Mercury has been used to make a wide variety of products for hundreds of years. Some of these uses involved large amounts of mercury. Many outdated mercury products can still be found in homes, factories, schools, businesses, and other locations. Even though they are old, these products need to be handled safely to avoid breakage and potential for direct exposure to the mercury and properly disposed or recycled. However, the products were generally not labeled and there is little, if any, quality documentation of these past uses. The following “Mercury Legacy Products” webpages attempt to fill this gap by presenting the available information in one place.

"Legacy products" are those that may no longer be sold as a new product in most or all of the states in the US, but may still be in use, may be resold as a used or antique product, or may be stored in homes or businesses. Mercury legacy products may be subject to waste disposal restrictions because of their mercury content. Some states also restrict the re-sale of these products.

The Commercial and Consumer Products webpages provide information about the past and current uses of mercury-added legacy products and include photographs, descriptions of situations in which the products were used, the amount and location of mercury within the product, and guidance on proper handling, removal, and disposal.

This Project was supported by funding through a 2008 contract from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP). The products included on this website are only those affected by the Massachusetts Mercury Management Act. These pages do not include legacy products that with only a mercury-containing lamp or button-cell battery (e.g., many electronic products) and formulated mercury-added products (i.e., chemical products such as reagents and preservatives). There may be additional mercury-added legacy products about which there is little, if any, available and reliable information.

For more information, contact the IMERC Coordinator at imerc@newmoa.org.