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The Bellevue Hospital, working in cooperation with four other area hospital facilities, is announcing a mercury thermometer exchange event set for Saturday, Sept. 17, 2005 from 9 a.m. until Noon.

The Bellevue Hospital site will be a drive-through exchange. Residents are asked to drive around to the South Entrance of the hospital (facing U.S. 20), where mercury thermometers will be exchanged for a new digital thermometer (one per family). Mercury thermometers should be placed in a sealed Ziploc bag for proper handling. A $1 donation will be appreciated to help defray the cost of collection materials.

For decades the mercury-based fever thermometer has been used as a first step in caring for someone who feels sick. Ironically, this straw-size tube of glass with silvery-white liquid inside can actually be a health risk for families and communities.

Fever thermometers are a common source of mercury in local waste streams, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

In fact, the EPA estimates that fever thermometers containing approximately 17 tons of mercury are discarded annually in local landfills across the United States, making fever thermometers the single largest source of mercury in municipal solid waste.

 Exposure to mercury may cause a variety of health effects in people, with children and developing fetuses being particularly sensitive to its hazards.

“That’s why five local community hospitals are teaming up to make their communities and the families that reside within them safer by working to eliminate mercury in the form of mercury-based thermometers,” said Anne Shelley, executive director of Community Care 5.

“Through our work together as Community Care 5, The Bellevue Hospital, Firelands Regional Medical Center (Sandusky), Fisher-Titus Medical Center (Norwalk), Magruder Hospital (Port Clinton) and Memorial Hospital (Fremont) are organizing mercury thermometer exchanges for the communities they serve,” said Shelley.

The exchanges are scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 17 at each of the hospitals, said Shelley.

“Families will be asked to collect all mercury-based thermometers in their homes and bring them to collection sites in each community where the thermometers will be properly collected and disposed,” said Shelley. “Each family will receive a free digital thermometer from Community Care 5.”

Mercury does not degrade into something harmless once it mixes in air or water. In fact, mercury persists in the environment for long periods of time, and bio-accumulates in animals and humans, meaning its concentrations and harmful effects only increase as it moves up the food chain.

For this reason, the state department of health posts fish consumption advisories when tests show that fish are contaminated with mercury and may be unsafe to eat.

“If anyone has open mercury in their home, we advise them to call the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Bowling Green State University, 419-372-2173 for instructions on how and where to take the mercury,” she said. “BGSU has a well-established program to handle mercury and we have worked closely with them over the years.”

Through Community Care 5, the five locally-owned hospitals work together to enhance community health care while maintaining their individuality and independence.

CC5 enables the hospitals to collaborate on new business ventures, create efficiencies and pool resources to benefit all partners, secure high-tech services and recruit specialized physicians to the area that would not be feasible or justifiable for an individual hospital.

For information about the thermometer exchange program, phone The Bellevue Hospital at 419.483.4040, Ext. 4899.
 

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The Bellevue Hospital, 1400 W. Main Street - P O Box 8004, Bellevue, Ohio  44811-8004    419-483-4040
Last modified: 09/12/05