mercury-zero. Much of the remainder is mercury-two, which is water soluble and the form most often deposited by rainfall.

Mercury from Volcanoes Most of the mercury in the atmosphere comes from natural degassing from water and rocks. Major manmade discharges to the atmosphere come from:

mining and smelting of mercury ores
industrial processes using mercury
combustion of fossil fuels, primary coal.

Less common manmade sources of atmospheric mercury include:

paint application
waste oil combustion
geothermal energy plants
municipal and waste incineration.
diffuse emissions from dental procedures

One important local source of atmospheric mercury is the incineration of medical wastes.

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