Recycling cars checks mercury pollution
Light switches in older automobiles contain millions of tons of mercury, which could be released when cars are scrapped at the junkyard.
A new program will help remove the mercury from tiny lightbulbs and switches found in older vehicles, the U.S. EPA announced in August.
Automobile switches made before 2003 contain minute amounts of mercury, and cars with more than 67 million light switches still roam U.S. highways, according to EPA. As vehicles head to the scrap heap, the switches (some the size of acorns) are junked with them—and the mercury is often released to the atmosphere.
The National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program joins existing state initiatives that already recycle mercury and other materials from automobiles. EPA projects that the federal program could cut as much as 75 tons of mercury air emissions in the next 15 years. California alone has more than 7.6 million light switches on the road, according to the Clean Car Campaign.
