DOH: Bring thermometers with mercury to hospitals for disposal

Household thermometers and other medical devices containing mercury should be brought to government hospitals for proper disposal, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said on Saturday. She said they are already phasing out mercury-containing medical equipment such as thermometers and blood-pressure measuring devices. “We are advising households to bring these devices to government hospitals so we can dispose of them properly," she said in an interview on dzBB radio. Thermometers usually contain half a gram of mercury while blood-pressure apparatuses contain about 50 grams, she said. As part of the drive to phase out medical devises with mercury, Cabral said that the Health Department denying permits to import such items into the country. But she also urged the Environment Department to help in enforcing this policy. The US Environmental Protection Agency said methyl mercury has health effects on fetuses, infants, and children, including impaired neurological development. Elemental (metallic) mercury primarily causes health effects when it is breathed as a vapor where it can be absorbed through the lungs. These exposures can occur when elemental mercury is spilled or products that contain elemental mercury break and expose mercury to the air, particularly in warm or poorly-ventilated indoor spaces. Symptoms include tremors; emotional changes (e.g., mood swings, irritability, nervousness, excessive shyness); insomnia; neuromuscular changes (such as weakness, muscle atrophy, twitching); headaches; disturbances in sensations; changes in nerve responses; performance deficits on tests of cognitive function. At higher exposures there may be kidney effects, respiratory failure and death. High exposures to inorganic mercury may result in damage to the gastrointestinal tract, the nervous system, and the kidneys. Symptoms of high exposures to inorganic mercury include: skin rashes and dermatitis; mood swings; memory loss; mental disturbances; and muscle weakness. — LBG, GMANews.TV