Public Health and Environment
Product Recalls and Bans
Mercury Thermometers
In April 2001, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura signed legislation that will all but eliminate the sales and distribution of thermometers that contain mercury. This is a wonderful step for the future; however, existing mercury thermometers already in homes require special attention.
Inappropriate disposal of thermometers and other mercury-containing products is a major source of mercury emissions to the environment. Once mercury enters the environment, microorganisms in lakes and rivers convert it to the more toxic methylmercury, where it affects fish and wildlife.
Mercury can cause neurological damage, affecting the way we think, see, hear, smell, taste and touch. Most human exposure to mercury comes through eating fish. Pregnant women, women of childbearing age, and young children are particularly at risk from mercury exposure. The National Academy of Sciences noted in a recent report that more than 60,000 children annually may be at risk for learning disabilities because of mercury-contaminated fish eaten by their mothers during pregnancy. More than 90 percent of Minnesota lakes and rivers have been tested positive for mercury contamination. For more information on mercury and family health, check out the
Health Care Without Harm
web site. Health Care Without Harm is an international coalition of more than 300 member-organizations working internationally in 29 countries to transform the health care industry so that it is no longer a source of environmental harm.
Each fever thermometer contains approximately one gram of mercury, which may not seem like much. But collectively, thermometers are a significant source, and it doesn't take much mercury to contaminate fish. The current levels of fish contamination are caused by air deposition of one gram of mercury per 20 acres of water.
Nationwide, mercury fever thermometers contribute 17 tons of mercury to the solid waste stream annually. Some cooking thermometers and indoor/outdoor thermometers contain the toxic metal; these thermometers are also restricted under the Minnesota law.
Disposable Lighters
In April 2001, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of 13 million disposable lighters due to faulty child-resistant mechanisms. The lighters, which have "BODA-BING," "GIL," "HAPPY," or "WAX" stamped on both sides of the metal tops and are marked "Made in China," were sold in convenience, drug and discount stores nationwide. The lighters were sold in various colors from January 1998 through February 2001 at a cost of approximately $1 each.
The Commission is warning consumers to stop using the lighters and return them to the place of purchase for a refund. Because the lighters contain butane (a flammable liquid), they are considered a hazardous waste and should not be disposed of with regular trash. Residents are encouraged to return them in person to the retailer for refunds.
The recall came in conjunction with the commission’s new campaign to dispose of products that could pose a fire hazard in the home. Among the items in the commission’s recall roundup are disposable lighters made before childproof mechanisms were mandatory, frayed extension cords, and recalled toasters and lights. The Commission reports that each year, more than 3,000 people die and 16,000 are injured because of fires that start in homes. The fires result in property losses of approximately $4 billion.
For more information about this product recall, inquire on the
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
web site.
If residents are unable to return their lighters to the retailer, they will be accepted at the Washington County Household Hazardous Waste Facility during normal hours of operation. The Facility is located at 4039 Cottage Grove Drive in Woodbury. For information on other products accepted at the Household Hazardous Waste Facility, disposal information or driving directions, call 651-430-6770.
Dursban
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced an agreement with the manufacturer of Dursban to eliminate the pesticide for nearly all household purposes. This insecticide, also known as chlorpyrifos, is one of the most common ingredients in home, lawn and garden bug killers. Dursban has been widely used for more than 30 years in agriculture and in products used by exterminators and homeowners. The agreement halted the manufacture of Dursban by December 2000 for residential uses. It also required that all of the residential uses be deleted from existing product labels prior to that time.
The pesticide sales and use ban was primarily due to concerns for human health effects, especially the potential effects on children. The EPA found that chlorpyrifos causes weakness, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms in children. Children and adults can be exposed when the chemical is applied in a yard or building and through residues on fruits or other foods.
Among the hundreds of products containing Dursban are: Black Flag Liquid Roach and Ant Killer, Black Flag Roach Control System, Ortho Home Pest Insect Control, Ortho Lawn Insect Spray, Scotts Proturf Insect Control Plus Fertilizer, Sergeant's Fast-Acting Flea & Tick Collar for Dogs, Sergeant's Flea + Tick Collar, Hartz 330 Day Flea & Tick Collar for Dogs, Raid Ant Controller, Raid Home Insect killer Formula II, Raid Liquid Roach & Ant Killer Formula I and Raid Max Roach Bait III.
Some large retail stores are taking steps in reaction to the ban. Wal-Mart will stop selling products with Dursban at the end of October 2000, and Home Depot has planned to post signs identifying alternatives.
What should people do with their current supply of Dursban products?
Homeowners can take the products to the Washington County Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Oakdale.
Businesses should arrange to send the products back to their supplier.
**It is VERY important that people do not pour this chemical down the drain or put in the trash.** EPA advises consumers that short term use of these products, according to label instructions, does not pose an imminent risk.
Alternatives do exist to use in place of Dursban. Switching to a non-chemical or the least toxic chemical control method is best. Practical information on such pest control methods (generally known as "integrated pest management") is available on many web sites. Here are a few especially good and practical sources for homes and urban businesses:
http://www.centralsan.org/education/ipm/hgonlineguide.html
http://sfgov.org/sfenvironment/aboutus/toxics/pest_list.htm
and the University of Minnesota Extension Office's Yard and Garden line at 1-888-624-4771. Switching to another chemical is not a great idea – most of the alternatives have not yet been reviewed by EPA for effects on children's health and on water quality and may be banned in the future.
Contact Washington County's Department of Public Health and Environment at 651-430-6655 for more information.
Diazinon
In December 2000, the Environmental Protection Agency reached an agreement for the phase-out of the widely used pesticide called diazinon because of its potential health risks to children. The chemical, used in household ant and roach sprays and in a wide range of garden and lawn sprays, is among a class of chemicals which attack the nervous system and are believed to pose special threats to children, even at low doses.
The insecticide is commonly found on the shelves of hardware and lawn and garden shops under trade names such as Ortho, Spectracide and Real-Kill.
Diazinon is one of 45 pesticides known as organophosphates, which have been under special review by the EPA for more than four years because of their potential health effects on children, including their impact on neural development. It is one of several widely used pesticides that the EPA has restricted or banned as part of its review of organophosphates. In June 2000, the EPA, also citing health risks to children, banned the chemical chlorpyrifos for use in gardens and homes. Chlorpyrifos for decades was widely used under the trade name Dursban in everything from flea collars to bug spray for gardens and lawns.
Washington County parents and other residents who find they have household products containing diazinon or chlorpyrifos can dispose of them at the Washington County Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Woodbury during normal hours of operation. The facility is at 4039 Cottage Grove Drive.
If these products cannot be brought to the collection facility soon, the products should be sealed in a plastic bag, labeled and placed in a safe place out of reach of children. Businesses should arrange to send the products back to their supplier.
For more information, please call 651-430-6655.
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