Mercury
Standards
Mercury hazards are addressed in specific OSHA standards for general industry, maritime, and construction. This section highlights OSHA standards and documents related to mercury.
OSHA Standards
General Industry (29 CFR 1910) |
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1910 Subpart H - Hazardous Materials | ||
1910.120, Hazardous waste operations and emergency response. |
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1910 Subpart I - Personal Protective Equipment | ||
1910.132, General requirements. See Appendix B for information related to Non-mandatory compliance guidelines for hazard assessment and personal protective equipment selection. |
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1910.134, Respiratory protection. |
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1910 Subpart Q - Welding, Cutting and Brazing | ||
1910.252, General requirements. |
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1910 Subpart Z - Toxic and Hazardous Substances | ||
1910.1000, Air contaminants. |
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1910.1000 TABLE Z-2, TABLE Z-2. |
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1910.1200, Hazard Communication. |
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Maritime (29 CFR 1915, 1917, 1918) |
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1915 Subpart I - Personal Protective Equipment | ||
1915.151, Scope, application and definitions. |
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1915.152, General requirements. |
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1915 Subpart I App A, Non-mandatory Guidelines for Hazard Assessment, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Selection, and PPE Training Program |
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1915 Subpart Z - Toxic and Hazardous Substances | ||
1915.1000, Air contaminants. |
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Construction Industry (29 CFR 1926) |
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1926 Subpart D - Occupational Health and Environmental Controls | ||
1926.55, Gases, vapors, fumes, dusts, and mists. |
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1926.57, Ventilation. |
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1926 Subpart E - Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment | ||
1926.95, Criteria for personal protective equipment. |
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1926 Subpart J - Welding and Cutting | ||
1926.353, Ventilation and protection in welding, cutting, and heating. |
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State Plan Standards
There are 29 OSHA-approved State Plans operating state-wide occupational safety and health programs. State Plans are required to have standards and enforcement programs that are at least as effective as OSHA's and may have different or more stringent requirements.
Additional Directives
Note: The directives in this list provide additional information that is not necessarily connected to a specific OSHA standard highlighted on this Safety and Health Topics page.
- Removal of Obsolete Sections. CPL 02-02-006, (June 03, 1985).
- Inorganic Mercury and its Compounds. CPL 02-02-006, (October 30, 1978).
Additional Letters of Interpretation
Note: The letters in this list provide additional information that is not necessarily connected to a specific OSHA standard highlighted on this Safety and Health Topics page.
- PEL for inorganic mercury is a time weighted average, not a ceiling (September 03, 1996).
- Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) Labeling Requirements for Industrial Thermometers (July 17, 1989).
- Respiratory Protection for Mercury and Chlorine (March 01, 1989).
- Advertisement on cleaning up mercury spills from glass thermometers (July 10, 1987).
- Use of Chemical Cartridge Respirators for Protection Against Mercury Vapor (November 15, 1985).
- Allowable Airborne Concentrations of Mercury (June 30, 1976).
Includes exposure limit information from OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the American Conference of Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).
| Mercury, Alkyl Compounds | Mercury, Aryl Compounds | Mercury, Inorganic Compounds | |
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| OSHA | |||
| 8-Hour TWA | 0.01 mg/m3, Skin | - | - |
| Ceiling | 0.04 mg/m3, Skin | 0.1 mg/m3 | 0.1 mg/m3 |
| NIOSH | |||
| 8-Hour TWA | 0.01 mg/m3, Skin | 0.05 mg/m3, Skin | 0.05 mg/m3, Skin |
| ST/Ceiling | 0.03 mg/m3, (ST) Skin | 0.1 mg/m3, (Ceiling) Skin | 0.1 mg/m3, (Ceiling) Skin |
| IDLH | 2 mg/m3 | 10 mg/m3 | 10 mg/m3 |
| ACGIH | |||
| 8-Hour TWA | 0.01 mg/m3, Skin | 0.1 mg/m3, Skin | 0.025 mg/m3, Skin |
| Short Term | 0.03 mg/m3, Skin | - | - |