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Mercury Use in ThermostatsThis Fact Sheet summarizes the use of mercury in thermostats. It is based on data obtained only from the Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)1 Mercury-Added Products Database2. It covers thermostats used in residences, businesses and industrial settings, including thermostats sold as stand-alone units and as components within heating and cooling equipment. It does not include mercury thermostats used in cooking ranges; those thermostats are covered in the fact sheet entitled, Mercury Use in Gas & Electric Cooking Ranges and Other Cooking Equipment. Mercury Components in Thermostats Mercury thermostats use mercury switches to sense and control room temperature through communication with heating, ventilating or air conditioning equipment. Mercury thermostats contain bimetal coils that contract and expand with room temperature. When the coil contracts or expands it activates the mercury switch which opens or closes a circuit to make the furnace, heat pump or air conditioner turn on or off. A mercury thermostat may contain one or more switches, depending on how many heating and cooling systems it activates. Amount of Mercury Used in Thermostats Table 1 presents the amount of mercury used in thermostats. Manufacturers, importers and distributors of mercury-added products may report the amount of mercury used as an exact number, an average with upper and lower bounds, or as a range. A number of important caveats must be considered when reviewing the data summarized in this fact sheet:
Total Amount of Mercury in Thermostats The total amount of mercury in thermostats sold in the U.S. during calendar year 2001 was 28,689 pounds (13,010,939 grams) or 14.3 tons. This amount under-reports the true amount of mercury sold in thermostats in 2001 because one manufacturer of the mercury switches used in thermostats referred the total amount of mercury to the component manufacturer, Comus International. We are unable to separate this exact switch from the switch types reported by Comus. Mercury Product Phase-Outs Marvair discontinued its line of air conditioning units with mercury thermostats in December 2003. 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. IMERC is a program of the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA). In 2001 the NEWMOA member states launched IMERC to provide:
2 The Mercury-added Products Database contains information on the amount and purpose of mercury in products submitted by, or on behalf of, product manufacturers in compliance with laws in the states of Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Beginning in 2001, these states required companies manufacturing, distributing, or importing mercury-added products to report certain information on these products. The information is reviewed and approved by an IMERC Notification Committee comprised of representatives from each participating state. The online Mercury-added Product Database and the Notification Forms and Instructions can be found at the following URL: http://www.newmoa.org/prevention/mercury/imerc/notification/ Published in February 2005 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last Modified 06/18/2008
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