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Cleaners and Degreasers



Mercury as a contaminant
The mercury-cell process is one of the processes that may be used to manufacture common ingredients of cleaners and degreasers: sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), potassium hydroxide, chlorine and hydrochloric acid (muriatic acid). When these chemicals are used to make other products, such as bleach or soaps, mercury contamination can be introduced into the final product. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) and Medical, Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Inc. (MASCO), through a public-private partnership called the MWRA/MASCO Mercury Work Group, performed laboratory analyses on some of these products.

Mercury Content of Selected Cleaners *
Product Mercury Content (ppb)
Ajax Powder 0.17
Comet Cleaner 0.15
Lysol Direct <0.011
Soft Scrub <0.013
Alconox Soap 0.004 mg/kg,
0.005 mg/kg,
<0.0025 mg/kg (3 tests)
Derma Scrub <5.0,
<2.5 (2 tests)
Dove Soap 0.0027
Ivory Dishwashing Liquid 0.061
Joy Dishwashing Liquid <0.01
Murphy's Oil Soap <0.012
Soft Cide Soap (Baxter) 8.1
Sparkleen Detergent 0.0086
Sunlight Dishwashing Detergent <0.011
* Testing on cleaning products has been limited and many common cleaning products have not been tested. The data should not be used as a substitute for testing specific products/chemicals


Alternatives for mercury-containing
cleaners and degreasers
To learn the mercury content of the cleaners and degreasers used by the hospital, request Certificates of Analysis from all suppliers when purchasing materials. Choose mercury-free products, if possible. If there are no mercury-free products that meet the needs of the hospital, choose those that are the lowest in mercury concentration.

The Certificate of Analysis should list mercury content in parts per billion (ppb), not as a percentage. A Material Safety Data Sheet is not equivalent to a Certificate of Analysis.