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Mercury Home Page
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Health Risks
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Sources and Causes
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What You Can Do
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What WA is Doing
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Disposal and Cleanup
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Mercury and Your Family
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Mercury in School
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Mercury in Business
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Mercury in Government
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Products Containing Mercury
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Frequently Asked Questions
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of Environmental Health, Safety, and Toxicology
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 Mercury
Spills and
Disposal
Most mercury products can be disposed of at your nearest
hazardous waste facility. You can locate your local
household hazardous waste or moderate waste facility by going to
Earth 911's Web site and
entering your zip code. The site also contains
information about what your facility accepts and its hours of
operation.
You may also visit the Department of Ecology's
hazardous waste service providers. |
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How to Clean up a
Small Mercury Spill
Is the spill smaller than 2 tablespoons? You can clean
up a small mercury spill yourself. The Department of
Ecology and Department of Health have created a brochure to
provide guidance on cleaning up a small mercury spill:
Prevent Mercury
Spills. You can also access spill cleanup information
quickly and easily by consulting the
U.S.
EPA's mercury spill page. If
more than 2 tablespoons of mercury have been spilled, call 911
or the Washington Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222. They can
provide you with more-detailed instructions and numbers of
professional spill responders.
Key Points to Remember:
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Never use a vacuum to clean up the mercury.
The vacuum will put mercury vapor into the air and increase
the likelihood of human exposure.
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Never use household cleaning products to clean up mercury
These chemicals will react violently with mercury,
releasing toxic gas, particularly products that contain
ammonia or chlorine.
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Never use a broom or paintbrush to clean up mercury.
It will scatter the mercury droplets, making them harder to
find and pick up.
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Never pour mercury down the drain.
Since mercury is heavier than water, it often accumulates
in the S-trap of a drain and continues to emit harmful vapors.
Spill Reporting Numbers
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To report a hazardous
substance release, call 1-800-258-5990 Washington State
Department of Emergency Management.
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Department of Ecology Spill Contact
Northwest Regional Office (425)
649-7000
Southwest Regional Office (360)
407-6300
Central Regional Office (509)
575-2490
Eastern Regional Office (509) 456-2926
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Your local health department:
Department
of Health's map of
local health districts and departments.
Additional Mercury Related
Information
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