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RESEARCH FINDINGS INDICATE COAST GUARD AID TO NAVIGATION (AToN) BATTERIES NOT

HAZARDOUS TO MARINE ENVIRONMENT

MIT RESEARCH FINDINGS

The Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in Cambridge, MA released

initial research findings today concluding that the mercury and alkaline

solution contained in spent Coast Guard AtoN batteries are unlikely to harm the

marine environment or enter the food chain.

The study, performed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers

Professor Francois Morel and Dr. Robert Mason, examined whether mercury, small

amounts of which coated zinc plates inside the batteries, was or could be

absorbed into the aquatic food chain. Mercury can enter the food chain when it

is in a methylated (methyl mercury) or oxidized (ionic mercury) form. Mercury

in its elemental form dissolves very slowly in water (30 to 100 years) and is

not absorbed by aquatic organisms. Once dissolved, elemental mercury enters a

natural cycle where it is volatilized into the atmosphere.

Professor Morel and Dr. Mason concluded that "it is expected that none of (the

mercury) should be oxidized or methylated or become accumulated by the

planktonic biota" and that they "expect to see no measurable biological effects

due to the AToNs [batteries], either in the local sediments or in the water

column." The alkaline (electrolyte) solution in the batteries is immediately

neutralized in water and causes no harm.

The MIT findings were based on labortory analyses and field studies conducted

in the Chesapeake Bay. Significant findings:

On a regional and global scale, the amount of mercury in AToN batteries is

insignificant. Mercury is found in all waters and its concentration

fluctuates over time.