Australia's Science Forum

Have had a lot of mercury thermometers stored away but due to refurbishing need to finally get rid of them. Any suggestions?

Check RiskAssess. Professional disposal. Mercury is a bioaccumulator and incredibly toxic.

I don't have access to risk assess so are you able to share what their disposal instructions are?

I'd call a chemical waste disposal company. Not something we can deal with ourselves. You can store them in your chem store for your next chemical waste collection but personally, I would be getting rid of them asap. I hate having the things around.

Disposal
Retain for collection and recycling by a waste service. Do not place in the garbage or pour down the drain. Small quantities of mercury (<1 mL) may be mixed with 100 times the volume of sulfur powder in a plastic container, placed in a secondary plastic container filled with sulfur, then placed in the garbage.
Also, fatal if inhaled.

We are keeping ours, they are locked away in the chem store but they measure much higher temps than our alcohol ones can.

That said, they haven't been used on the last 6 years or more. But I know the minute I dispose of them we will need them for something.

I bought some kerosene thermometers - apparently a safer alternative to mercury. Only problem was, they don't fit in the Quickfit kits so will try again. Kerosene isn't great but a whole lot easier to deal with than mercury in the event of a spill.

Update: I just checked them and with a bit of modification (different sized O ring) they will fit.

I bought the thermometers from Aim Scientific.

But mercury was so fun to play with many years ago.... Nothing wrong with me

We still have a few in the drawer - they have not been used in the 18years I have been here.

LOL , I remember as a kid squeezing watch batteries in a vice to get the mercury to play with .Dad was a Watchmaker and I was a bored kid after school .

Anyway , I digress , we also have a few dozen of them in the Chem storeroom too .Safe place as any I figure .

I have gotten rid of all of our 110 degree mercury thermometers (except those that pop up in unexpected places) and also the clinical thermometers. I have kept the thermometers that measured up to 360 degrees Celsius and also some that are 250 degrees Celsius. The thermometers are used with the Quikfit equipment. I keep on hand sulfur powder for cleaning up breakages. I don't bin the sulfur/mercury compound but save it also for chemical disposal. We use Veolia for our chemical waste disposal.
It would be healthier not to have these thermometers around but until we have a substitute that does the same job we are stuck with them.

We have disposed of all ours on site...they should have been gone 10 years ago, I keep finding stashes from the last lab techs...naughty naughty

They are more accurate than alcohol ones. I have kept a few up to 200 degrees and the 0 to 50 degrees. I think we have many dangerous chemicals in our charge and correct handling and disposal is critical. If you want analytical, under supervision only thermometers, then correct storage in a container with a lid, properly labelled, and with a mercury spill kit is best practise. And dont eat flake.