| Buying a mercury-filled thermometer won't soon be as easy as stopping by the corner store. On Jan. 1, items containing mercury, such as fever thermometers, gauges, thermostats and even jewelry and novelty items will be illegal to sell in Washington.
In a law passed in 2003, the Washington state Legislature took major steps toward limiting mercury's effects on human health and reducing mercury contamination in the environment. The state departments of Ecology and Health were tasked with educating the public and enforcing the new law.
Since the spring, Ecology and Health officials have worked with retail and trade associations in Washington to get the word out to store owners.
Mercury is a known toxic material that builds up in body tissue. Exposure can lead to learning disabilities and damage to the heart and blood vessels in unborn fetuses and young children. In adults, exposure to mercury may result in problems in the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. The main source of mercury exposure is through consumption of fish.
Products such as thermometers are not dangerous intact. The problem arises with breakage and the resulting contamination.
"This ban is important, not because the products are harmful in themselves, but because mercury in the environment, either accidentally spilled or released when an item is discarded into a landfill, can move up the food chain and affect humans," said Miles Kuntz, Ecology's mercury-products ban coordinator.
Some mercury-containing products will not be part of the ban, including fluorescent bulbs and batteries. Fluorescent bulbs are not illegal to sell, but the mercury law required that the bulbs be clearly labeled as mercury-containing since 2004.
The Legislature directed Ecology to enforce the law, which allows for a $1,000 fine for the first offense and $5,000 for a repeat violation.
Retailers who want more information on the ban should call Kuntz at the Department of Ecology, (360) 407-6748. | 
