Mercury in Schools

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Mercury in Schools

• Steve Brachman
• Steve Skavroneck
• Al Stenstrup
• Mary Thiry

www.mercuryinschools.uwex.edu
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Mercury inSchools Project

• Started in Wisconsin and Region 5
• Expanding nationally with new features
• Revised web site
• www.mercuryinschools.uwex.edu
• New and improved curriculum
• Online course
• Email us at mercuryk12_at_uwm.edu
• Hispanic information
• CD for school administrators

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JeopardyMercury

• 100
• 200
• 300
• 400
• 500

• Hg
• Madhatters used Hg with this type of material
• The burning of this fossil fuel releases Hg into
  the air
• Women of child bearing age and children are the
  targets of these
• These have resulted in building closures, health
  screenings, expensive cleanups and parent
  lawsuits across the country.

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Environmental Issues
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Health Impacts
Mercury bioaccumulates from the bottom to the top
of the food chain
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Sources of Mercury

• Historical
• Current usages
• Cultural uses

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Historical Uses

• The Ancients
• The Middle Ages
• In Medicine
• Industrial

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Uses of Mercury
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Cultural Uses

• Botanicas
• Statues and icons
• Natural herbs
• Folk remedies
• Amulets rosaries
• Sold
• 0.5 mL (6.5 grams)
• 1 mL
• Varying amulets

• Ritual Use
• Good luck, acquire money, love, control others,
  healing
• Sprinkled around home, burned in candles,
  cleaning water, rubbed onto skin, ingested, and
  carried on person

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Why schools?

• Liability
• Clean up costs
• Parental lawsuits
• Staff and student exposure
• Demolition/renovation
• Kids and teachers working together
• Lessons for home and the community
• Doable

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Educational Foundations

• Interdisciplinary
• Connected to national academic standards
• Leads students from Awareness to Action
• Community-based investigations and projects
• Based on Constructivist Theory of Learning

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Current Mercury Curriculum Activities

•  Mercury IQ
• Case study
•  School mercury audit
• Home mercury audit
•  Trade-offs exercise

• Hg in the Food Chain
•  Mercury in fish
• Mercury through the Ages
• A local survey
• Community Action Project

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1. MERCURY IQ

• Background information on health and
  environmental issues, cultural uses of mercury
• Connections to national academic standards
• Short quiz about mercury to see what students know

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2. Case Study of Mercury Contamination in a School

• Students are provided with the Michigan mercury
  case study and some additional information on
  health effects.
• A series of questions is provided for the teacher
  to stimulate discussion.

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3. School Mercury Audit

• Students conduct a mercury inventory of their
  school or another school in the area.
• Guidance on what to look for and questions to ask
  are provided.
• Possible actions for dealing with mercury
  products found in the school are provided.
• A reporting form is also included.
• This could be a good opportunity to take
  advantage of a free recycling program.

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4. Mercury at Home

• Very similar to the school audit.
• Students conduct a home mercury inventory. A
  chart showing what to look for and where is
  provided.
• A reporting form is also included.
• Disposal requirements, recycling and household
  hazardous waste disposal are also discussed.

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Mercury Reduction Legislative Trends

• National/regional mercury model legislation
• Local, community-based approaches

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Mercury Education and Reduction Model Legislation

• Developed by the New England Waste Management
  Officials Association
• Objectives
• Eliminate non-essential mercury uses
• Reduce by 2003 overall amounts of
  mercury-containing waste

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Key Components

• Manufacturer notification
• Interstate Clearinghouse
• Bans on frivolous use products
• Phase-out and Exemptions - 1g gt 10 milligrams
• Labeling
• Disposal ban

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Key Components (cont.)

• Collection
• Disclosure requirements for health care
  facilities
• Control on sale of elemental mercury
• Public education and outreach
• Universal waste rule adoption regionally
• State procurement - financial incentives

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School Specific Legislation

• Michigans ban Senate Bill 1262
• Passed
• Amended to include private schools with a ban by
  2004.
• Duluths (and many other cities) local ban
• Proposed legislation in Indiana, NH, MA, CA

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Local Approaches

• Milwaukee and Dane County, WI
• Based upon source analysis
• Prioritizing by community critical

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Dane County Key Components

• Product Specific Programs
• Thermometer ban
• Fluorescent light education program
• Thermostats voluntary sale ban collection
  promotion
• Dairy manometers outreach
• Auto switches DNR grant program
• Appliance switches - more research

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Dane County (cont.)

• Miscellaneous uses research e.g., gas meters
• Facility specific programs
• Medical facilities outreach
• Dentists
• Schools
• Demolition and remodeling contractors

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5. Trade-Offs Exercise

• Students examine the pros and cons of
  incandescent vs. fluorescent bulbs.
• They examine energy use, mercury emissions and
  cost.
• They present their recommendations as to which to
  use and why.

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6. Mercury In The Food Chain

• Enhances understanding of food webs, nutrient
  cycles and bioaccumulation and their interactions
• Students create a food web for a water body
• Physical demonstration of bioaccumulation

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7. Atmospheric Mercury

• Students are provided background information on
  sources of mercury.
• They are also provided a series of fact sheets
  information on air deposition. bioaccumulation.
• A map can be used to identify contaminated bodies
  of water.
• Students are asked to analyze different factors
  that may impact which water bodies.
• Students may discuss fish advisory fact sheets
  and the like.

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Advisory for Specific Waters

• Eating no more than one meal (1/2 pound) per week
  of fish from any freshwater, the Hudson River
  estuary, Upper Bay of New York Harbor (north of
  Verrazano Narrows Bridge), Arthur Kill, Kill Van
  Kull, East River to the Throgs Neck Bridge and
  Harlem River, except as recommended below.
• Women of childbearing age, infants, and children
  under the age of 15 should not eat any fish
  species from waters listed below.
• Following trimming and cooking advice.

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8. Mercury Through The Ages

• History of mercury use is provided
• Unique properties of mercury are presented
• Students relate the unique properties to the
  historical uses and offer ideas for non-mercury
  alternatives

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9. Local Survey About Mercury

• Students design and conduct a community survey
  about mercury.
• A sample is provided in the package or they can
  develop their own.
• They also develop a plan for communicating the
  results of the survey to the participants.

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10. Community Action Projects

• Students develop a set of recommendations for
  their community concerning mercury.
• Options include educating people in the community
  about mercury and how to handle it, store it and
  clean up spills.
• Several possible projects are provided.
• Several Internet sources are also provided.

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Using the internet

• Wide variety of resources
• Can be used to create own web pages, programs, or
  fact sheets
• Start with EPA as a source of unbiased, credible
  information.

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Contact Us

• Mercury-k12_at_uwm.edu
• www.mercuryinschools.uwex.edu