Mercury Work Group
Phase II Reports >> Hg Management Guidebook

 
APPENDIX E

EXAMPLE MERCURY MANAGEMENT SELF-LEARNING PACKET

INTRODUCTION

We developed our Mercury Management Program to reduce the amount of mercury discharged from our facility to the sewer system to the lowest level possible. Mercury is a poison that will accumulate over time in the environment. For this reason, the MWRA has placed strict limits on how much mercury we can legally discharge in our wastewater.

Mercury is widely used in industry and is present in many products that we routinely use. Most of us know that mercury is present in equipment such as thermometers. Through hazard communication training, we have been trained to respond safely to a mercury spill resulting from the breakage of this equipment.

Mercury is also present in very small amounts in many other products we use. Even these small, seemingly insignificant sources of mercury must be safely managed. The improper disposal of this material could result in mercury entering the environment and a violation of our sewer discharge permit limits.

WHAT PRODUCTS THAT I WORK WITH CONTAIN MERCURY?
Mercury is found in batteries, fluorescent lamps, laboratory reagents, cleaning products and prepackaged laboratory kits. Ask your manager BEFORE you pour any solution down a drain to be CERTAIN that doing so is safe and legal.

WHY DO WE USE PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN MERCURY?
Unfortunately, many products that we use do not have mercury-free substitutes. When mercury-free substitutes are found, they will be used when possible.

WHAT HAPPENS TO A MERCURY SOLUTION WHEN I POUR IT DOWN A DRAIN?
The mercury will travel through the hospital plumbing system. During this voyage the mercury may become trapped in our pipes, traps, and neutralization tanks. This mercury will accumulate over time and possibly result in an expensive hazardous waste cost to the hospital. Mercury that is not trapped will pass through our plumbing system and enter the MWRA sewerage system, eventually reaching the environment. The accumulations of mercury in our plumbing or in the environment are both unacceptable. Therefore, mercury must never be disposed of into the sewer system.

HOW WILL ANYONE KNOW IF I POUR MERCURY DOWN THE DRAIN?
Both the institution and the MWRA regularly check how much mercury is leaving our hospital through the sewer system. Even a small amount of mercury discharged through the sewer system will be detected. For example, only 4 grams (0.14 ounces) of mercury can contaminate 1,000,000,000 (one billion) gallons of wastewater to a concentration slightly above the MWRA enforcement level of 1.0 µg/L.

The hospital is subject to potential fines and penalties if mercury concentrations are found greater than the MWRA enforcement level.

IF I CANNOT DISPOSE OF MERCURY DOWN THE DRAIN, WHAT DO I DO WITH IT?
First, make sure that there is not a mercury-free alternate available before you use a product that contains any mercury. If you must use the mercury-containing product, make sure you collect all waste products. Ask your manager about department-specific procedures for labeling, storing, and disposing of this material.

• Mercury is present in many products used by our hospital.
• Mercury must NEVER knowingly be disposed of down a drain to the sewer system.
• Mercury-containing waste products must be collected, despite how insignificant the mercury quantity is, and disposed of according to our hazardous waste policies.
• Know which products in your work area contain mercury as a constituent.
• Know your department's procedures for collecting and managing mercury-containing waste.
• Know that if you need more information on the Mercury Management Program, you can call the Safety Department.

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