Vancouver-A Vancouver-based pharmacy chain is challenging Oregon and Washington residents to rid their medicine chests of a common but potentially toxic item.                                                                                   

     Mercury-filled thermometers, the subject of a proposed sales ban making its way through the Oregon Legislature, can poison lakes , contaminate fish and harm fetuses if not disposed of properly, according to health officials.  Even so, most people continue to toss them in the garbage.

     To protect the environment and increase public awareness, 36 Hi-School pharmacies and affiliate stores in Oregon and Washington have removed mercury thermometers from their shelves.  They're inviting the public to exchange their own mercury thermometers for digital ones at the wholesale cost of $1.99.

     "I'm a fisherman, so it wasn't too hard to convince me to do this," said Michael Plinski, Hi-School Pharmacy merchandising category manager.  He remembers playing with liquid mercury as a child and rolling it around on his desk when the teacher wasn't watching.

     "we were kind of ignorant", said Plinski, who hopes the exchange will increase public awareness.

     Beginning March 25th  and running through the end of April, the exchange is the first of several projects Vancouver officials hope to coordinate with agencies and environmental groups.

   If public participation falls short, the City Council will consider an ordinance banning new sales of mercury thermometers, Councilman  Jim Moeller said.

     A few states, including Vermont, New Hampshire,  Maine, and Minnesota, have enacted laws banning the sale of  mercury-containing items such as thermometers, thermostats and novelty items.  Oregon's proposed legislation would prohibit the sale of all three and would phase out mercury-based switches in cars.

     Mercury also can be found in fluorescent lights, gas pilot ranges, contact lens solution-even some children's tennis shoes manufactured before June 1994, said Michael Gallagher of the Department of Ecology.  The mercury controlled in the flashing lights in the soles. 

     Like thermometers, the shoes aren't dangerous unless broken open, Gallagher said.  But to prevent the release of the mercury into the environment, they should be disposed of at a household hazardous waste collection site.

     The thermometer exchange was prompted by Mary Ann Newell, a Vancouver woman who has lobbied for stronger mercury restrictions for years.  A former waitress, she got to know Hi-School Pharmacy president and CEO Steve Oliva during his days as a customer at the Crossing Restaurant and Lounge in Vancouver.