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Thermostat, Mercury Containing
Household Hazardous Waste – Special Handling Required
Do not place any product containing mercury in the curbside trash or recycle bins. Find a Take Back program or dispose of at a Transfer Station's Household Hazardous Waste collection site.
Replace mercury containing thermostats with electronic, programmable or digital thermostats. Professional installers should take the old thermostat with them and recycle it with HVAC suppliers who are Thermostat Recycling Corporation members. Modern electronic thermostats save money through efficiency and do not contain mercury. However, replacing old thermostats can cause hazards. Older electric thermostats often contain mercury. Circular gauge-type thermostats and rectangular models with lever-type adjustments often have mercury switches inside. Carefully lifting off the cover will reveal a glass ampoule of mercury. Thermostat disposal and breakage, as well as building fires, can lead to exposures and contamination.
Mercury is very toxic. It is mostly known as a neurotoxin, meaning that it harms the brain and nervous system. However, mercury is also linked to kidney and liver damage and possibly cancer. Children are especially at risk because their brains and bodies are still developing. Many of the health effects of mercury can be permanent. When it rains, airborne mercury deposits back on the land and water bodies. Some of the mercury is converted into methyl mercury, a highly stable compound that contaminates our water and our marine life. The methyl mercury concentrates up the food chain, especially in certain fish where it can affect the health of people who eat them. Infants, children and pregnant or nursing mothers must take special precautions to minimize mercury exposure from fish.
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