Sustainable Hospitals - Mercury Information Package

Mercury Reduction
Best Management Practices for
Mercury-containing Products in the Hospital
Lamps

Energy efficiency of
mercury-containing lamps
Fluorescent lamps, high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps and ultraviolet lamps (used in biosafety cabinets) are among the few mercury-containing products within hospitals for which adequate non-mercury substitutes do not exist.

Fluorescent and HID lamps are efficient sources of white light, typically 3-4 times more efficient than incandescent lamps. Since fossil fuels contain mercury, power generation releases mercury and other pollutants to the environment, and these releases are greater when less efficient lamps are used. Considering both mercury emissions from power generation and mercury contained in the lamps themselves, incandescent lamps put more mercury into the environment than do fluorescent lamps.

Investigate the mercury content of fluorescent and HID lamps and purchase those with a relatively low mercury content. In recent years, lamp manufacturers have been reducing the amount of mercury in fluorescent lamps. Some lamps are low enough in mercury content to be considered nonhazardous for waste recycling and disposal purposes. Check verifiable product information on Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) testing to learn if this is the case.

Recycling/disposal of
mercury-containing lamps
There should be several convenient collection points for spent lamps within the hospital. Lamps from the collection points should be taken by the hazardous waste management coordinator to the hospital's designated hazardous waste collection point. The lamps can be sorted for recycling or disposal at the collection point. Do not break or crush lamps, unless using a commercial lamp crusher that captures mercury vapor. Because crushing lamps may be considered to be "treatment," consult with the appropriate local and state agencies before purchasing a lamp crusher.

If a lamp is accidentally broken in the hospital, store all of the debris in a sealed plastic container. Request pick-up by the hazardous waste management coordinator.

The exact procedures for sorting, storage, packing, and recycling or disposal will partly depend on the requirements of the the appropriate local and state agencies. It is important to know your generator status before asking questions. Some of the questions to ask these agencies are:

Which lamps can and cannot be recycled?
Which lamps must be considered as hazardous waste?
How should lamps for recycling be packed for transporting? Should they be whole or crushed in a bulb crusher? What is the cost of a bulb crusher?
How should broken lamps be packaged?

Since fluorescent and HID lamps fail TCLP testing for mercury a high percentage of the time, it is suggested that expensive TCLP testing be minimized and that those disposing of these lamps assume them to be hazardous unless verifiable product information states that the lamps are nonhazardous.

Watch for changes in the regulations that affect mercury-containing lamps. Get the latest information from the appropriate local and state agencies.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Green Lights Program
The EPA's Green Lights Program can help the hospital save money on lighting costs and, at the same time, reduce the amount of mercury that is emitted to the air when fossil fuels are burned at the local power plant that supplies electricity.

Organizations, such as hospitals, that join Green Lights sign a Memorandum of Understanding with EPA to become a "Partner." Partners agree to consider available technologies and install the mix of lighting products and controls that maximize energy savings and maintain or improve lighting quality.

EPA offers information, analysis, and planning and communications services to the Partner. For further information, contact the Green Lights Program by phone at 202-775-6650 or by fax at 202-775-6680.

Best
Management Practices

Fever Thermometers

Sphygmomanometers

Gastrointestinal Tubes

Dental Amalgam and Mercury

Laboratory Chemicals

Pharmaceutical Products

Cleaners and Degreasers

Batteries

Lamps

Electrical Equipment

Thermostat Probes in Gas Appliances