Mercury Contamination in Laboratory Plumbing Systems: Sources, Microbial Interactions, and Remediation Strategies
Ed Rau, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health
Mercury is one of the most common toxic contaminants in laboratory wastewater and vacuum systems. Sources include direct losses of mercury from spills and bioaccumulation from low-level contamination present in inflowing wastewater. Microbial interactions with inorganic mercury can transform it into mercury vapor or methylmercury compounds, and through highly mobile transmissible genetic elements the resident populations of bacteria can become resistant to multiple antibiotics. By these mechanisms, contaminated plumbing can become a chronic source of emissions containing both highly persistent bioaccumulative forms of mercury and pathogens that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. The potential for such releases provides a strong additional imperative for eliminating all unnecessary uses of mercury in laboratories and health care facilities, and for remediation of legacy contamination in older plumbing systems.
Biography:
Captain Ed Rau has over 36 years of experience as an environmental health officer specializing in hazardous materials and waste management. After retiring last year from the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service, he returned to the Division of Environmental Protection at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where he serves as a project leader and expert advisor for environmental compliance, sustainability, and laboratory decommissioning initiatives at NIH’s biomedical and biodefense facilities.