• Cleaning for Health



• Purchasing for Pollution Prevention



• The Community's Right to Know More

What products contain PBTs?

Many products used every day by government agencies, schools, health care facilities, and other public institutions contain PBTs. A few examples include:

• Lice and Scabies Treatments
  
• Fluorescent lighting, computers, and other electronic equipment
• Vehicles that contain mercury switches
• Mercury-containing medical and surgical equipment
• Most types of batteries
• Some brands of architectural paints and finishes
• Petroleum-based printing inks and heavy-metal pigments
• Some janitorial disinfecting agents used to clean hospitals, nursing homes, office buildings, and other facilities
• Most wood preservatives
• Mercury-containing industrial thermometers, manometers, thermostats, and switches
• Paradichlorobenzene-containing urinal deodorizing blocks
• Lead ammunition
• Chlorine-bleached paper products
• Several chlorinated organic pesticides that still remain in use
• Diesel fuel and hydraulic fluids used in vehicles and other equipment

These and other products can contribute PBTs to the environment when they are manufactured, used, incinerated, landfilled, recycled, or discarded down the drain. Check out INFORM's fact sheets or click on the products links above for detailed information on PBT-containing products and less toxic alternatives.