DEP organizational chart for 9/11 emergency response, Sept 2001

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

Get Rid Of Your Mercury Thermome^r The American Academy of Pediatrics has advised doctors and parents to stop Rising mercury thermometers because of the toxicity of mercury vapor to both humans and wildlife. (Several cities have barmed their sale, as have some stores.) When any mercury-containing product, such as a thermometer, breaks indoors, the mercury vaporizes. The resulting vapor can cause a host of symptoms—mostly neurological—but it also can hurt the kidneys, liver and skin. It is far less dangerous to swallow the mercury from a broken ther­ mometer than to allow it to fall on a carpet. The body absorbs very little

I I One thermometer has .7 grams of mercury. Just 1 gram can contaminate all the fish in a 20-acre lake. mercury when ingested. Outdoors, mercury Mercupy that leaks from discard­ ed thermometers (or any is most other source, such as fluorescent lamps or harmful even human stool if mer­ cury has been ingested) When is converted into methyl­ mercury. a highly toxic vaDOPiZeil. substance that remains in the environment indefinitely and ulti­ mately finds its way into lakes and rivers. When pregnant women eat fish from contaminated walers, their fetuses can develop serious neurological damage. To get rid of your unbroken ther­ mometers or fluorescent lamps, don’t just throw them away. Take them to a hazardous-waste collection center. If there’s no such facility nearby, ask your local poison-control center or fire de­ partment how to dispose of the mercury. Then buy a digital thermometer for ! just a few dollars. For further details, visit www.epa.gov, the Environmental Protection Agency’s Web site.^^s^:**^ I PARADE MAGAZINE ■ SEPTEKBER 16, 2001

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