Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Mercury Definitions

What is the Interstate Mercury and Reduction Clearinghouse?
The Interstate Mercury Education and Reduction Clearinghouse, known as IMERC, is a regional clearinghouse, operated by the Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association, a nonprofit organization. IMERC was established to assist states in mercury reduction and education activities. In Connecticut IMERC has been designated by the Commissioner of Environmental Protection to design notification forms, receive notification and submission of information, to coordinate reviews and to assist in education and outreach activities.

What is mercury?
CGS Section 22a-613 defines mercury as elemental mercury and mercury compounds.

What is a mercury-added product?
CGS Section 22a-613 defines a mercury-added product as a product, commodity, chemical or component of a product that contains mercury or a mercury compound that is intentionally added for any reason. Mercury-added product includes both fabricated mercury-added products and formulated mercury-added products. For purposes of the Mercury Reduction and Education Act, dental amalgam is not considered a mercury-added product.

What is a formulated mercury-added product?
CGS Section 22a-613- defines a formulated mercury-added product as a mercury-added product that is sold as a consistent mixture of chemicals, including, but not limited to, laboratory chemicals, materials used for cleaning, maintenance or disinfection, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, coating materials, acids, alkalites, bleach, pharmaceutical products, stains, reagents, preservatives, fixatives, buffers and dyes.

What is a fabricated mercury-added product?
CGS Section 22a-613 defines a fabricated mercury-added product as a mercury-added product that consists of a combination of individual components that combine to make a single unit, including, but not limited to, mercury-added measuring devices, lamps and switches.

What is a biological product?
CGS Section 22a-625 defines a biological product as a virus, therapeutic serum, toxin, antitoxin, vaccine, blood, blood component or derivative, allergenic product or an analogous product, or arsphenamine, a derivative of arsphenamine or any other trivalent organic arsenic compound used for the prevention, treatment or cure of a disease or condition of human beings.

What is solid waste?
CGS Section 22a-613 defines solid waste as unwanted or discarded solid, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous material, including, but not limited to, demolition debris, material burned or otherwise processed at a resources recovery facility or incinerator, materials processed at a recycling facility, sludges or other residue from a water pollution abatement facility, water supply treatment plant or air pollution control facility.

Who is the commissioner?
CGS Section 22a-613 defines the commissioner as the Commissioner of Environmental Protection or an authorized agent or designee of the commissioner.

Who is considered a manufacturer?
When a mercury-added product is offered for sale or distributed for promotional purposes, a manufacturer is:

  • any producer of a mercury-added product produced inside the United States, or 
  • any importer or domestic distributor of a mercury-added product produced outside the United States.

When a multi-component product is offered for sale or distributed for promotional purposes, the manufacturer is considered to be:

  • the last manufacturer to produce or assemble the product in the United States, or
  • the importer or domestic distributor if the product was produced outside the United States.

Contact Information and Assistance

Fact Sheets List

Content Last Updated on December 15, 2006