Mercury-Containing Product

Where They May Be Found in a Home

Present in Your Home?  (√)

Mercury-Free Alternative(s)

Fever thermometers look for silvery liquid in bulb of thermometer

Bathroom, medicine closet, first-aid kit

Alcohol, digital, mercury-free fever scan thermometers

Cooking thermometers may include meat thermometers and candy thermometers

Kitchen

Digital thermometers, spirit-filled thermometers, and infrared laser thermometers

Outdoor thermometers to measure air temperature

Outside of home: often in a garden or right outside a window

Digital temperature thermometers

Barometer used to measure pressure, detect weather

 Both outside and inside of home (also look for elegant models as home decoration or in a home office)

Aneroid and digital barometers, and barometers with silicon-based fluid

Mercury thermostats often circular shaped (glass vial with mercury should be visible once removing front plate of thermostat)

Mounted on wall in home

Air-controlled, reed switch, vapor-filled diaphragm, snap switch, and programmable electronic thermostats are all mercury-free

Mercury switches float, temperature-sensitive or mechanical tilt. 

Automobiles manufactured before 2002, thermostats, silent light convenience switches, chest freezers, sump and bilge pumps related to septic system.

Hard-contact, solid-state, or electro-optical switches, inductive, capacitive, photoelectric, or ultrasonic sensors

Flame sensors

Gas-fired appliances with pilot lights

Electronic flame sensors, mercury-free products

Fluorescent lights, compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) and other gas discharge lights such as metal halide and mercury vapor lights

Throughout home and in external lighting

Fluorescent lights are recommended above incandescent bulbs for their energy efficiency.  But, be sure to handle gently and properly dispose at end of life

Batteries such as alkaline-manganese, zinc carbon mercuric-oxide and button cell

In watches, cameras, old CD and tape players

Alkaline batteries and rechargeable batteries

Novelty Items containing mercury which can be found in toys and jewelry: look for mercury in maze toys, necklaces with vials of mercury

Throughout home

Toys and jewelry that do not contain mercury

Topical antiseptics containing mercurochrome (contained only in old antiseptics, as this product has been banned for sale since 1998)

Bathrooms, medicine closets, first aid kits

Alcohol, iodine, or hydrogen peroxide

Personal products containing mercury or thimerosol: includes some contact lens solutions, nasal sprays, soap-free cleansers, makeup removers, some eye makeup, some skin lightening creams and products

Bathrooms and throughout the house

Thimerosol-free and mercury-free products (many products marked as thimerosol-free)

Dental Amalgam used in silver dental fillings

Your mouth

Resin or gold fillings

Recycle Bin and/or Garbage Can

Garage, Back Yard

Mercury Containing Items  can not be put into your curbside recycling bin or the garbage