Your Changing Medicine Cabinet

It used to be that the typical household medicine cabinet contained a variety of products with mercury. While many of these products are no longer common, it is interesting to know that even some of the products in your medicine cabinet used to add mercury into the environment:

Mercurochrome/Merthiolate

Often used for cuts and scrapes. Both contain mercury. Substitute antibiotic ointment to reduce mercury in the environment.

Thermometer

The most common mercury containing medicine cabinet item. Replace it before it breaks. Digital thermometers work just as well.

Calomel
Also known as mercurous chloride, calomel is a potent fungicide. Medicinally, calomel is used as a purgative (laxative).


Rawleigh’s Antiseptic Salve

Used as an all purpose healing cream on blisters, cuts, scratches and sunburns.

Contact Lens Solution / Nasal Sprays

Some varieties of contact lens solution and nasal spray (e.g. Nasal Moist‚; various Neo-Synephrine‚ nasal sprays) contain thimerosal. Although there is no proven link between health risks and thimerosal, a more precautionary choice for health and the environment is non-thimerosal based products.