In the United States, the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act (the Battery Act) (Public law
104-142)
Full text of the Act
at the EPA was signed into law on May 13, 1996. The purpose of the law was to phase out the use of mercury in batteries and to provide for the efficient and cost-effective collection and recycling
Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...
, or proper disposal, of used nickel cadmium batteries, small sealed lead-acid batteries, and certain other batteries.
Effect
The intended objective of the Act was a reduction of heavy metals in municipal waste and in streams and ground water that resulted from the disposal of:
* Mercury in single-use (primary cell
A primary battery or primary cell is a battery (a galvanic cell) that is designed to be used once and discarded, and it is not rechargeable unlike a secondary cell ( rechargeable battery). In general, the electrochemical reaction occurring in ...
) batteries
* Toxic metal
A metal () is a material that, when polished or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electrical resistivity and conductivity, electricity and thermal conductivity, heat relatively well. These properties are all associated wit ...
content such as lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
from lead-acid batteries and the cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12 element, group 12, zinc and mercury (element), mercury. Like z ...
in rechargeable batteries
A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...
, namely Ni-Cads
The sale of the first of these was banned (with the exception of the allowance of up to 25 mg of mercury per button cell
A button cell, watch battery, or coin battery is a small battery made of a single electrochemical cell and shaped as a squat cylinder typically in diameter and high – resembling a button. Stainless steel usually forms the bottom body and ...
) and the second family of products was given specific labeling and disposal requirements.
As a result, most retailers who sell rechargeable and other special batteries will take the old ones back for free recycling and safe disposal. The not-for-profit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), used by most retailers, reclaims the metals within the old batteries to make new products such as batteries (mercury, cadmium, lead) and stainless steel
Stainless steel, also known as inox, corrosion-resistant steel (CRES), or rustless steel, is an iron-based alloy that contains chromium, making it resistant to rust and corrosion. Stainless steel's resistance to corrosion comes from its chromi ...
(nickel
Nickel is a chemical element; it has symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive, but large pieces are slo ...
).
See also
* Got Mercury?, a United States public awareness campaign about levels of the element mercury in seafood
* Methylmercury
Methylmercury is an organometallic cation with the formula . It is the simplest organomercury compound. Methylmercury is extremely toxic, and its derivatives are the major source of organic mercury for humans. It is a bioaccumulative environment ...
* Mercury poisoning
Mercury poisoning is a type of metal poisoning due to exposure to mercury. Symptoms depend upon the type, dose, method, and duration of exposure. They may include muscle weakness, poor coordination, numbness in the hands and feet, skin rashe ...
, a disease caused by exposure to the element mercury or its toxic compounds
* Mercury regulation in the United States
* Mercury vacuum, a vacuum cleaner specifically designed to collect spills and vapors of the element mercury
* Minamata disease
is a neurological disease caused by severe mercury poisoning. Signs and symptoms include ataxia, numbness in the hands and feet, general muscle weakness, loss of peripheral vision, and damage to hearing and speech. In extreme cases, insanity, ...
, industrial mercury pollution
* Niigata Minamata disease, industrial mercury pollution
References
External links
Full text
at the EPA
Implementation brochure
Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation
{{US Environmental law
United States federal environmental legislation
Acts of the 104th United States Congress
Electronic waste in the United States
Mercury control
1996 in the environment