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Guide for Appliance Recyclers June 2004 <br />Does this guide apply only to discarded appliances? <br />Yes. Mercury switches should only be removed from major appliances that have been <br />discarded. After the mercury switch (es) has been removed, the appliance should be <br />disabled to prevent its future use. Continued use of some major appliances without a <br />properly operating switch or sensor, especially those in gas appliances, creates a safety <br />hazard. Also, of less importance, removing switches often requires damaging the <br />appliances, such as cracking the plastic top of a chest freezer to access the light switch. <br />Mercury switches must be removed before a major appliance is crushed or shredded. <br />Removing convenience Fights and other tilt switches from freezers and washing <br />machines is straightforward and takes only a few minutes. Removing mercury switches <br />from gas appliances, however, takes longer (10 to 60 minutes), requires proper training, <br />and can be hazardous, especially when dealing with gas-fired appliances. Accordingly, <br />proper expertise, personal protection and safety controls, and a suitable storage <br />container for the mercury switches should be in place at all times where switch removal <br />is being done. <br />4 <br />When is the best time to remove mercury switches from discarded appliances? <br />Mercury switches should be removed by the scrap metal recycler as soon as the <br />appliance is received, preferably while removing any chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and/or <br />polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or other hazardous materials to comply with all other <br />hazardous waste laws and regulations. <br />How do I know which makes and models contain mercury switches? <br />Appendix A summarizes current information available in the public domain regarding <br />appliances that contain mercury. Contact the appliance manufacturer to confirm <br />mercury switch use in a specific product. A magnet can be used to delineate between <br />non -mercury and mercury flame sensors—mercury sensors are magnetic. <br />7 <br />n <br />C <br />