Mercury-containing equipment

• Commonly recognized devices of mercury-containing equipment include thermostats, barometers, manometers, temperature and pressure gauges, and mercury switches.

40 CFR 273.9 defines mercury-containing equipment as a device or part of a device (including thermostats but excluding batteries and lamps) that contains elemental mercury integral to its function.

Some mercury-containing equipment meets the above definition but is not universal waste. These include:

• Equipment or devices from which the mercury-containing components have been removed;
• Mercury-containing equipment that is not waste because it has not been discarded; and
• Mercury-containing equipment that is not hazardous waste.

Some commonly recognized devices are:

• Thermostats;
• Barometers;
• Manometers;
• Temperature and pressure gauges; and
• Mercury switches, such as light switches in automobiles.

Care should be taken not to break ampules of mercury and a clean-up system should be readily available to immediately transfer any mercury resulting from spills or leaks from broken ampules to an intact container.