5.
REPORTABLE QUANTITIES OF ATON BATTERIES
The numbers of batteries constituting a reportable quantity has been calculated from the amounts of
hazardous substances in the battery. Information on specific constituents of the batteries, provided
by the manufacturers, is proprietary. This information is not included with this report, but is
available from Commandant (G-ECV-1A).
A.
PRIMARY BATTERIES
Mercury (Hg): Mercury in primary batteries is used for plating the zinc electrode to protect it
from corrosion. Weight percent analysis of battery constituents from MSDS and proprietary
information indicates: Edison and Carbone batteries contain 0.123%, Saft 0.29%, Cegasa 0.5%,
and Eveready 0.12% mercury (References 1, 2, 3, and 4, see page 7). Using the weight percent of
Hg, and the weight of the batteries, the reportable numbers of primary batteries producing a 1 lb
reportable quantity of Hg, have been calculated in Table 3.
Potassium Hydroxide (KOH): Based on Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and manufacturers'
proprietary information, the weight percent of KOH in Saft, Edison, and Cegasa batteries is 9.5%,
10%, and 12.96%. Using the largest weight percent of a three cell Cegasa, the number of primary
batteries producing a reportable quantity of KOH (1000 lbs) is over 160.
The Ice Buoy, Discrepancy, and Emergency dry cell Batteries listed in Table 1 are used on ship
decks, and are not likely to be lost or discarded overboard. These batteries contain 0.025%
mercury by weight. 57 Ice Buoy battery which consist of 240 small dry cells, will produce 1 lb RQ
of mercury.
B.
SECONDARY BATTERIES
Lead (Pb) and Lead Sulfate (PbSO4): The lead used in secondary
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