Sources and Alternatives - Commercial Sources

Humans have been taking advantage of mercury’s unique properties by using the element in the production of many products and energy. However, efficient mercury-free alternatives exist to almost all uses of mercury. When replacing a mercury product please recycle the mercury and buy a new non-mercury replacement.

Listed below are some of the most commonly used mercury products. For a more complete list of products which contain mercury, see the Mercury Use tree [PDF 72KB].

Sources	Alternatives
Fluorescent light bulbs	There is not an alternative as energy-efficient at this time
Switches (lights, safety)	Ball bearing or mechanical
Thermostats	Electronic or snap-action
Lab thermometers	Alcohol
Barometers	Digital/Aneriod
Manometer	Digital/Aneroid
Medical fever thermometers	Digital
Sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff)	Digital/Aneriod
Vaccines containing thimerosol	Thimerosot-free vaccines
Dental mercury amalgam	Gold, composites
Paints	Latex paint made after 1990
Pesticides/fungicides	Any product after 1995

This table is taken from a computer model prepared for WDNR by the Barr Engineering Company of Minneapolis, MN. These numbers are estimates based on the best information available.

Footnotes
[1] Automobile switches and thermostats are subsets of "relays and switches".
[2] Fever thermometers are included in "measurement and control devices".

Electric Utility Mercury Air Emissions in Wisconsin

There are four major electric utility companies in Wisconsin. Together, they emit approximately 2,400 pounds of mercury annually to the air based on the five year period between 1997 and 2001.