University Times

Exchanging silver mercury thermometers for red-spirit thermometers in the lab is the green way to go, say organizers of a new mercury thermometer exchange program for Pitt researchers.

Pitt’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety, in conjunction with lab equipment supplier Fisher Scientific, have scheduled a series of collections across the Pittsburgh campus so lab personnel and faculty can trade potentially hazardous mercury thermometers from their labs and classrooms for the more environmentally friendly alcohol-based instruments.

The mercury thermometers will be recycled by a University hazardous waste vendor, said EH&S environmental manager Keith Duvall.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, mercury if inhaled, ingested or absorbed through the skin can cause tremors, emotional changes, insomnia, muscle weakness, headaches and decreases in cognitive function. High exposures can affect the kidneys and lungs with potentially fatal consequences.

Green initiatives that focus on energy conservation may get more attention, but reducing the use of chemicals is another facet, said EH&S director Jay Frerotte. The thermometer exchange, the first of its kind at Pitt, aims to minimize the amount of mercury on campus, which also reduces the potential for negative environmental impacts.

Frerotte had no estimate of the number of mercury thermometers in use at Pitt. “We have no idea how many are out there. We’re pretty confident most labs have one or more. Some have drawersful,” he said. EH&S responds to an average of two broken thermometer calls per month, Frerotte said, adding that mercury is involved in about half of EH&S’s hazmat responses for lab chemical spills.

In an Oct. 6 memo to deans, directors and department chairs announcing the exchange program, Frerotte stated his staff members spend hours each month helping lab personnel properly contain mercury from broken thermometers.

He told the University Times that even simple mercury cleanup calls take at least at least two hours of staff time.

Frerotte said the idea that non-mercury thermometers are less accurate or reliable is a misconception, noting that hospitals made the shift long ago.

Thermometer exchanges took place earlier this week in the Chevron Building and Salk Hall. Upcoming collections are scheduled for: 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Oct. 28 in S123 Starzl BST; 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 3 outside 6014 BST3; 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 5 in 319 Allen Hall; 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 10 in 522 Benedum Hall; 1:30-3:30 p.m. Nov. 10 in 1103 Scaife Hall; 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 17 in A718 Crabtree Hall, 10 a.m.-noon Nov. 18 in 343 Crawford Hall; 9:30-10:30 a.m. Dec. 3 in 303 Biotech Center; 11 a.m.-noon Dec. 3 in the third floor conference room at Bridgeside Point, and 1:30-2:30 p.m. Dec. 3 in 237 McGowan Institute (South Side).

To avoid breakage, thermometers should be placed in a secondary container when they are brought in for the exchange, Frerotte said.

—Kimberly K. Barlow