Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/149372
Understanding Mercury Chemical of the Quarter byENSELIZABETH TATUM U.S. Coast Guard Academy 90 What is it? Mercuryistheonlymetalthatexistsasaliquidat roomtemperature.Itisheavy,anditssilverydrops haveahighsurfacetension.Mercuryservesmany purposes;metallicmercuryisfoundinsomehouseholditemssuchasthermometers,andorganicmercuryisusedasapreservativeandfungicideforseeds, wood,paperproducts,andlatexpaint. How is it shipped? Mercuryisshippedinclosedfreightcontainersor transportvehicles.Whenshippedinitsliquidform, mercurymusthaveavaporpressureoflessthanor equalto110kilopascalsat50degreesCelsius. Productssuchasbarometers,thermostats,electricalswitches,andlightbulbscontainthemorecommonlyshippedformofmercury.Whiletransporting mercury-containingmaterial,companiesaretoplace theproductsinalargercontainerwithatight-f tting lid, surrounded with oil-absorbing material. This containershouldbeclearlylabeledas"Mercury o —D NotOpen,"andplacedinacardboardboxawayfrom humansoranimals. Why should I care? Shipping concerns Mercuryishighlyvolatileandvaporizeseasily,which makes shipping regulation especially important, sincesmalldropletscansticktoshoes,adheretodust, embedincarpets,godowndrains,andevendissolve intojewelry.Onceintroducedtotheenvironment, mercurywillpersistsinceitisnon-biodegradable. Health concerns People are exposed to mercury through multiple meansincludinginhalation,ingestion,andabsorptionthroughskin.Metallicmercuryabsorbsslowly throughtheskin,whileliquidmercuryisnothighly absorbedwhenswallowed. Proceedings Summer 2013 Thehealthrisksassociatedwithexposuretomercury canrangefromdamagetothenervoussystemtosimplechills.Inhalingmercuryvaporsishighlydangerousandcancauselungdamage.Neurologicaleffects, chesttightness,bronchitis,nausea,vomiting,bleedinggums,andskinrashesmayalsooccurafteracute high-concentrationcontact.Chroniccontactwithlow concentrationsofmercurymostcommonlyaffectsthe nervoussystemandkidneys—t hiswouldresultin symptomssuchasburningsensationsinlegsandfeet, bloodinurine,andpersonalitychanges. What is the Coast Guard doing about it? MercuryislistedasaClass8hazardduringtransport,duetoitscorrosivenature.Asaresult,theCoast Guardrequiresallocean-goingvesselstotransportit asapackagedhazardousmaterialinaccordancewith 49CFR173. Mercury Export Ban Act of 2008 TheMercuryExportBanAct,signedintolawin2008, willsignif cantlyreducetheamountofmercuryon theglobalmarket,sincetheUnitedStatesisoneofthe world'stopexporters.Theact,whichtakeseffecton January1,2013,containsprovisionsregardinglongtermstorageandprohibitsU.S.federalagenciesfrom selling,distributing,orexportingelementalmercury. About the author: ENS Elizabeth Tatum graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in May 2012. She has a B.S. in marine environmental science with an emphasis in chemistry and biology. She is assigned to CGC Morgenthauin Honolulu, Hawaii. Bibliography: Wisconsin Department of Health Services. Available at www.dhs. wisconsin.gov/eh/chemfs/fs/mercury.htm. EnvironmentalComplianceforAutomotiveRecyclers.Availableatwww. ecarcenter.org/me/me-mercury.htm#regs. UnitedStatesEnvironmentalProtectionAgency.Availableatwww.epa. gov/hg/regs.htm. The Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. Available at http://ecfr. gpoaccess.gov. www.uscg.mil/proceedings