Others

Mercury Compounds

Use: Mercury-containing chemicals and compounds may be used for various tasks in laboratory and industrial settings and may be used throughout facilities in a variety of applications.

Description: Mercury can be found in a range of chemicals, mixtures of chemicals and waste. Chemical examples include:

  • Arsenic-calcium reagent

  • CPK reagent

  • Elemental mercury, CAS No.7439-97-6

  • Mercuric Sulfate, CAS No.7783-35-9

  • Mercurous Chloride, CAS No.7546-30-7

  • Merthiolate (Thiomersal), CAS No.54-64-8

For a complete list of chemicals, mixtures of chemials and wastes please refer to Mercury-containing product stewardship manual (pdf & html versions).This list can be found in Appendix A.

Identification: Mercury chemicals are found in several settings. Chemicals and mixtures may be identified through:

  • Iventories of hazardous materials

  • Product labels

  • Material safety data sheets

  • Transportation of dangerous goods manifests, if transported

  • Waste manifest, if chemicals and mixtures have been identified as hazardous waste

Mercury content: Content will vary depending on the amount and mercury concentration of the chemical, mixture or waste.

Alternatives: Non-mercury alternatives should be considered whenever practical. Ensure due care is taken to en sure proper product substitutions are allowable. This includes ensuring manufacturer specifications, job specifications, and procurement requirements are met.

Other

Mercury is no longer deliberately used in the manufacture of most dry-cell batteries. The only batteries still containing mercury are button-cell batteries. These may be found in watches, calculators and items like toys, cards or shoes that light up or make noise.

In some cases, old paints may contain mercury. Certain lighted athletic shoes purchased before 1994 may also contain mercury. Hydrometers, devices used to determine the specific gravity and density of liquids, look similar to thermometers and may contain mercury. They have been used by the petroleum industry, dairy farms, and amateur wine/beer makers. Mercury may also be found in hygrometers/psychrometers, silent wall switches, old pesticides, as well as various medical devices and preservatives.

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