 | | |  EYE LIGHTING INTERNATIONAL
OF NORTH AMERICA, INC.
A SUBSIDIARY OF IWASAKI ELECTRIC CO., LTD |
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Information on Mercury |
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| In its 1997 mercury study report to Congress, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that mercury may pose a risk to some adults and wildlife populations that consume large amounts of fish that is contaminated by mercury. |
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| Mercury is not released into the environment by operating a lamp. The only opportunity for mercury to release into the air is if the arc tube within the lamp is broken. This usually occurs when lamps are thrown in dumpsters or garbage trucks. Improperly disposing large quantities of lamps will add to the global mercury content in the environment. Burning hazardous wastes, or incineration of disposed materials can also release mercury into the environment. |
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| The EPA’s goal is to raise the national recycling rate for lamps containing mercury from the current 20 percent recycling rate to 40 percent by 2005, and 80 percent by 2009. www.lamprecycle.org, sponsored by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), encourages the recycling of spent mercury-containing lamps and maintains a list of companies that recycle lamps. |
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