Similarly, this Fact Sheet does not cover mercury relays and flame sensors used in cooking equipment because these are covered in a separate fact sheet that is available at: http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/imerc/FactSheets/FactSheet_Ranges.pdf.

Mercury-added Switches & Relays

Switches are products or devices that open or close an electrical circuit, or a liquid or gas valve. Mercury-added switches include float switches, actuated by rising or falling liquid levels; tilt switches, actuated by a change in the switch position; pressure switches, actuated by a change in pressure; and temperature switches and flame sensors actuated by a change in temperature.

Relays are products or devices that open or close electrical contacts to control the operation of other devices in the same or another electrical circuit. Relays are often used to turn on and off large current loads by supplying relatively small currents to a control circuit. Mercury-added relays include mercury displacement relays, mercury wetted reed relays, and mercury contact relays.

Important Caveats

A number of important caveats must be considered when reviewing the data summarized in this Fact Sheet:

• The information does not represent the entire universe of mercury switches and relays, and therefore underestimates the total amount of mercury reported for this category of products. The states participating in IMERC continuously receive Mercury-added Product Notification Forms from mercury-added product manufacturers that have not reported in the past, and the data presented in this Fact Sheet most likely underestimate the total amount of mercury sold in these products in the U.S. in 2001.


• The data presented summarize mercury in switches and relays sold nationwide in the U.S. in calendar year 2001. It does not include products that were sold prior to January 1, 2001.


• Reported data only includes mercury that is used in the product, and does not include mercury emitted during mining and/or manufacturing.

The IMERC member states require manufacturers, importers, or distributors to report the amount of mercury sold in individual mercury-added components or products, allowing them to report the information as an exact number or as a range. Because the amount of mercury used in products may be reported in either way, it is challenging to quantitatively summarize the data in a simplified presentation.

The Average Amount of Mercury Used in Switches & Relays

The available data demonstrate that the amount of mercury used in individual switches and relays varies widely. The difference in mercury amount per switch can be as large as one-hundred fold. A mercury tilt switch, for example, can have anywhere from 50 milligrams to nearly 5 grams (5,000 milligrams) of mercury, while an individual float switch may contain anywhere from 100 milligrams to 67 grams of mercury.

The amount of mercury used in individual relays varies even more, from more than 10 milligrams to up to 153 grams, for a ten-thousand fold difference. Mercury relays and relay controls are often sold as units containing anywhere from several to up to 32 relays per unit. Total amounts of mercury sold in relay units can range from less than 100 milligrams to over 400 grams, while total amounts in relay control units can range from 2 to 10 grams of mercury.

Most manufacturers produce a comparable non-mercury alternative for their mercury switches and relays.³

Total Amount of Mercury in Switches & Relays Sold as Components

Table 1 presents the available data on the total amount of mercury in switches and relays sold as components in the U.S. during calendar year 2001. This data was reported to IMERC by switch and relay manufacturers, often called the "original equipment manufacturers" (OEM). Data reported by the manufacturers of final products (i.e., pumps, vehicles, and communications devices) that contain mercury switches or relays is presented in Table 2.

Approximately 54 tons of mercury was used in switches and relays sold during 2001. Slightly more mercury (out of the 54 tons) was used in relays than in switches. It is difficult to rank mercury use by type of switch because manufacturers sometimes group together different types of switches when reporting total mercury use. While the data indicate that mercury-added tilt switches was apparently the largest use of mercury (as compared with other types of mercury-added switches and relays), it is important to keep in mind that the 14,302 pounds reported for mercury use for this type of switch (as presented in Table 1) includes a small amount of mercury that was used in other types of switches.

Total Amount of Mercury in Switches & Relays Sold in Final Products

Table 2 presents the available information on total amount of mercury in switches and relays sold as components of final products in the U.S. during calendar year 2001. The data is provided here to show where and how mercury switches and relays are used in final products. It would be inaccurate to sum the total amounts of mercury sold in switches and relays as components with the switches and relays used in final products because this would result in double counting the same mercury. The same mercury component can be reported on to the IMERC-member states by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the manufacturer that purchases that component and incorporates it into a final product, and a distributor that makes the final product available for sale in one of the IMERC states.

The data shown in Table 2 indicate that electric, gas, and water meters, and automobiles used the greatest amount of mercury in switches and relays in 2001, as reported to IMERC. A far greater amount of mercury was sold in products using switches (13,236 pounds) than in products using relays (11.76 pounds). For the list of manufacturers creating the products listed in Table 2 see Tables A-1 and A-2 in the Appendix.

Comparison of Component (OEM) Data to Data on Mercury Switches & Relays in Final Products

Total mercury used for switches and relays in the final products sold in 2001 as reported to IMERC was significantly less (7 tons) than the total mercury used for switches in relays sold as components (54 tons). This disparity in the amount of mercury sold in the individual switch and relays components versus the amount sold in the final products containing switches and relays may be attributed to several factors:

• Some manufacturers of the final products did not provide data on the total amount of mercury sold in the U.S. in their products, and instead referred IMERC to the switch or relay manufacturer for the information.


• A number of manufacturers of the final products may not yet have reported to IMERC.

TABLE 2: Total Mercury in Switches & Relays Sold as Components of Final Products in the US, Calendar Year 2001
Product	Total Mercury in Products Sold, Calendar Year 2001
	Grams	Pounds
Tilt Switches
Motor Vehicles	1,291,393	2,841
RV Leveling Units	22,978	51
RV Satellite/TV Antenna	170	0.4
Electric, Gas, & Water Meters	3,199,346	7,039
Space Heater	667,188	1,468
Hospital Bed	69,111	152
Manufacturing/Miscellaneous	147,589	325
Tilt Switch Total	5,397,755	11,875
Pressure Controls
Fire Control Units	64,109	141
Manufacturing/Miscellaneous Equipment	6,460	14
Pressure Control Total	70,569	155
Float Switches
Pumps & Pump Systems	47,870	105
Other Switches
Motor Vehicles (i.e., inertia switches in braking systems)	569,608	1,253
Relays
Telecommunications Circuit Boards	2011	4.4
Manufacturing/Miscellaneous	3346.5	7.36
Total Relays	5357.5	11.76
Overall Total Mercury Use for all Switches and Relays in Final Products in 2001: 13,400 pounds or approximately 7 tons

• US manufacturers of final products purchased more mercury-added switch and relay components in calendar year 2001 than they needed to make the units that they sold that year.

Also, total mercury use in switches sold in thermostats (approximately 14 tons in 2001) and in cooking equipment (approximately 3.8 tons in 2001) is not reported in Table 2 because it is reported in separate Fact Sheets. Adding the mercury from thermostats and cooking equipment to the figures in Table 2 brings the total amount of mercury used in switches and relays in final products to 25 tons, or approximately half of the amount reported by the original component manufacturers.

Documented Elimination of Mercury-added Switch & Relay Products

Table 3 provides information on manufacturers, distributors, and importers that have reportedly phased-out the use of mercury switches or relays in their products since April 2001. As of October 2005, manufacturers, distributors, and importers reporting to IMERC have phased-out a minimum of 5,923 pounds (or approximately 3 tons) annually of mercury from use in switches since 2001. IMERC cannot completely quantify all of the mercury that has been reduced because some manufacturers did not provide total amount of mercury used, choosing instead to refer IMERC back to the original equipment manufacturer for that information. Also, the Alliance for Automobile Manufacturers provided aggregate information on total mercury use for several automobile manufacturers that have phased-out the use of mercury in some switches.

IMERC received additional information on the following products that used mercury switches and relays; however, they were phased-out before or shortly after the effective date of the states' Notification provisions. IMERC therefore does not have data on mercury amounts for these products.

• Ford Motor Company discontinued using mercury switches in their anti-lock braking systems (ABS) units for Model Year 2003 cars.


• Dwyer Instruments reports discontinuing the sale of mercury switches in IMERC member states only in December 2003. Therefore, there is not data in this Fact Sheet on the mercury switches manufactured by Dwyer Instruments.


• Hauck Manufacturing Co. reported that their industrial heating equipment containing mercury switches, relays, and thermostats were phased out in April 2002.


• Mack Trucks used a mercury switch option to detect if the hood was open in their trucks. Between April 1993 through September 2001, Mack sold 1,187 trucks with this option. After January 2003, the option was no longer available on Mack trucks.


• Subaru discontinued installing ABS brakes with mercury switches in all vehicles with Model Year 1998.

Table 3: Mercury Switch & Relay Phase-Outs
Company	Mercury Product Phased-Out	Amount of Mercury (lbs)	Date of Phase-Out
Agilent Technologies	Relay in measuring devices including chemical analyzer	7.35	12/2/04
Coachmen Industries	Switch in hydraulic leveling device	20.5	1/1/2004
Company A	Tilt switch in space heater	1467.81	12/31/2002
DaimlerChrysler Corp.	Antilock braking systems (ABS) inertia switches	1086.92	1/1/2003
Elster Electricity (ABB)	Tilt Switch loaded on circuit board		12/10/2002
Ford Motor Company	Light switches	1785.08	1/1/2003
Four Winds International	Switch in hydraulic leveling device	16.55	1/1/2003
General Motors Corp.	Light switches	1030.7	1/1/2003
Hill-Rom	Tilt switch in hospital bed	182	7/1/2004
Hopkins Manufacturing Corp.	Trailer braking systems	OEM1	9/4/2004
International Truck & Engine Corp.	Hood switch and luggage door switch	25	1/1/2003
Joslyn Clark Controls	Fire control units pressure switch	110.6	12/31/2003
Monaco Coach Corporation	Switches in exterior TV antenna arm, exterior satellite antenna arm, and leveling jack sensor	0.4	1/1/2003 for leveling jack 7/1/2003 for TV antenna 1/2004 for satellite antenna
PACCAR Inc.	Under hood switch	OEM1	1/1/2003
Sullair Corp.	Vacuum pump pressure switch	6	7/1/2003
Tekonsha Engineering Co.	Electric brake controls	166.21	10/1/2002
Toshiba America Information Systems and Motorola	Telecommunications Circuit Boards relay switches	4.422	12/2/2004
Tiffin Motor Homes	Switch in leveling jack	13.4	12/16/2002
Volvo Trucks No. America, Inc.	Roll over switch and hood tilt switch	0.4	1/1/2003
Volvo Trucks No. America, Inc.	Fluorescent lights	0.04	5/2005
Watlow-Winona Inc.	Relays	OEM1	6/21/2004
Winnebago Industry	Switch in leveling jack	OEM1	4/1/2003
Total Mercury Reduced from Switches & Relays: 5,923 Pounds or Approximately 3 Tons Annually
1 OEM = These companies referred their total mercury use amounts back to the original equipment manufacturers; data is therefore not available for individual companies. 2 This amount is slightly high because Lucent Technologies has not phased-out its relays in this total.

Tables A-1 and A-2 list the manufacturers of the final products using mercury switches and relays, respectively, as components during calendar year 2001.

¹ The Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC) was established by state environmental officials from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont to help them implement laws and programs aimed at getting mercury out of consumer products, the waste stream, and the environment. Washington State officially joined IMERC in 2003. Illinois joined IMERC in 2004. IMERC is a program of the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA). In 2001 the NEWMOA member states launched IMERC to provide:

• ongoing technical and programmatic assistance to states that have enacted mercury education and reduction legislation


• a single point of contact for industry and the public for information on mercury-added products and member states' mercury education and reduction programs

Published in October 2005