Law Prevents Mercury Thermostats from Polluting Rhode Island's Environment 

• In 2005, Rhode Island banned the sale of thermostats that contain mercury. However, remaining thermostats in Rhode Island homes contain over 3,600 pounds of mercury.
• Mercury is highly toxic and persistent element and even a small quantity can cause serious health and ecological problems.
• Mercury containing thermostats release mercury into the environment when they are handled or disposed haphazardly.
• A single gram of mercury is enough to contaminate all of the fish in a 20-acre lake, making them unsafe to eat.
• Each traditional thermostat contains 3-5 grams of mercury

Most Rhode Islanders have a mercury thermostat in their home. Of the 665,000 thermostats in Rhode Island homes, there are 552,500 mercury thermostats. Since approximately 3% of those get replaced annually, over 120 pounds of mercury could be released to the environment each year.

Children and Pregnant Women at Risk from Mercury Pollution

• Exposure to mercury even at a low level causes damage to the functioning and development of the nervous system both in utero and in growing children.
• Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency estimate that 1 in 6 women of childbearing age in the United States have unsafe mercury levels in their bodies.
• This translates to over 630,000 babies born at risk for mercury exposure each year.

The Mercury Thermostat Pollution Prevention Act

In 2010, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed the Mercury Thermostat Pollution Prevention Act in the Senate (S2353A) and the House (H7199A). 

The law also requires all HVAC wholesale distributors with facilities in Rhode Island to act as a collection point for waste mercury thermostats as of February 1, 2011. 

The Rhode Island thermostat collection law is supported by manufacturers, state agencies and environmental groups including Honeywell, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management, the Rhode Island Department of Health, Clean Water Action, and the Audubon Society of Rhode Island. 

By passing this law, the General Assembly took a critical step to prevent mercury pollution from thermostats and to protect the health and development of our children. This law will prevent significant public health and environmental problems by stopping hundreds of pounds of mercury from being released to Rhode Island's air, soil and water. 

What You Can Do 

Make the Switch to a Mercury-Free Thermostat

Installing an efficient, mercury-free thermostat in your home will help save your budget and help protect the environment. National Grid offers their customers that heat with natural gas a rebate for purchasing EnergyStar thermostats of $25 each for up to 2 thermostats per household. Go to ThinkSmartThinkGreen.com for more information.

Recycle Your Old Thermostat

Need to recycle an old mercury thermostat? Go to the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation for information about the EcoDepot's upcoming collection dates.

Wholesalers Sign Up

If you are an HVAC wholesaler, contact the Thermostats Recycling Corporation to order your collection container.