In Oregon , scrapped cars cause an estimated 260 pounds of mercury pollution each year. A single auto mercury switch contains one gram of mercury, roughly equivalent to the amount of mercury found in a household fever thermometer. In total about 175 to 200 metric tons of mercury are in vehicles on the road today - across the nation. Just one gram of mercury can contaminate a 20-acre lake so that the fish are unsafe to eat. The Oregon Health Division has issued fish consumption advisories for eleven bodies of water, including the entire mainstream of the Willamette River , due to mercury contamination.

The goal of the Mercury Switch Out program is to eliminate mercury from vehicles before it is released into the environment when vehicles are scrapped. This can be easily accomplished by replacing the mercury switches found in convenience lighting under hood and trunk lids with non-mercury (ball bearing) switches.

History:

In the early 1990's the automotive industry recognized the concern over mercury and began a voluntary process to reduce the amount of mercury used in manufacturing motor vehicles. At that time approximately 50 different applications containing mercury were used on an automobile with mercury convenience light switches the first to be phased out – however, in 1995 convenience light switches remained responsible for 87 percent of the mercury use in automobiles.

Today automakers are still using mercury despite the availability of practical and effective alternatives; automakers have yet to produce a mercury free vehicle as promised over a decade ago. In fact, mercury use has increased in other applications such as antilock brakes.

In Oregon , Resolution HB3007 was passed with bipartisan support in May 2001. This law has three major components: 1) establishes a voluntary mercury auto switch replacement program, 2) prohibits the sale of cars in Oregon after 2006 that contain mercury, 3) requires mercury auto switches be removed before cars are crushed.

Before the first hearing of HB3007, NATA's Board of Directors believed there was sufficient evidence that auto switch replacement programs for auto repair and collision facilities as well as removal programs for auto recyclers would reduce the amount of mercury pollution in the nation's waterways. It was for this reason that NATA decided to develop a voluntary switch out program in Oregon . However, the program needed the expertise of the Oregon Environmental Council and the Department of Environmental Quality to ensure all disposal and handling issues were addressed properly. The program was launched in November, 2001.

The goal of the Mercury Switch Out program is to eliminate mercury from vehicles before it is released into the environment when vehicles are scrapped. This can be easily accomplished by replacing the mercury switches found in convenience lighting under hood and trunk lids with non-mercury (ball bearing) switches.

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Here's how the program works:

The program is open to all facilities in Oregon , Idaho and SW Washington that elect to participate in the program. They are provided with a list of vehicles that contain mercury in the hood and trunk lighting assembly. Technicians remove two screws and one snap on connector to free the existing lighting assembly. The mercury ball bearing is then replaced with a non-toxic ball bearing switch that takes less than five minutes to replace. Thousands of these switches have already been successfully replaced without incident or complaints of malfunction. Shops perform the “Switch out” at no charge to the customer. Locations of mercury auto switches.

It is important for motorists to first contact a participating facility to schedule the “switch out” service. Some shops will routinely perform the service during the car's regular maintenance or an unrelated mechanical or collision repair. A grant from the Oregon Environmental Council issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made it possible to purchase the initial replacement switches at a reduced cost therefore participating shops are issued the ball bearing replacements free of charge.

In addition to the switch replacement, the Port of Portland created the first brochure that shops used to inform motorists about the impact mercury has on the public's health and the environment. Local business groups, vehicle emission testing centers and retail centers among others have served as distribution centers for the brochure. AAA Oregon/Idaho came on as a partner in August 2002 and then published the second consumer education brochure in January 2003.

Shops store the mercury switches in sealed containers provided free of charge. The container holds one pound of mercury or 300 switches. AJ's Auto Repair (NATA State Board Member) built and donated the receptacles to all participating shops.

Shops may use the Household Hazardous Waste events to dispose of the mercury or they can have private recycling services pick up the mercury for less that $15 per pound. Metro will pick up and recycle the mercury free of charge for shops in the Portland Metro area.

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Auto Recycling (Wrecking/Salvage Yards) Program

Auto scrap and salvage yards have been identified as one of the twelve major sources of mercury pollution. In Oregon , scrapped cars cause an estimated 260 pounds of mercury pollution each year and one auto mercury switch contains one gram of mercury, roughly equivalent to the amount of mercury found in a household fever thermometer. Just one gram of mercury can contaminate a 20-acre lake so that the fish are unsafe to eat. In total about 175 to 200 metric tons of mercury are in vehicles on the road today - across the nation. The bulk of mercury releases occur when scrapped autos contaminate steel that then is melted in electric arc furnaces (EAF). In Oregon there are two such steel mills with EAF's – Cascade Steel in McMinnville and Oregon Steel in Portland .

In addition to the voluntary program for auto repair and collision facilities NATA has worked with the auto recycling segment of the industry and Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to develop a fact sheet to help auto recyclers understand their legal responsibility as well as their disposal options. NATA has communicated with over 375-licensed auto recyclers in the state through several direct mailings. NATA has also conducted informal workshops to educate auto recyclers about the new legal requirement. Fortunately a grant through a local solid waste company will accept up to 10 gallons of mercury at no charge for auto recyclers, which helps to offset their cost of compliance.  

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Frequently Asked Questions:

Q. What Cars contain mercury?
A. Click here for the List of Cars that contain Mercury Switches.

Q. How are the switches replaced?
A. A qualified technician removes two screws and one snap on connector to free the existing lighting assembly. It takes less than two minutes to install the ball bearing replacement.

Q. Will the switch change damage my car?
A. No. Hundreds of these switches have been successfully replaced without incident or complaints of malfunction. General Motors has also been using the identical ball-bearing replacement switch in newer vehicles.

Q. How many switches will be collected through the program?
A. The program goal is to collect 10,000 switches from 25,000 cars (2 per car, trunk & hood lids) resulting in twenty pounds of mercury waste that will be recycled.

Q. What will happen to the mercury after it is collected?
A. The mercury auto switches collected from the program will be sent to an appropriate recycling facility. 

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