Mercury (element) elevated over outdoor concentrations, at a range of 0.0065 – 0.523 μg/m. The average was 0.069 μg/m. Mercury also enters into the environment through the improper disposal (e.g., land filling, incineration) of certain products. Products containing mercury include: auto parts, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, medical products, thermometers, and thermostats. Due to health concerns (see below), toxics use reduction efforts are cutting back or eliminating mercury in such products. For example, the amount of mercury sold in thermostats in the United States decreased from 14.5 tons in 2004 to 3.9 tons in 2007. Most thermometers now use pigmented alcohol instead of mercury,
Toxic colonialism term may also be applied to exploitation of Native American reservations, where differing environment regulations allow the land to be more easily used for dump sites. It is important to distinguish the difference between toxic colonialism and environmental racism. Toxic colonialism is the practice of targeting poor communities of color in developing nations for waste disposal and/or experimentation with risky technologies. Environmental racism is the inequitable distribution of environmental hazards based on race. In other words, toxic colonialism can be seen as “micro” as it focuses on a specific area or group of people. Environmental racism can be seen as