These bans have reduced the sales of mercury thermometers. As the temperature rises, the mercury expands, traveling up the tube. Many states and municipalities have banned the sale of mecury thermometers. The state's Mercury Education and Reduction Act banned the sale of mercury-containing thermometers, manometers (such as barometers or blood pressure gauges), and novelty items like toys, games, or jewelry. For example, fluorescent lamps use less energy than traditional incandescent lamps. “Banned” Mercury Thermometers to Alternative Thermometers Measurement Science Conference 2013 Technical Contacts Dawn Cross, 301 975 4822, dawn.cross@nist.gov ... • Provide ongoing technical and programmatic assistance to states that have enacted Hg education and reduction legislation As a result, a number of states have banned or limited the sale of mercury thermometers, including California, Oregon, Rhode Island, Maine, Maryland, Indiana, Minnesota, and New Hampshire. Mercury can vaporize at … Mercury thermometers are also on their way out in a wide variety of industries, ... A growing number of states, including Maryland, have banned their sale. The mercury thermometer ban appears to have been successful in reducing exposure to mercury from thermometers, however other sources of elemental mercury remain a problem in Illinois. On July 1, 2004, a state law (The Mercury Fever Thermometer Prohibition Act, Public Act 93-0165) will go into effect that bans the retail sale and distribution of mercury fever thermometers and mercury-added novelty products in Illinois. We also compare thermometers among nations to … Apparently 13 states have individually banned the sale of mercury-containing thermometers, and I was surprised to see that Vermont was not on that list. Mercury Initiative Ban on Sale of Certain Mercury Containing Products. In the United States, 19 states have restricted or banned the sale of mercury-containing thermometers. Removing Mercury. Map of the countries of the European Union that banned mercury-in-glass thermometers according to Directive 2007/51/EC as of 22 January 2013. The American Academy of Pediatricians and the United States Environmental Protection Agency, for instance, have each suggested alternative temperature-measuring devices for personal use in order to reduce the risk of accidental exposure. Activities such as burning coal and processing taconite also release mercury into the air. All mercury-containing light bulbs and lamps must have the … The biggest danger with mercury is it will evaporate at room temperature and the fumes are what will get you the worst. The EPA recommends the use of mercury-free thermometers but it does not endorse any specific brand and suggests choosing a thermometer that is easy to use and read. Most retail stores have stopped selling mercury thermometers. Mercury is used in many everyday products like fluorescent lamps, thermometers, thermostats, blood pressure manometers and pleasure boat bilge pump float switches. of States have banned the sale of mercury containing instruments, including ASTM mercury thermometers, making it difficult for users in those States to comply with ASTM standards. Thermometers Mercury is used in thermometers because it expands and contracts evenly with temperature changes. The United States has not banned mercury in medical settings, though many advocacy groups have recommended a number of safety precautions. Mercury-in-glass thermometers are discussed because they have been used extensively in the past both institutionally and in research. The Best Thermometers for Your Family Dec 14, 2020 - 6 Recommendations When it comes to keeping track of your body temperature, it’s important to have a thermometer that actually works—especially if you’re feeling under the weather and may be running a fever. Chinanews client, Beijing, October 22 (Reporter Zhang Ni) Recently, the topic that mercury thermometers will be banned from production has caused heated discussions among netizens. Those uses are less common now, but it’s still found in some products. ¢ Direct students to alert you immediately if a thermometer or beaker breaks. Many countries, including the United States, have signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement that recognizes the validity of each others’ calibration certificates. It also has universal waste rules that apply to the disposal of mercury products. Mercury used to be common in some products like switches, thermometers, and fluorescent lights. With bans or severe Several states have banned the use of products containing mercury. Several states have irrationally banned the element mercury in all forms, for any uses, in all amounts. Your grandparents may have one in their medicine cabinet, or even your parents, but newly stocked bathrooms are much more likely to have a digital thermometer on hand. Mercury-in-glass thermometers are banned in many countries due to mercury exposure concerns. In its 1997 report to congress, the EPA estimated that 16.8 tons of mercury from broken thermometers was disposed of as municipal solid waste in the year 2000. Because of mercury’s documented health risks, 17 U.S. states have banned its transport and sale; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in its “Roadmap for Mercury,” states that its long-term goal is to reduce those risks; and various groups are working to reduce mercury … Between 25 tonnesand 30 tonnes of those emissions come from thermometers alone. Unless they are recycled or otherwise disposed of properly, however, the However, according to USA.gov, 20 states have banned mercury thermometers because of mercury’s dangerous effect. uses mercury thermometers or other mercury-containing equipment such as blood pressure devices, give them a copy of this brochure and ask them to look for alternatives. Mercury thermometers are made of glass and are the size of a straw, with silvery-white liquid mercury inside. By 2001, 20 states had banned mercury thermometers, and digital thermometers replaced them. United States – The United States has virtually phased out mercury-based medical devices. Mercury thermometers are not sold in the US anymore, I don't know about other countries. Medical equipment containing mercury, such as mercury thermometers, has already been banned in some European countries, such as Sweden. In most cases, the instruments in question are the mercury-in-glass thermometers specified in ASTM E1. I could not find any mercury-containing oral thermometers for sale online, so I think manufacturers are simply not selling them at all. To put this in a global perspective, France, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands have all banned the use of mercury thermometers nationwide. Some of these products have an environmental benefit. I have worked with mercury a number of times, as long as you washed your hands right away I don't think you have too much to worry about. Taiwan Republic of China – In March 2008, the Environmental Protection Administration announced a national policy to phase-out of mercury thermometers. Mercury thermometers will not be seen for much longer in people’s homes. In October 1999, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advised using alternative products to avoid the need for increased regulations in years to come and to protect human health and wildlife by reducing unnecessary exposure to mercury. You are probably most familiar with this type of thermometer: a thin stick of glass containing mercury. Environmentally safer and affordable alternatives to mercury fever thermometers are readily available, including digital electronic thermometers. Countries in blue have made legal bans on the issue, countries in gray are of unknown status at the present, and countries in red are those whose "Member State does not consider national execution measures necessary." Since it is in a liquid state at room temperature, mercury is used in thermometers, barometers, and hygrometers. Pure mercury and its compounds can cause neurological problems and other ailments in people exposed to them. No such ban exists in Canada, despite recommendations from doctors that mercury be eliminated from the home or other environments where children could be exposed to it. However, there is a growing trend nationally and internationally to phase out or ban the use of mercury thermometers and other equipment containing mercury, such as sphygmomanometers, because of the toxicity of mercury to the individual and the environment. What does the sales ban do? Ohio and many other states have banned the sale of mercury-containing thermometers. Students should not clean up broken glass on their own. These devices have a large bulb filled with mercury at the bottom of the thermometer, attached to a thin tube. In the United States, 19 states have restricted or banned the sale of mercury-containing thermometers. The first digital thermometers relied on the standard under-the-tongue readings that were used with mercury thermometers, but these gave way to more convenient forehead and ear thermometers as technology advanced. Mercury thermometers are being phased out as the metal is toxic if the thermometer breaks. safety ¢ Be sure student thermometers are not mercury-based (most school districts in the United States have banned the use of mercury thermometers in the classroom). Thermometers that check body temperature in the ear, across the forehead, or have a digital display do not contain mercury. Many of the United States and European Union countries have already banned the use of ASTM thermometers in industrial applications. Two out of every three phar-macy chains have made a commitment to end their sale of mercury thermometers. Politics is the core of the answer. No ban in Canada. According to relevant regulations, starting from January 1, 2026, China will ban the production of mercury-containing thermometers and mercury-containing sphygmomanometers. 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