Skip common site navigation and headers
United States Environmental Protection Agency
Great Lakes Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction
   
Recent Additions | Contact Us | Print Version Search:
Begin Hierarchical Links EPA Home > Great Lakes > Great Lakes Pollution Prevention and Toxics Strategy > Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy > Stakeholder Forum 1998: Mercury Workgroup > Milwaukee Mercury Source Sector Assessment > Chapter 5: Household Mercury 
Pollution Prevention and Toxic Reduction
Great Lakes Binational Toxic Strategy
About GLBTS
Workgroups
Meetings
Documents
Persistent Bioaccumulative Toxic Chemicals
binational.net
exit EPA
 

Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy

Milwaukee Mercury Source Sector Assessment

Mercury Source Sector Assessment for the Greater Milwaukee Area
Chapter 5: Household Mercury

Introduction

The household sector was included in this study to illustrate how the average residential household contributes to the use and release of mercury to the environment. The household sector includes thermostats, switches, gasoline combustion and others which were also evaluated in other source sector estimates. The idea is to provide a sense of how our daily activities, as well as devices and products in our homes, contribute to the overall picture of mercury release and use.

Tables are provided for both releases and presence/use of mercury in households.

The following types of releases from households are included in the estimate of mercury releases from households:

  • batteries
  • coal combustion to produce electricity
  • fluorescent lamps
  • gasoline combustion in motor vehicles
  • heating oil combustion
  • appliance switches
  • automotive switches
  • thermostats
  • volatilization from dental amalgams
  • wastewater discharged to sewers

Mercury releases from households are summarized in Table 5 and Figure 6.

The following occurrences or uses of mercury are included in the estimate of presence/use of mercury in households:

  • automobile switches
  • batteries
  • chest freezers
  • dental amalgams
  • fluorescent lamps
  • gas-pilot ranges
  • light switches
  • thermometers
  • thermostats
  • washing machines

Mercury presence/use in households is summarized in Table 6 and Figure 7.

 

Table 5 - Annual Mercury Releases from Household
Sector Amount
(pounds)		 Percent
of Total
Electricity Consumption 122 32%
Thermostats 70 18%
Switches - Automotive 45 12%
Wastewater Discharges 40 10%
Oil Combustion 33 9%
Gasoline Combustion 30 8%
Batteries 28 7%
Fluorescent Lamps 7 2%
Dental Amalgams 4 1%
Switches - Appliances 4 1%
TOTAL HOUSEHOLD RELEASES 383 100%

figure6.jpg (20902 bytes)

 

Table 6 - Presence/Use of Mercury in Household
Sector Amount
(pounds)		 Percent
of Total
Thermostats 2095 47%
Dental Amalgams 942 21%
Lightening Switches 631 14%
Switches - Automobile 446 10%
Thermometers 210 5%
Switches - Appliances 109 2%
Batteries 28 1%
Fluorescent Lamps 21 <1%
TOTAL PRESENCE/USE 4483 100%


figure7.jpg (18284 bytes)

 

Household Release and Presence/Use documents available here as an Adobe Portable Document File, (490Kb)

 

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, available as a free download, to view some of the files in this site. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

 
Begin Site Footer

EPA Home | Privacy and Security Notice | Contact Us