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 Substances Control Act of 1976 new chemical not listed in the 1976 act by using a PMN. Section 5 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) does not require any toxicity testing before submitting a PMN No safety information is required to be included in the PMN, so the EPA must rely on computer modeling to determine whether the new chemical "may present an unreasonable risk." In order to regulate new chemicals, the EPA must determine that the chemical "...may present an unreasonable risk to human health or the environment..." or show that the chemical "... is or will be produced in substantial quantities, and