There are many potentially toxic elements that need to be accounted for on product labels, and color helps distinguish these chemicals and advise proper use. One of these chemicals is mercury, a common part of many products that is nevertheless dangerous if handled incorrectly.
Writing for the Port Huron Times Herald, Annette Mercatante of the St. Clair County, Michigan, Health Department, advises users to be careful when dealing with any solution containing mercury because it can easily seep into the environment. She writes that it poses a threat over time to people around it, which means that individuals might only gradually realize how harmful it is after the effects set in.
Both chemical compounds that include mercury (like pesticides and gasoline) and items with metallic mercury in them (like thermometers) are common sights in homes and offices. This last variety poses a persistent danger, Mercatante writes.
"Metallic mercury and its vapors are extremely difficult to remove from clothes, furniture, carpet, floors, walls, and other such items," she said. "If these items are not properly cleaned, the mercury can remain for months or years and continue to be a source of exposure."
Depending on where you distribute your products, mercury could be banned outright. Some products, like paint, aren't allowed to contain it at all in the U.S., and Canada recently issued regulations restricting mercury content, according to a press release in Chemical Watch. These guidelines apply to fluorescent lamps as well, which reportedly could emit mercury vapors.
To reassure customers that they are purchasing a product with an acceptable mercury content, companies should create custom printed labels that adhere to government guidelines and makes it clear how to avoid contamination.