July 13, 2009
A new California law designed to increase the collection and recycling of waste mercury thermostats went into effect July 1, 2009. The Mercury Thermostat Collection Act of 2008 (AB 2347, Ruskin) requires a contractor who installs heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning components and who removes out-of-service mercury thermostats to take them to a collection location for recycling. The California law follows similar legislation in Iowa, Maine, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.
Mercury is a toxic metal that in its various forms can accumulate in living tissue and cause adverse health effects. When a mercury thermostat is broken and disposed of in solid waste landfill or incinerator, the mercury can contaminate the air, surface water, and ground water.
Under the new law, manufacturers must collect and recycle waste mercury thermostats at no cost to contractors and homeowners. Additionally, the law requires every HVAC wholesaler with a physical location in California to act as a collection site for waste mercury thermostats.
The Thermostat Recycling Corporation (TRC) is providing collection containers to HVAC wholesalers for a nominal one-time fee. TRC absorbs all subsequent costs to ship and recycle waste mercury thermostats.
For more information about the TRC program, contact Executive Director Mark Tibbetts at (703) 841-3246 or Mark_Tibbetts@ nema.org.
Replies
You fear the day they will start collecting old sheds?
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Interesting in what use to be a somewhat common play material from a broken bulb thermometer now becomes a raging incident
when one is broken on a schoolbus resulting in removing the kids from the bus and having a haz team come in for cleanup removal.
I can see it now, unbreakable diamond lens thermometers mandated by the government but not to worry, production in China will assure discount pricing.
Does it include the Cougar and Montego?
I'm starting the trips to get all the amalgamam fillings I have replaced. They say that can contribute to health issues if you have mercury in your mouth.
Seems it can vaporize or output for a long time. I had a butcher dentist as kid, and he went hog wild drilling and filling on teeth that were fine...till I went to another dentist who outted the guy as a hack. They even jailed him for screwing with kids teeth.
I wonder if Ca. wants my fillings?Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Always heard about the amalgum but still undecided as sensible opinions on both sides.
That being said it seems a pretty fugged up way of doing fillings if there is an equally longlasting safe composite that can be used instead.
be powers that be controling pursestrings and all that
Got all mine drilled out and replaced with epoxy/resin. That Civil War filling shid was deteiorating...
There really isn't a good, general-purpose replacement for amalgam. Composites can be used in some cases, but rarely provide the same durability.It's not that no one is trying -- dentists would love to stop using amalgam, given that dentists and dental assistants get a lot of exposure from the stuff.
As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place. --Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
>I'm starting the trips to get all the amalgamam fillings I have replaced. They say that can contribute to health issues if you have mercury in your mouth.
The last thing I read on that subject was that you may be exposed to more mercury in the process of removing the fillings than just leaving them alone.
I still go with amalgam on molars, and epoxy (or whatever the newer products are) for highly visible areas.
Don
We used to break the thermometer and turn our pennys into dime.
We used to break the thermometer and turn our pennys into dime
Dat an rolling the little balls aron on dat table. Plus melting lead all time for solderiers.
Iz dat wye ey neber wun a neble pirise?
Iz dat wye ey neber wun a neble pirise?
U wanna prise, u gotta lern to speel.
Joe H
Used to be that mercury had a extremely high scrap value, (probably still does), but it looks like now you have to recycle at your cost.
It is still being used, and you can still buy it, seem like they should share the scrap value.
They are just collecting it to sell to the flourescent bulb manufacturers - a double revenue stream.
but those mercury switches are vital to carrying out the wishes of the voices in our heads...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I understand that defective Queen CDs now have to go to haz mat.
Wow. That's pretty obscure. Nice.
heh ya,
He almost got an award for that one.
In fact, he does! snorK*
Congratulations!
BARMIL receives the 'MrT/brownbagg OneLiner Award'.
Saaalute!!! View Image View Image
Edited 7/21/2009 2:07 am ET by rez
That baby obviously has spasmodic contortions from eating too much swordfish ;o)
Military Channel had a program about "Hitler's last Deadly Secret, U-864"
The WWII German sub had Top Secret jet engine parts/plans and was headed for Japan as a gift from Hitler...the sub has tons of mercury in the center keel as ballast. Sunk by the good guys in 1945, now there's a good chance the containers in the keel will/have ruptured and will poison the sea life and shore line where it lays off Norway...
Bill
damn man, hate when that happens.
All I thought mercury was good for was making the lady on the old mercury head dimes shine.
They looked cooler than the ones with the guy's head on 'em.
Thanks for that. I forwarded it to the wifey.
She works for a recycling company. I'd bet they didn'y know it, until now.
We all aim to please around Breaktime.
Servicing the community, Taunton Press, and to the outermost regions of the earth.
mmmmm Mercury, not so good. Look up Minamata disease . A true disaster. I collect old Flour bulbs for recycling, hundreds thrown away wantonly.