SALT LAKE CITY - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Utah Department of Environmental Quality are partnering to collect and safely dispose of toxic mercury-containing products from Salt Lake City-area homes this month.

Mercury is hazardous waste that, if ingested or inhaled as vapor, can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs and immune system of people of all ages. Utah residents can bring household mercury itemsExit EPA's website free of charge to the Weber County Landfill Transfer StationExit EPA's website in West Haven on Sept. 12 and the Salt Lake Valley Solid Waste FacilityExit EPA's website in Salt Lake City on Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for safe disposal.

"Minimizing mercury exposure is critical to protecting human health and the environment, and it's a priority for EPA," said EPA Regional Administrator Cyrus Western. "By working closely with our state partners to remove household mercury, EPA is doing everything it can to protect Utahns where they should be safest - their homes and communities."

EPA and UDEQ will collect mercury products for safe disposal at specialized household hazardous waste collection centers. The agencies will provide free, five-gallon transport buckets for pick-up prior to these drive-through events. Full event details, examples of mercury-containing items and packing instructions are posted on the UDEQ websiteExit EPA's website.

"These collection events make it easy for residents to safely dispose of these hazards before they require a hazardous clean up or end up in our environment," said Tim Davis, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. "Mercury doesn't simply disappear-it accumulates in our local fish and waterways."

Common household items that might contain mercury include many types of thermometers and batteries, barometers, fluorescent light bulbs, antiques, older-model appliances and many electronics. People can be exposed to mercury vapor if it is released from a container or if a mercury-containing product breaks. Improper disposal also contaminates the environment and accumulates in animals like fish.

Learn more about mercury exposure and contamination on the EPA websiteExit EPA's website. Information about mercury in Utah is available on the UDEQ websiteExit EPA's website.