Saving mercury

A bill that will identify products containing mercury will go far to encourage recycling of the dangerous element and reduce its potential harm in the environment.

The bill requires all devices and consumer goods that contain mercury to bear a label indicating the metal’s use. That’s an important public-safety step, considering that mercury, even in small amounts, is a known neurotoxin and has been shown to damage liver function. Mercury is easily absorbed through the skin, and in its liquid form at room temperature, can break into very small droplets that are difficult to contain. That means mercury can easily invade water sources or otherwise infiltrate the environment; since mercury is an element, it never disappears.

Labeling objects that contain mercury — an effective fungicide and very useful electrical conductor, often employed in switches, batteries and the like — is a first step toward not only reducing its use, but also toward more efficient recycling of the material.

Mercury is an important tool for modern life, but its dangers require extra vigilance. It makes little sense to encourage people to simply discard batteries, switches, cleaners, etc. that contain mercury, if that substance can be recaptured and used again. The federal government, largely in the person of 1st District Rep. Tom Allen, has attempted to encourage mercury recycling and identification. However, Congress has feared passing on waste-sorting costs to other jurisdictions — and sorting through trash to identify mercury-laden items is a necessary component of any complete measure to limit that element’s contamination.

The government might consider some sort of refundable deposit, much like the one imposed on plastic and glass drink containers here in Maine, to reward people for returning mercury-laden objects. Identifying what does, and does not, contain mercury is an important first step toward such a goal, or toward any system that will help reduce the presence of mercury in our trash and our environment.