Mercury Inventory Reporting and Recordkeeping

Collection of Information for TSCA Mercury Inventory Reporting Rule (Final Rule)

MER_User Guide_2018-09-20

Mercury Inventory Reporting and Recordkeeping

OMB: 2070-0207

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Contract # GS00Q09BGD0022

Task Order # 47QFCA-18-F-0009

Project Title: EPA CDX 00007

Version 0.01

MONTH DD, 2018


Mercury Electronic Reporting User Guide – Primary Agent/Consultant

Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics


Table of Contents

Table of Contents i

List of Exhibits iii

Revision Log v

1 Introduction 1

2 System Requirements 2

2.1 Supported Browsers 2

2.2 Screen Resolution 2

3 Primary Agent/Consultant Functions 3

3.1 Log into Mercury Electronic Reporting Application 4

3.2 Mercury Electronic Reporting Home Screen Navigation 5

3.3 Submission History 6

3.4 Create Passphrase 8

3.5 Enter Passphrase 9

3.6 Action Bar 10

3.7 Search Substance Registry Services (SRS) 12

4 Create Mercury Electronic Reporting Form 14

4.1 Create Mercury Electronic Reporting Form 14

4.2 Introductory Questions 14

4.3 Question 1 17

4.4 Question 2 19

4.5 Question 3 21

4.6 Question 4 25

4.7 Question 5 29

4.8 Question 6 32

4.9 Question 7 36

4.10 Question 8 39

4.11 Question 9 43

4.12 Question 10 47

4.13 Summary 51

5 Preview 54

6 Validate 56

7 CBI Substantiation 57

7.1 Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims Screen 57

7.2 Attach Documents for CBI Substantiation 58

8 Submit to EPA via CDX 60

8.1 TSCA CBI Certification 60

8.2 MER Certification 60

8.3 Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation 61

8.4 Mercury Electronic Reporting PDF Generation 62

8.5 CROMERR Certification 63

8.6 eSignature Widget 64

8.7 Submission Finished 64

9 Download Copy of Record 65

10 EPA Communications 66

11 Create An Amendment 67





List of Exhibits

Exhibit 3‑1 Mercury Electronic Reporting User Roles Matrix 4

Exhibit 3‑2 Chemical Information Submission System Screen 5

Exhibit 3‑3 Mercury Electronic Reporting Home Screen 6

Exhibit 3‑4 Mercury Electronic Reporting Submission History Table 8

Exhibit 3‑5 Create Passphrase Screen 9

Exhibit 3‑6 Enter Passphrase Screen 10

Exhibit 3‑7 Action Bar – Save 11

Exhibit 3‑8 Action Bar – Preview 11

Exhibit 3‑9 Action Bar – Validate 11

Exhibit 3‑10 Action Bar – Submit 12

Exhibit 3‑11 CDX Links 12

Exhibit 4‑1 Introductory Questions Screen (Scroll 1) 16

Exhibit 4‑2 Introductory Questions Screen (Scroll 2) 17

Exhibit 4‑3 Question 1 Screen 19

Exhibit 4‑4 Question 2 Screen 21

Exhibit 4‑5 Question 3 Screen (Scroll 1) 24

Exhibit 4‑6 Question 3 Screen (Scroll 2) 25

Exhibit 4‑7 Question 4 Screen (Scroll 1) 28

Exhibit 4‑8 Question 4 Screen (Scroll 2) 29

Exhibit 4‑9 Question 5 Screen (Scroll 1) 31

Exhibit 4‑10 Question 5 Screen (Scroll 2) 32

Exhibit 4‑11 Question 6 Screen (Scroll 1) 35

Exhibit 4‑12 Question 6 Screen (Scroll 2) 36

Exhibit 4‑13 Question 7 Screen (Scroll 1) 38

Exhibit 4‑14 Question 7 Screen (Scroll 2) 39

Exhibit 4‑15 Question 8 Screen (Scroll 1) 42

Exhibit 4‑16 Question 8 Screen (Scroll 2) 43

Exhibit 4‑17 Question 9 Screen (Scroll 1) 46

Exhibit 4‑18 Question 9 Screen (Scroll 2) 47

Exhibit 4‑19 Question 10 Screen (Scroll 1) 50

Exhibit 4‑20 Question 10 Screen (Scroll 2) 51

Exhibit 4‑21 Summary Screen 53

Exhibit 5‑1 Preview 54

Exhibit 5‑2 Preview Mercury Electronic Reporting Form PDF 55

Exhibit 6‑1 Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation Window 56

Exhibit 8‑1 TSCA CBI Certification Screen 60

Exhibit 8‑2 MER Certification Screen 61

Exhibit 8‑3 Mercury Reporting Validation Screen 62

Exhibit 8‑4 PDF Generation Screen 63

Exhibit 8‑5 CROMERR Certification Window 63

Exhibit 8‑6 eSignature Widget 64



Revision Log

Date

Version No.

Description

Author

Reviewer

Review Date

07/25/18

0.01

Delivery of Initial Draft of OPPT CIS Mercury Electronic Reporting User Guide – Primary Agent/Consultant

C. Yeh

S. Cheng

07/25/18
















1Introduction

This document presents the user guide for the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT) Mercury Electronic Reporting application submission process. This document is the user guide for the Primary Agent/Consultant user of the Mercury Electronic Reporting application.

The Mercury Electronic reporting application is the electronic, web-based tool provided by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the submission of mercury data. As a Primary Agent/Consultant, you can create or modify any Mercury Electronic Reporting form. You can also delete Mercury Electronic Reporting forms, create revised forms, and download the Copy of Record (CoR). You may not submit original forms, but can submit amendments.

For questions concerning the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Mercury Electronic Reporting software requirements, please contact the Central Data Exchange (CDX) Help Desk at [email protected] or call 1-888-890-1995 between the hours of 8 am – 6 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST).



Paperwork Reduction Act Notice

This collection of information is approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. (OMB Control No. 2070-0207; EPA ICR No. 2567). The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 32 hours per response. Burden is defined in 5 CFR 1320.3(b). Responses to this collection of information are mandatory (40 CFR 713). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to, respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. You may send comments regarding the EPA's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of automated collection techniques to the Director, Collection Strategies Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2822T), 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, D.C. 20460. Please include the OMB Control No. in any correspondence. Send only comments to this address. Mercury Inventory data must be submitted electronically through the Mercury Electronic Reporting application.




2System Requirements

To use the Mercury Electronic Reporting (MER) application to submit an MER form the following are required:

  • An e-mail account

  • JavaScript enabled web browser

  • Internet access

  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or higher

  • CDX username and password

2.1Supported Browsers

  • Vendor supported versions of Internet Explorer (IE) or Edge

  • Go to the following link to download:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17621/internet-explorer-downloads

  • Vendor supported versions of Mozilla Firefox

  • Go to the following link to download:

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/

  • Vendor supported versions of Safari

  • Go to the following link to download:

https://support.apple.com/downloads/

  • Vendor supported versions of Google Chrome

  • Go to the following link to download:

http://www.google.com/chrome

2.2Screen Resolution

Screen resolution should be set to 1024 x 768 or greater.

3Primary Agent/Consultant Functions

This section describes how to:

  • Access the application

  • Navigate the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen

  • Start and complete the Mercury Electronic Reporting form

  • Download a Copy of Record

  • Create an amendment

The Primary Agent/Consultant is not responsible for the submission of original forms. The Primary Agent/Consultant is an individual who serves as a consultant to a specific company. However, this individual is not responsible for and does not have the authority to submit data since the agent/consultant does not technically work for the submitting company.

As a Primary Agent/Consultant, you can create forms within the Mercury Electronic Reporting application. You may not assign Support users to a form. A Primary Agent/Consultant can submit amendments, unlock submissions, and delete forms.

You can save the form at any point during the data entry process. The save functionality will allow you to return to that same form at any point in the future. You can print the form at any point; however, the ‘Not For Submission’ watermark will be placed on the form anytime the form is printed prior to actual submission.

































Exhibit 3 -1 shows a table of the user role capabilities within the Mercury Electronic Reporting application:

Exhibit 31 Mercury Electronic Reporting User Roles Matrix


3.1Log into Mercury Electronic Reporting Application

After you create an account in CDX, click the ‘Primary Agent/Consultant’ link for the Chemical Safety and Pesticide Programs (CSPP) data flow to navigate to the ‘Chemical Information Submission System’ screen.



















Exhibit 3 -2 shows a screen capture of the ‘Chemical Information Submission System’ screen:

Exhibit 32 Chemical Information Submission System Screen


Navigation: To access the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen, select ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting – MER’ from the submission type drop-down menu and click the ‘OK’ button.

3.2Mercury Electronic Reporting Home Screen Navigation

You can access the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen by selecting ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting – MER’ from the submission type drop-down menu on the ‘Chemical Information Submission System’ screen and clicking the ‘OK’ button.

The Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen is the first screen within the Mercury Electronic Reporting application. It displays the ‘Create New Form,’ ‘Useful Resources,’ and ‘Submission History’ sections.

There is a ten (10) minute logout timer for this application; the application will automatically log you out after ten minutes of inactivity and navigate you back to the CDX login screen.

  • Create New Form: Click the ‘Create New Form’ button to navigate to the ‘Create Passphrase’ page to create the form selected from the ‘Form Type’ drop-down menu.

  • Useful Resources: Click the links within the ‘Useful Resources’ section.

  • Submission History: Modify or delete a MER form using the ‘Submission History’ table. For additional details about the ‘Submission History’ table, please refer to Section 3.3.



Exhibit 3 -3 shows a screen capture of the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen:

Exhibit 33 Mercury Electronic Reporting Home Screen


3.3Submission History

Only one Mercury Electronic Reporting form is created per form alias, which helps differentiate between forms. Each column within the ‘Submission History’ table can be sorted by clicking the individual column headers.

Start New Form: To create a new Mercury Electronic Reporting form, select ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting’ from the ‘Form Type’ drop-down menu and click the ‘Create New Form’ button. You are required to create a passphrase that will be associated with that particular form. Make sure to create a passphrase that you will remember, as it cannot be retrieved or reset. Refer to Section 3.4 for further instructions on creating a passphrase.

Edit an ‘In Progress’ Form: To modify an existing Mercury Electronic Reporting form, click the ‘Form Alias’ link for a form with a status of ‘In Progress.’ You are required to enter the passphrase associated with that particular form to access and edit the form. It is possible for more than one user to modify a form simultaneously; the user that edits and saves changes within a form first will have his/her modifications saved.

Amend a submitted form: To edit an already submitted Mercury Electronic Reporting form (i.e., to create an amendment), you must first unlock the particular submission by clicking the ‘Lock’ icon ( ) under the ‘Action’ column. You will be required to enter the passphrase associated with that particular submission to gain access and continue amending the submission. All further changes that are made will be submitted as an amendment. Refer to Section 11 for further instructions on creating an amendment.

The ‘Submission History’ table displays the following fields and columns of information:

  • Show Entries: Select a number from the ‘Show entries’ drop-down menu to specify the number of entries that display on the current page.

  • Search: Enter search criteria to filter the forms included within the ‘Submission History’ table.

  • Form Alias: Displays the form alias of a Mercury Electronic Reporting form. Click the form alias link to navigate to the ‘Enter Passphrase’ page and complete/edit a form.

  • Form Type: Displays the form type of the specific form. This column displays ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting.’

  • Case Number: Displays the case number of a completed submission (MER-YYYY-XXXX). The ‘YYYY’ represents the reporting year in which the form was submitted, and the ‘XXXX’ represents the order in which the form was received.

  • Submission Date: Displays the date that a form was successfully submitted to EPA via CDX. This date populates only after the form has been submitted.

  • Status: Displays the statuses of an MER form (either ‘In Progress,’ ‘Submitted,’ or ‘Completed’).

  • Copy of Record: Click the ‘Copy of Record’ icon ( ) to navigate to the ‘Enter Passphrase’ screen to continue to the ‘Copy of Record’ screen. The ‘Copy of Record’ icon displays only after the form has been completed.

  • Action: Click the ‘Delete’ icon ( ) to delete an in-progress form. Click the ‘Lock’ icon ( ) to unlock a form for an amendment. The form remains unlocked and will display the ‘Unlocked’ icon ( ) until the form is resubmitted by the AO.

  • Export Options: Click the ‘XML,’ ‘CSV,’ ‘PDF,’ or ‘Excel’ link to download the ‘Submission History’ table as an .xml, .csv, .pdf, or .xlsx file, respectively.

  • Previous: Click the ‘Previous’ button to navigate to the previous set of submissions currently displayed (if applicable).

  • Next: Click the ‘Next’ button to navigate to the subsequent set of submissions (if applicable).

Exhibit 3 -4 shows a screen capture of the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Submission History’ table:

Exhibit 34 Mercury Electronic Reporting Submission History Table


Navigation: Select a form type from the ‘Form Type’ drop-down menu and click the ‘Create New Form’ button to navigate to the ‘Create Passphrase’ screen.

3.4Create Passphrase

To start a new Mercury Electronic Reporting form, select a form type from the ‘Form Type’ drop-down menu, and click the ‘Create New Form’ button on the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen to navigate to the ‘Create Passphrase’ screen, which allows you to create a passphrase and associate that passphrase with your newly created form.

The application uses the passphrase as an encryption key to protect the contents of the form. You are responsible for remembering the passphrase and distributing it to the appropriate individuals.

If you lose or forget your passphrase, you will not be able to access your Mercury Electronic Reporting (MER) Form to print, submit, or make changes. You will need to complete a new Mercury Electronic Reporting (MER) Form and create a new passphrase for the form. For security reasons, the system administrator will not have access to your passphrase and will not be able to retrieve it or reset it.

  • New Passphrase: Enter a passphrase that is between 8 to 20 characters. For maximum security, your passphrase should contain a combination of letters and numbers. Your passphrase should not contain special characters (for example, +, ?, and *). As a Primary user, you are responsible for remembering your passphrase and distributing it to only authorized individuals. The passphrase is used as an encryption key to protect the contents of the form data.

  • Confirm Passphrase: Enter the same passphrase that was entered into the ‘New Passphrase’ field. The same passphrase may be associated with multiple forms. The user can choose to have the same passphrase for all forms.



Exhibit 3 -5 shows a screen capture of the ‘Create Passphrase’ screen:

Exhibit 35 Create Passphrase Screen


Navigation: Create a passphrase and click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen in a Mercury Electronic Reporting form.

3.5Enter Passphrase

To edit a form, click the ‘Form Alias’ link for a Mercury Electronic Reporting form with a status of ‘In Progress.’ The ‘Enter Passphrase’ screen requires you to enter the passphrase that is associated with the form.

  • Form Alias: Displays the form alias that is used to identify the form.

  • Enter Passphrase: Enter the same passphrase that was used to create the form. For security reasons, the system administrator does not have access to the passphrase and cannot retrieve it or reset it to a new one. If a user has forgotten the passphrase, a new form will need to be created with a new passphrase.



Exhibit 3 -6 shows a screen capture of the ‘Enter Passphrase’ screen:

Exhibit 36 Enter Passphrase Screen


Navigation: Enter the passphrase that you originally created and associated with the form and click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen.

3.6Action Bar

The action bar is located at the top and bottom of the form on each screen. You can perform the following functions using the top action bar:

  • Home: Click the ‘Home’ link to navigate to the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen.

  • User ID: Click the user ID link in the top right-hand corner to log out of the application.

The following exhibits, Exhibit 3 -7, Exhibit 3 -8, Exhibit 3 -9, and Exhibit 3 -10 show screen captures for the bottom action bar:

  • Save: Click the ‘Save’ link at any stage of completing a Mercury Electronic Reporting form to save the form. To generate and access links to other pages of the form within the navigation header, you must click the ‘Save’ link within the action bar. After you click the ‘Save’ link, you will receive a message indicating that all data entered in the form has been saved successfully. The save function does not validate any entered data. Click the ‘Previous’ and ‘Next’ buttons on a form to save the data entered within a form. Click the ‘X’ button in the upper right-hand corner of the form in your browser to close the form without saving.

Exhibit 37 Action Bar – Save

Rectangle 1049


  • Preview: Click the ‘Preview’ link to preview the form. After you click the ‘Preview’ link, you will be given the option to view a regular version of the PDF(s) or a sanitized version of the PDF(s). Choosing either option will generate a watermarked PDF displaying the data identified within the form in a separate window. Refer to Section 5 for more information on previewing a form.

Exhibit 38 Action Bar – Preview

Rectangle 1049


  • Validate: Click the ‘Validate’ link at any stage of completing a Mercury Electronic Reporting form. A ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window generates when you click the ‘Validate’ link if you disable the pop-up blocker within your internet browser. The ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window displays a report of all warning messages. Refer to Section 6 for more information on validating a form.

Exhibit 39 Action Bar – Validate

Rectangle 1049


  • Submit: Click the ‘Submit’ link to submit a Mercury Electronic Reporting form after completing all sections of a Mercury Electronic Reporting form. After you click the ‘Submit’ link a pop-up message displays to confirm the submission process. The form validates during the submission process and displays any applicable warning or error messages. Refer to Section 6 for further instructions on validation errors. You can continue with the submission process only after clearing all validation errors. Upon successful submission of the form, the application generates and sends an email indicating the successful submission of the form to the submitter’s email address. Refer to Section 8 for more information on submitting a Mercury Electronic Reporting form. Please note that Primary Agents/Consultants cannot submit original Mercury Electronic Reporting forms, thus this link will not appear for original forms unless a submission is being amended.

Exhibit 310 Action Bar – Submit

Rectangle 1049


  • CDX Links: Click any of the ‘CDX Links,’ located at the bottom of each screen within the ‘CDX Links’ drop-down menu, at any stage of completing a Mercury Electronic Reporting form.

    • Click the ‘CDX Homepage’ link to navigate to the ‘CDX’ homepage.

    • Click the ‘MyCDX Homepage’ link to navigate to the ‘MyCDX’ page.

    • Click the ‘EPA Homepage’ link to navigate to the EPA Homepage.

    • Click the ‘Terms and Conditions’ link to navigate to the CDX Terms and Conditions screen.

    • Click the ‘Privacy Notice’ link to navigate to the CDX Privacy and Security Notice screen.

Exhibit 3 -11 shows a screen capture of the action bar ‘CDX Links’:

Exhibit 311 CDX Links

Rectangle 1049

3.7Search Substance Registry Services (SRS)

The ‘Search SRS’ button displays on various screens within a Mercury Electronic Reporting form to identify chemicals that may be stored in SRS.

Search SRS: Click the ‘Search SRS’ button to generate the ‘Search Substance Registry Services’ pop-up window. You can search for the reported chemical(s) by either the ‘Chemical Abstracts Service Registry Number (CASRN)’ or ‘CA Index Name or Other Synonym.’ The application also offers the option of entering user-specified chemical information by clicking the ‘Add Chemical’ button. Click the ‘Add Chemical’ button to generate the ‘Chemical Not Found In Substance Registry Services’ pop-up window and enter chemical information by filling in the ‘Chemical Name’ and ‘CASRN’ (this is required) field under the manual entry field set.

The system allows you to enter each chemical by clicking the ‘OK’ button located at the bottom of the ‘Search SRS’ window. Once you enter all known chemical information and click the ‘OK’ button, the chemical information saves and populates into the chemical description table. The ‘Actions’ column of the chemical table allows you to delete chemicals that have been added.

An error message generates if a user attempts to add a duplicate chemical on the same page.

  • CASRN: Enter the chemical abstracts service registry number of the chemical; this field accommodates dashes. Either the ‘CASRN’ or ‘CA Index Name or Other Synonym’ field is required when searching SRS.

  • CA Index Name or Other Synonym: Enter the chemical abstract ‘(CA) Index Name or Other Synonym’ of the chemical. This field displays the following options: ‘Matches Exactly,’ ‘Contains,’ and ‘Begins With.’ Either the ‘CASRN’ or ‘CA Index Name or Other Synonym’ field is required when searching SRS.

  • Search SRS: Click the ‘Search SRS’ button to initiate the database search for the ‘CASRN’ or ‘CA Index Name or Other Synonym’ for the desired chemical.

  • Add Chemical: Click the ‘Add Chemical’ button to generate the ‘Chemical Not Found In Substance Registry Services’ pop-up window.



The ‘Search Substance Registry Services’ window is under development.

Navigation: Click the ‘Search SRS’ button on the ‘Search Substance Registry Services’ window to initiate the database search for the ‘CASRN’ or ‘CA Index Name or Other Synonym.’ After SRS returns results, select the radio button associated to a chemical, click the ‘OK’ button on the ‘Search SRS’ window, and the application populates the chemical information into the screen from which the SRS search was initiated.

If the chemical is not found in the ‘Search Substance Registry Services’ window, click the ‘Add Chemical’ button to generate the ‘Chemical Not Found In Substance Registry Services’ pop-up window.

  • Chemical Name: Enter the chemical name.

  • CASRN: Enter the CASRN; this is a required field.

  • Cancel: Click the ‘Cancel’ button to navigate back to the ‘Search Substance Registry Services’ pop-up window.

  • OK: Click the ‘OK’ button to enter the manually entered chemical information into the fields on the screen from which the SRS search was initiated.



The ‘Chemical Not Found in Substance Registry Services’ window is under development.

Navigation: Click the ‘OK’ button to save the specified chemical information and navigate back to the screen from which the SRS search was initiated where the chemical information will be populated. Click the ‘Cancel’ button to navigate back to the ‘Search SRS’ pop-up window. Click the ‘X’ located in the upper right-hand corner to close the pop-up window and navigate back to the screen from which the SRS search was initiated.

4Create Mercury Electronic Reporting Form

Anyone who manufactures (including imports) mercury or mercury-added products, or intentionally uses mercury in a manufacturing process must report the amount of mercury used in the specified activities during a given reporting year. These activities include manufacture, import, distribution in commerce, storage, and export.

The definition of mercury includes elemental mercury and a mercury compound. Elemental mercury is limited to elemental mercury and mercury compounds are inclusive of all substances where elemental mercury or a mercury compound is reacted with another chemical substance.

4.1Create Mercury Electronic Reporting Form

To create a new Mercury Electronic Reporting (MER) form, navigate to the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen and select ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting’ from the ‘Form Type’ drop-down menu. Refer to Section 3.2 for additional details regarding the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen.

Refer to Section 3.4 for additional details regarding the create passphrase process.

4.2Introductory Questions

You can navigate to the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen by clicking the ‘Create New Form’ button and creating a new passphrase, or by accessing an MER form that is in progress and entering the passphrase associated with the selected form.

The ‘Introductory Questions’ screen provides checkboxes to determine which information will need to be entered within a form. You will also have the option to assign a ‘Submission Alias’ to identify the form. A unique form alias is helpful when a user or company has multiple forms and/or when you must differentiate between forms to the help desk. Upon navigating to the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen, the system auto-generates a default alias comprised of a form type, date stamp, and time stamp in the following format: <MER-YYYYMMDD-HH:MM:SSS Time Zone>.

The application contains the following functionality and will generate additional screens:

The ‘Elemental Mercury’ section provides checkboxes to indicate that elemental mercury is manufactured, imported, and/or processed. The ‘Mercury Compounds’ section provides checkboxes to indicate that mercury compounds are manufactured, imported, and/or processed. The ‘Both’ section allows a user to select checkboxes from both sections. Selecting the checkboxes generates the relevant questions within a form; at least one checkbox must be checked.

  • Submission Alias: Enter the submission alias. Upon navigating to the screen, the application displays an auto-generated editable submission alias in the following format: MER-YYYYMMDD-HH:MM:SS Time Zone>. This is a required field.

  • Elemental Mercury: Select the ‘Elemental Mercury’ radio button to enable the relevant questions and indicate that elemental mercury information will be provided. If selected, at least one checkbox must be checked.

  • Q1: My company manufactures (other than imports) elemental mercury: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company manufactures elemental mercury. If selected, the ‘Question 1’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q2: My company imports elemental mercury: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company imports elemental mercury. If selected, the ‘Question 2’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q3: My company manufactures (other than imports) elemental mercury-added products: Check the checkbox to indicate the reporting company manufactures elemental mercury-added products. If selected, the ‘Question 3’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q4: My company imports elemental mercury-added products: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company imports elemental mercury-added products. If selected, the ‘Question 4’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q5: My company uses elemental mercury in a manufacturing process (other than manufacturing mercury compounds and/or manufacturing elemental mercury-added products): Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company uses elemental mercury in a manufacturing process. If selected, the ‘Question 5’ screen displays within the form.

  • Mercury Compounds: Select the ‘Mercury Compounds’ radio button to enable the relevant questions and indicate that mercury compounds information will be provided. If selected, at least one checkbox must be checked.

  • Q6: My company manufactures (other than imports) mercury compounds: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company manufactures mercury compounds. If selected, the ‘Question 6’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q7: My company imports mercury compounds: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company imports mercury compounds. If selected, the ‘Question 7’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q8: My company manufactures (other than imports) mercury compound-added products: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company manufactures mercury compound-added products. If selected, the ‘Question 8’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q9: My company imports mercury compound-added products: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company imports mercury compound-added products. If selected, the ‘Question 9’ screen displays within the form.

  • Q10: My company uses mercury compounds in a manufacturing process (other than manufacturing mercury compound-added products): Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company uses mercury compounds in a manufacturing process. If selected, the ‘Question 10’ screen displays within the form.

  • Both: Select the ‘Both’ radio button to enable the ‘Elemental Mercury’ and ‘Mercury Compounds’ section and the associated questions.







Exhibit 4 -12 shows a screen capture of the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 412 Introductory Questions Screen (Scroll 1)




















Exhibit 4 -13 shows a screen capture of the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 413 Introductory Questions Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the question screen that was selected. Question screens generate only upon clicking the ‘Continue’ button.

4.3Question 1

You can access the ‘Question 1’ screen by checking the ‘Q1’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 1’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 1’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the manufacture of elemental mercury.

  • My company reported amount of manufactured mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported an amount of mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim manufactured mercury in the last CDR reporting cycle as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company manufactured (other than imported) a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury: Enter the number of pounds of elemental mercury that has been manufactured during the specified calendar year. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field if displayed. This statement does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of manufactured mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the number of pounds of manufactured elemental mercury as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury on-site: Enter a range of elemental mercury that has been stored on-site during the specified calendar year. A minimum and maximum range value is required if the fields are enabled. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of manufactured elemental mercury stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that elemental mercury is not stored on-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury off-site: Enter a range of elemental mercury that has been stored off-site during the specified calendar year. A minimum and maximum range value is required if the fields are enabled. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of manufactured elemental mercury stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that manufactured elemental mercury is not stored off-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of elemental mercury into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of elemental mercury that has been distributed into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury distributed into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) to which elemental mercury has been distributed by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industry(ies) of distribution to which elemental mercury has been distributed as confidential.





Exhibit 4 -14 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 1’ screen:

Exhibit 414 Question 1 Screen


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent question screen that was checked or the ‘Summary’ screen if no other questions were checked.

4.4Question 2

You can access the ‘Question 2’ screen by checking the ‘Q2’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 1’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 2’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 2’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding importing elemental mercury.

  • My company reported amount of imported mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported an amount of imported mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the mercury imported in the most recent CDR reporting cycle as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury: Enter the amount of elemental mercury that was imported during the specified calendar year. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field if displayed. This field does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of imported mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported elemental mercury as confidential.

  • Country of Origin: Select the country(ies) of origin from which elemental mercury was imported. At least one country of origin is required if the ‘My company reported amount of imported mercury in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the country(ies) of origin as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury on-site: Enter a range of imported elemental mercury that has been stored on-site during the specified calendar year. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported elemental mercury stored on-site by the reporting company as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that imported elemental mercury is not stored on-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury off-site: Enter a range of imported elemental mercury that has been stored off-site during the specified calendar year. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported elemental mercury stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that imported elemental mercury is not stored off-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of elemental mercury into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of imported elemental mercury that has been distributed into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported elemental mercury distributed into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) to which elemental mercury has been distributed by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industry(ies) of distribution as confidential.





Exhibit 4 -15 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 2’ screen:

Exhibit 415 Question 2 Screen


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.5Question 3

You can access the ‘Question 3’ screen by checking the ‘Q3’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 2’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 3’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 3’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding manufacturing (other than imports) elemental mercury-added products.

  • My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to indicate that the national sales data of manufactured elemental mercury-added products reported to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle is claimed as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury in manufacturing elemental mercury-added products: Enter the amount of elemental mercury that was used in manufacturing elemental mercury-added products during the specified calendar year. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury used in manufacturing elemental mercury-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company manufactured (other than imported) the following elemental mercury added products: Select the category(ies) and associated subcategory(ies) to which the reporting company manufactured elemental mercury-added products. At least one category must be checked.

  • The ‘Batteries’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Button cell (silver),’ ‘Button cell (zinc-air),’ ‘Button cell (alkaline),’ ‘Stacked button cell batteries,’ ‘Manganese oxide,’ ‘Silver oxide,’ ‘Mercuric oxide (non-button cell),’ ‘Button cell (mercuric oxide),’ ‘Button cell (zinc carbon),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘batteries’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Dental amalgam’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘dental amalgam’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticides, and laboratory chemicals)’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Skin-lightening creams,’ ‘Lotions,’ ‘Soaps and sanitizers,’ ‘Bath oils and salts,’ ‘Preservatives (e.g. for use in vaccines for preservation),’ ‘Pharmaceuticals (including prescription and over-the-counter products),’ ‘Cleaning products (not registered as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act),’ ‘Pesticides,’ ‘Paints,’ ‘Dyes,’ ‘Reagents (e.g., catalysts, buffers, fixatives),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘formulated products’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Lighting, lamps, bulbs’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Linear fluorescent,’ ‘Compact fluorescent,’ ‘U-tube and circular fluorescent,’ ‘Cold cathode fluorescent,’ ‘External electrode fluorescent,’ ‘Mercury vapor,’ ‘Metal halide,’ ‘High pressure sodium,’ ‘Mercury short arc,’ ‘Neon,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Lighting, lamps, and bulbs’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Measuring instruments’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Barometer,’ ‘Fever thermometer,’ ‘Flow meter,’ ‘Hydrometer,’ ‘Hygrometer/psychrometer,’ ‘Manometer,’ ‘Non-fever thermometer,’ ‘Pyrometer,’ ‘Sphygmomanometer,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the measuring instruments category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Pump seals’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘pump seals’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Switches, relays, sensors, valves’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Tilt switch,’ ‘Vibration switch,’ ‘Float switch,’ ‘Pressure switch,’ ‘Temperature switch,’ ‘Displacement relay,’ ‘Wetted reed relay,’ ‘Contact relay,’ ‘Flame sensor,’ ‘Thermostat,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘switches, relays, sensors, and valves’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Wheel weights,’ ‘Wheel rotation balancers/stabilizers,’ ‘Firearm recoil suppressors,’ ‘Carburetor synchronizers,’ ‘Joint support/shock absorption bands,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of elemental mercury in products into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of elemental mercury in products that has been distributed into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury in products that has been distributed into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) of distribution to which elemental mercury in products have been distributed by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industry(ies) to which elemental mercury in products is distributed as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company exported __________ pounds of elemental mercury in mercury-added products: Enter the amount of elemental mercury in mercury-added products that the reporting company has exported. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury in mercury-added products that has been exported as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the destination country(ies) to which the reporting company exports elemental mercury in mercury-added products. At least one country must be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the destination country(ies) to which elemental mercury in mercury-added products is exported as confidential.







Exhibit 4 -16 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 3’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 416 Question 3 Screen (Scroll 1)




















Exhibit 4 -17 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 3’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 417 Question 3 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent question screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.6Question 4

You can access the ‘Question 4’ screen by checking the ‘Q4’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 3’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 4’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 4’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding importing elemental mercury-added products.

  • My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company has reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the national sales data reported to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury in mercury-added products: Enter the amount of elemental mercury in mercury-added products that the reporting company has imported. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported elemental mercury in mercury-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported the following elemental mercury added products: Select the category(ies) and subcategory(ies) of imported elemental mercury-added products. At least one category must be checked.

  • The ‘Batteries’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Button cell (silver),’ ‘Button cell (zinc-air),’ ‘Button cell (alkaline),’ ‘Stacked button cell batteries,’ ‘Manganese oxide,’ ‘Silver oxide,’ ‘Mercuric oxide (non-button cell),’ ‘Button cell (mercuric oxide),’ ‘Button cell (zinc carbon),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘batteries’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Dental amalgam’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘dental amalgam’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticides, and laboratory chemicals)’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Skin-lightening creams,’ ‘Lotions,’ ‘Soaps and sanitizers,’ ‘Bath oils and salts,’ ‘Preservatives (e.g. for use in vaccines for preservation),’ ‘Pharmaceuticals (including prescription and over-the-counter products),’ ‘Cleaning products (not registered as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act),’ ‘Pesticides,’ ‘Paints,’ ‘Dyes,’ ‘Reagents (e.g., catalysts, buffers, fixatives),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticides, and laboratory chemicals)’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Lighting, lamps, bulbs’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Linear fluorescent,’ ‘Compact fluorescent,’ ‘U-tube and circular fluorescent,’ ‘Cold cathode fluorescent,’ ‘External electrode fluorescent,’ ‘Mercury vapor,’ ‘Metal halide,’ ‘High pressure sodium,’ ‘Mercury short arc,’ ‘Neon,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Lighting, lamps, and bulbs’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Measuring instruments’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Barometer,’ ‘Fever thermometer,’ ‘Flow meter,’ ‘Hydrometer,’ ‘Hygrometer/psychrometer,’ ‘Manometer,’ ‘Non-fever thermometer,’ ‘Pyrometer,’ ‘Sphygmomanometer,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘measuring instruments’ and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Pump seals’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘pump seals’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Switches, relays, sensors, valves’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Tilt switch,’ ‘Vibration switch,’ ‘Float switch,’ ‘Pressure switch,’ ‘Temperature switch,’ ‘Displacement relay,’ ‘Wetted reed relay,’ ‘Contact relay,’ ‘Flame sensor,’ ‘Thermostat,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘switches, relays, sensors, and valves’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Wheel weights,’ ‘Wheel rotation balancers/stabilizers,’ ‘Firearm recoil suppressors,’ ‘Carburetor synchronizers,’ ‘Joint support/shock absorption bands,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • Country of Origin: Select the country(ies) of origin from which the reporting company imports elemental mercury-added products. At least one value must be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the country(ies) of origin as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of elemental mercury in products into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of elemental mercury that has been distributed in products into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury distributed in products into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industries to which elemental mercury in products has been distributed into domestic commerce by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industries of distribution as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company exported __________ pounds of elemental mercury in mercury-added products: Enter the amount of elemental mercury in mercury-added products that has been exported. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury exported in mercury-added products as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the country(ies) to which the reporting company exports elemental mercury in mercury-added products. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the destination country(ies) as confidential.



Exhibit 4 -18 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 4’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 418 Question 4 Screen (Scroll 1)



























Exhibit 4 -19 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 4’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 419 Question 4 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.7Question 5

You can access the ‘Question 5’ screen by checking the ‘Q5’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 4’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 5’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 5’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the use of elemental mercury in a manufacturing process (separate from manufacturing mercury compounds and/or manufacturing elemental mercury-added products).

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury in a manufacturing process: Enter the amount of elemental mercury used in a manufacturing process. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury used in a manufacturing process as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used elemental mercury in a manufacturing process in the following capacity for the following purposes: Check the processes in which elemental mercury is used. At least one process must be selected.

  • CBI: Check the CBI’ checkbox to claim elemental mercury used in (a) manufacturing process(es) as confidential.

  • The ‘Process’ column displays the following values: ‘Chlorine production (e.g., mercury-cell chlor-alkali process),’ ‘Acetaldehyde production,’ ‘Sodium/potassium methylate/ethylate production,’ ‘Polyurethane/plastic production,’ and ‘Other (please specify).’ Enter a value into the ‘Other’ text field if ‘Other’ is checked. At least one process is required to be checked.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the associated process as confidential.

  • The ‘Use’ drop-down contains the following values: ‘Catalyst,’ ‘Reactant,’ ‘Reagent,’ ‘Cathode,’ and ‘Other.’ A use is required for each checked process.

  • Other: A text field displays when ‘Other’ is selected to capture the use description.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the associated use(s) as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury on-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of elemental mercury that is stored on-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and indicate that elemental mercury is not stored on-site for the purpose of a manufacturing process.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury off-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of elemental mercury that is stored off-site for use in a manufacturing process. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury stored off-site for use in a manufacturing process as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that elemental mercury is not stored off-site for the purpose of a manufacturing process and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) of distribution to which final products that may or may not contain elemental mercury have been distributed by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the selected industries of distribution as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the country(ies) to which the reporting company exports final products that may or may not contain detectable amounts of elemental mercury as a result of a manufacturing process. Select the ‘Not Applicable’ option to indicate that final products containing elemental mercury are not exported to any countries.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the countries to which the reporting company exports final products that may or may not contain elemental mercury as confidential.



Exhibit 4 -20 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 5’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 420 Question 5 Screen (Scroll 1)
















Exhibit 4 -21 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 5’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 421 Question 5 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.8Question 6

You can access the ‘Question 6’ screen by checking the ‘Q6’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 5’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 6’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 6’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the manufacture of mercury compounds.

  • My company reported amount of manufactured (other than imported) mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported an amount of manufactured mercury compounds during the most recent CDR reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim that the amount of manufactured mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle is confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company manufactured (other than imported) a total of __________ pounds of mercury compounds: Enter the amount of mercury compounds that the reporting company has manufactured. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of manufactured (other than imported) mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds which has been manufactured as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company manufactured the following mercury compounds: Select the mercury compound(s) which the reporting company has manufactured during the specified calendar year. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of manufactured (other than imported) mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury to manufacture mercury compounds: Enter the amount of elemental mercury that was used to manufacture mercury compounds. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury used to manufacture mercury compounds as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury on-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of elemental mercury stored on-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the range of elemental mercury that is stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and claim that elemental mercury is not stored on-site.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury off-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of elemental mercury that is stored off-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and claim that elemental mercury is not stored off-site as not applicable.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of mercury compounds on-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of mercury compounds stored on-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and claim that mercury compounds are not stored on-site.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of mercury compounds off-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of mercury compounds stored off-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and claim that mercury compounds are not stored off-site as not applicable.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of mercury compounds into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of mercury compounds which has been distributed into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds distributed into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) to which mercury compounds have been distributed by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industries of distribution as confidential.

  • During calendar year XXXX, my company exported __________ pounds of mercury compounds: Enter the amount of mercury compounds which the reporting company has exported to the specified country(ies). The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of manufactured (other than imported) mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds exported to specific country(ies) as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the destination country(ies) to which the reporting company exports mercury compounds. Select the ‘Not Applicable’ value to indicate that the reporting company does not export mercury compounds to other country(ies).

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the destination country(ies) as confidential.







Exhibit 4 -22 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 6’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 422 Question 6 Screen (Scroll 1)



























Exhibit 4 -23 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 6’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 423 Question 6 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.9Question 7

You can access the ‘Question 7’ screen by checking the ‘Q7’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 6’ or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 7’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 7’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the import of mercury compounds.

  • My company reported amount of imported mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported an amount of imported mercury compounds during the most recent CDR reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported mercury compounds reported in the most recent CDR reporting cycle as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported a total of __________ pounds of mercury compounds: Enter the amount of mercury compounds that the reporting company has imported during the specified calendar year. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of imported mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported mercury compounds as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported the following mercury compounds: Select the mercury compound(s) that the company has imported. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of imported mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • Country of Origin: Select the country(ies) from which the reporting company imported mercury compounds. At least one country of origin is required.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the country(ies) of origin as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of mercury compounds on-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of imported mercury compounds stored on-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported mercury compounds stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and claim that imported mercury compounds are not stored on-site.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of mercury compounds off-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of imported mercury compounds stored off-site. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported mercury compounds stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to disable the input fields and claim that imported mercury compounds are not stored off-site.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of mercury compounds into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of imported mercury compounds which has been distributed into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported mercury compounds distributed into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) of distribution to which the reporting company distributes imported mercury compounds by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industries of distribution as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company exported __________ pounds of mercury compounds: Enter the amount of imported mercury compounds that the reporting company has exported to the specified destination country. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported amount of imported mercury compounds in the most recent CDR reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of imported mercury compounds that the reporting company has exported to the specified destination country as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the destination country(ies) to which the company has exported mercury compounds. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the destination country(ies) to which the reporting company exports imported mercury compounds as confidential.



Exhibit 4 -24 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 7’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 424 Question 7 Screen (Scroll 1)







Exhibit 4 -25 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 7’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 425 Question 7 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.10Question 8

You can access the ‘Question 8’ screen by checking the ‘Q8’ checkbox on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 7’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 8’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 8’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the manufacture (other than imports) of mercury compound-added products.

  • My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported national sales data regarding the manufacture of mercury compound-added products to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the national sales data regarding the manufacture of mercury compound-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used a total of __________ pounds of elemental mercury in the manufacturing of mercury compound-added products: Enter the amount of elemental mercury used during the specified calendar year in the manufacture of mercury compound-added products. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury used in the manufacturing of mercury compound-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used a total of __________ pounds of mercury compounds in the manufacturing of mercury compound-added products: Enter the amount of mercury compounds used in the manufacture of mercury compound-added products during the specified calendar year. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds used in the manufacturing of mercury compound-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company manufactured (other than imported) the following mercury compound-added products: Select the category(ies) and associated subcategory(ies) of products under which the reporting company manufactures mercury compound-added products. At least one category must be checked.

  • The ‘Batteries’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Button cell (silver),’ ‘Button cell (zinc-air),’ ‘Button cell (alkaline),’ ‘Stacked button cell batteries,’ ‘Manganese oxide,’ ‘Silver oxide,’ ‘Mercuric oxide (non-button cell),’ ‘Button cell (mercuric oxide),’ ‘Button cell (zinc carbon),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘batteries’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Dental amalgam’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘dental amalgam’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticides, and laboratory chemicals)’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Skin-lightening creams,’ ‘Lotions,’ ‘Soaps and sanitizers,’ ‘Bath oils and salts,’ ‘Preservatives (e.g. for use in vaccines for preservation),’ ‘Pharmaceuticals (including prescription and over-the-counter products),’ ‘Cleaning products (not registered as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act),’ ‘Pesticides,’ ‘Paints,’ ‘Dyes,’ ‘Reagents (e.g., catalysts, buffers, fixatives),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticide, and laboratory chemicals)’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Lighting, lamps, bulbs’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Liner fluorescent,’ ‘Compact fluorescent,’ ‘U-tube and circular fluorescent,’ ‘Cold cathode fluorescent,’ ‘External electrode fluorescent,’ ‘Mercury vapor,’ ‘Metal halide,’ ‘High pressure sodium,’ ‘Mercury short arc,’ ‘Neon,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Lighting, lamps, and bulbs’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Measuring instruments’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Barometer,’ ‘Fever thermometer,’ ‘Flow meter,’ ‘Hydrometer,’ ‘Hygrometer/psychrometer,’ ‘Manometer,’ ‘Non-fever thermometer,’ ‘Pyrometer,’ ‘Sphygmomanometer,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘measuring instruments’ and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Pump seals’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘pump seals’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Switches, relays, sensors, valves’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Tilt switch,’ ‘Vibration switch,’ ‘Float switch,’ ‘Pressure switch,’ ‘Temperature switch,’ ‘Displacement relay,’ ‘Wetted reed relay,’ ‘Contact relay,’ ‘Flame sensor,’ ‘Thermostat,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘switches, relays, sensors, and valves’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Wheel weights,’ ‘Wheel rotation balancers/stabilizers,’ ‘Firearm recoil suppressors,’ ‘Carburetor synchronizers,’ ‘Joint support/shock absorption bands,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products distributed into domestic commerce during the specified calendar year. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products distributed into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) of distribution to which the reporting company distributes mercury compounds in products into domestic commerce by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. This field is required.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industry(ies) of distribution as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company exported __________ pounds of mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products: Enter the amount of mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products that the reporting company has exported. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of exported mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the country(ies) to which the reporting company exports mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products. At least one country is required to be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the country(ies) to which the reporting company exports mercury compounds in mercury compound-added products as confidential.



Exhibit 4 -26 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 8’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 426 Question 8 Screen (Scroll 1)












Exhibit 4 -27 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 8’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 427 Question 8 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.11Question 9

You can access the ‘Question 9’ screen by checking the ‘Q9’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 8’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 9’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 9’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the import of mercury compound-added products.

  • My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle: Check the checkbox to indicate that the reporting company reported national sales data of imported mercury compound-added products to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the national sales data reported to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported a total of __________ pounds of mercury in compounds in mercury compound-added products: Enter the amount of mercury in compounds in imported mercury compound-added products. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury in compounds in mercury compound-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company imported the following mercury compound-added products: Check the category(ies) and associated subcategory(ies) under which the imported mercury compound-added products fall. At least one category is required to be checked.

  • The ‘Batteries’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Button cell (silver),’ ‘Button cell (zinc-air),’ ‘Button cell (alkaline),’ ‘Stacked button cell batteries,’ ‘Manganese oxide,’ ‘Silver oxide,’ ‘Mercuric oxide (non-button cell),’ ‘Button cell (mercuric oxide),’ ‘Button cell (zinc carbon),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘batteries’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Dental amalgam’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘dental amalgam’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticides, and laboratory chemicals)’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Skin-lightening creams,’ ‘Lotions,’ ‘Soaps and sanitizers,’ ‘Bath oils and salts,’ ‘Preservatives (e.g. for use in vaccines for preservation),’ ‘Pharmaceuticals (including prescription and over-the-counter products),’ ‘Cleaning products (not registered as pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act),’ ‘Pesticides,’ ‘Paints,’ ‘Dyes,’ ‘Reagents (e.g., catalysts, buffers, fixatives),’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Formulated products (includes uses in cosmetics, pesticides, and laboratory chemicals)’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Lighting, lamps, bulbs’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Liner fluorescent,’ ‘Compact fluorescent,’ ‘U-tube and circular fluorescent,’ ‘Cold cathode fluorescent,’ ‘External electrode fluorescent,’ ‘Mercury vapor,’ ‘Metal halide,’ ‘High pressure sodium,’ ‘Mercury short arc,’ ‘Neon,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘Lighting, lamps, and bulbs’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Measuring instruments’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Barometer,’ ‘Fever thermometer,’ ‘Flow meter,’ ‘Hydrometer,’ ‘Hygrometer/psychrometer,’ ‘Manometer,’ ‘Non-fever thermometer,’ ‘Pyrometer,’ ‘Sphygmomanometer,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘measuring instruments’ and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Pump seals’ category does not include any subcategories.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘pump seals’ category as confidential.

  • The ‘Switches, relays, sensors, valves’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Tilt switch,’ ‘Vibration switch,’ ‘Float switch,’ ‘Pressure switch,’ ‘Temperature switch,’ ‘Displacement relay,’ ‘Wetted reed relay,’ ‘Contact relay,’ ‘Flame sensor,’ ‘Thermostat,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘switches, relays, sensors, and valves’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • The ‘Miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category includes the following subcategories: ‘Wheel weights,’ ‘Wheel rotation balancers/stabilizers,’ ‘Firearm recoil suppressors,’ ‘Carburetor synchronizers,’ ‘Joint support/shock absorption bands,’ and ‘Other (specify).’ At least one subcategory value is required if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the ‘miscellaneous/novelty mercury-added products’ category and associated subcategory(ies) as confidential.

  • Country of Origin: Select the country(ies) of origin from which the reporting company imports mercury compound-added products. At least one value is required to be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the country(ies) of origin from which the reporting company imports mercury compound-added products as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed __________ pounds of mercury compounds in products into domestic commerce: Enter the amount of mercury compounds that has been distributed in products into domestic commerce. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This question does not display if the ‘My company reported national sales data to the most recent IMERC reporting cycle’ statement is checked. This is a required field if displayed.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds which has been distributed in products into domestic commerce as confidential.

  • Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) of distribution to which the reporting company distributes mercury compounds in products by selecting the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. At least one value is required to be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industry(ies) of distribution as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company exported __________ pounds of mercury compounds in mercury-added products: Enter the amount of mercury compounds in imported mercury-added products that the company exports. The entered value must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds in mercury-added products that the reporting company has exported as confidential.

  • Destination Country: Select the country(ies) to which the reporting company exports mercury compounds in mercury-added products. Select ‘Not Applicable’ to indicate that the company does not export mercury compounds in mercury-added products. At least one country is required to be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the destination country(ies) to which the reporting company exports mercury compounds in mercury-added products as confidential.



Exhibit 4 -28 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 9’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 428 Question 9 Screen (Scroll 1)






















Exhibit 4 -29 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 9’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 429 Question 9 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the subsequent screen that was checked on the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen or the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.12Question 10

You can access the ‘Question 10’ screen by checking the ‘Q10’ checkbox and clicking the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘Question 9’ screen or the ‘Introductory Questions’ screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Question 10’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Question 10’ screen provides fields to capture information regarding the use of mercury compounds in a manufacturing process outside of manufacturing mercury compound-added products.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used a total of __________ pounds of mercury compounds in a manufacturing process: Enter the amount of mercury compounds used in a manufacturing process. The entered value must be greater than or equal to one, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. This is a required field.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company used mercury compounds in a manufacturing process in the following capacity for the following purposes: Select the processes in which mercury compounds are used. At least one process is required to be checked.

  • Process: The ‘Process’ column displays the following values: ‘Chlorine production (e.g., mercury-cell chlor-alkali process),’ ‘Acetaldehyde production,’ ‘Sodium/potassium methylate/ethylate production,’ ‘Polyurethane/plastic production,’ ‘Production of other mercury compounds,’ and ‘Other (please specify).’ At least one process is required to be checked.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the applicable process as confidential.

  • Use: The ‘Use’ drop-down contains the following values: ‘Catalyst,’ ‘Reactant,’ ‘Reagent,’ ‘Cathode,’ and ‘Other.’ The drop-down is enabled when the associated process is checked. A use is required for each checked process.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury on-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of elemental mercury stored on-site during the specified calendar year. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that elemental mercury is not stored on-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of elemental mercury off-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of elemental mercury stored off-site during the specified calendar year. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of elemental mercury stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that elemental mercury is not stored off-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of mercury compounds on-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of mercury compounds stored on-site during the specified calendar year. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds stored on-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that mercury compounds are not stored on-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company stored between __________ and __________ pounds of mercury compounds off-site: Enter a range to estimate the amount of mercury compounds stored off-site during the specified calendar year. The entered values must be greater than or equal to zero, but less than or equal to 1,000,000,000. The minimum and maximum range input fields are required if enabled.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the amount of mercury compounds stored off-site as confidential.

  • Check here if not applicable: Check the checkbox to indicate that mercury compounds are not stored off-site and disable the input fields for the associated question.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company distributed into domestic commerce final products that may or may not contain detectable amounts of a mercury compound as a result of a manufacturing process to the following Industries of Distribution: Select the industry(ies) of distribution to which the reporting company distributes final products that may or may not contain detectable amounts of a mercury compounds as a result of a manufacturing process. Select the applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code(s). Use the keyword search on the NAICS website (https://www.census.gov/eos/www/naics/index.html) to search for the desired industry. At least one industry of distribution must be entered.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the industry(ies) of distribution as confidential.

  • During the calendar year XXXX, my company exported final products that may or may not contain detectable amounts of a mercury compound as a result of a manufacturing process to the following Countries: Select the destination country(ies) to which the reporting company exports final products that may or may not contain detectable amounts of a mercury compound as a result of a manufacturing process. At least one country is required to be selected.

  • CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the destination country(ies) to which the reporting company exports final products as confidential.





























Exhibit 4 -30 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 10’ screen (Scroll 1):

Exhibit 430 Question 10 Screen (Scroll 1)



























Exhibit 4 -31 shows a screen capture of the ‘Question 10’ screen (Scroll 2):

Exhibit 431 Question 10 Screen (Scroll 2)


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the ‘Summary’ screen.

4.13Summary

You can access the ‘Summary’ screen by clicking the ‘Continue’ button from a question screen. You can also access this screen by clicking the ‘Summary’ link within the navigation header.

The ‘Summary’ screen provides a visual representation of all the information that has been captured within an MER form for selected question(s). Click each question title to expand the section and view entered information to verify accuracy. The ‘Expand All’ and ‘Collapse All’ links may also be used to expand and collapse all sections, respectively.





































Exhibit 4 -32 shows a screen capture of the ‘Summary’ screen:

Exhibit 432 Summary Screen


Navigation: If any CBI claims were made, click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the ‘Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims’ screen. Refer to Section 7 for information on CBI substantiation. If no CBI claims were made, refer to Section 3.6 for the functionality available within the bottom action bar.

5Preview

The system provides the option to preview a form at any point during the submission process. Click the ‘Preview’ link ( ), located within the bottom action bar, to see a PDF version of the form. A menu displays for you to view either the ‘Regular’ or the ‘Sanitized’ version of the PDF. After you choose either the ‘Regular’ or ‘Sanitized’ PDF, the application displays a confirmation message and generates a draft, watermarked PDF version of the form.

The watermark reads ‘Not for Submission’ and displays across each page in the background. The form preview displays the entire form in a printable format. The preview functionality provides the flexibility to track the status of the form and see the entire form in a single viewpoint.



Exhibit 5 -33 shows a screen capture of the ‘Preview’ links:

Exhibit 533 Preview













Exhibit 5 -34 shows a screen capture for the ‘Preview’ of the MER form:

Exhibit 534 Preview Mercury Electronic Reporting Form PDF



6Validate

You can click the ‘Validate’ link at any stage of completing a Mercury Electronic Reporting form. The ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window displays when you click the ‘Validate’ link. Disable the pop-up blocker within your internet browser so that the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window displays correctly. The ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window displays a report of all validation errors and warning messages. During the validation process, the application validates each screen of the Mercury Electronic Reporting form to find missing and invalid data.

Validation Errors: Errors can be fixed by clicking the error link. The links will display the Screen Title Name (e.g., Question 1) and the associated error. After you click a link, the main application screen will display the section where the error occurred so you can easily fix the error. Once you have fixed the error(s), click the ‘Validate’ link again to refresh the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window. If the information you fixed passes validation, the error will be removed from the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window. You must fix all validation errors to submit the form to CDX successfully.

Click the ‘X’ button located at the upper right-hand corner of the window to close the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window.



Exhibit 6 -35 shows a screen capture for the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ window:

Exhibit 635 Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation Window

7CBI Substantiation

EPA modified the electronic reporting applications for TSCA submissions to accept CBI substantiations for CBI claims made during the creation of electronic submissions. Other than information exempt from substantiation under TSCA Section 14(c)(2), users who wish to assert CBI claims for data within a submission must substantiate those claims at the time of submission as required by TSCA Section 14(c)(3).

7.1Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims Screen

You can access the ‘Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims’ screen by claiming information as CBI within a form and clicking the ‘Instructions for Substantiating CBI Claims’ link within the navigation header. The ‘Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims’ screen will not generate until a CBI claim is made within a submission. Information claimed CBI must either be substantiated or claimed exempt pursuant to TSCA Section 14(c)(2) at the time of submission.

To substantiate a CBI claim, upload documentation asserting your claim(s). You may also opt-out of substantiation if, for example, you believe your CBI claim is exempt under TSCA Section 14(c)(2). Common exemption reasons can be found at https://www.epa.gov/tsca-cbi/what-information-include-cbi-substantiations. To opt-out of substantiation at the time of submission, all CBI claims within a submission must be exempt.

  • Substantiation Opt-Out: Certain data claimed CBI may be exempt from substantiation at the time of submission. If all information contained within the submission was previously substantiated or you believe it to be exempt pursuant to TSCA Section 14(c)(2), check the ‘Substantiation Opt-Out’ checkbox to enable the ‘Substantiation Opt-Out Reasoning’ text box. If a substantiation document is uploaded, checking the ‘Substantiation Opt-Out’ checkbox removes the uploaded attachments. Either a substantiation opt-out reason or CBI substantiation document must be provided if a CBI claim is made in a submission.

  • Substantiation Opt-Out Reasoning: Enter information explaining why you believe your CBI claim(s) to be exempt from substantiation. Either a substantiation opt-out reason within the text box or CBI substantiation document must be provided if a CBI claim is made in a submission.

  • Attach CBI Substantiation Document: Click the ‘Attach CBI Substantiation Document’ link to search your local machine and upload a file that contains your CBI substantiation. To overwrite an uploaded file, click the ‘Edit’ link to search for and upload a new file. Delete uploaded files to enable the ‘Substantiation Opt-Out’ checkbox. Either a substantiation opt-out reason or CBI substantiation document must be provided if a CBI claim is made in a submission.

If you are unfamiliar with substantiating CBI claims or require assistance preparing substantiation documents, EPA offers a link to templates and other information for substantiating CBI claims on the ‘Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims’ screen. It is suggested that you right-click the link and open in a new tab or new window so you do not leave your submission as this may affect your saved data.

The ‘Instructions for Substantiating Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims’ screen is under development.

Navigation: Click the ‘Validate’ link located in the bottom action bar to validate the form. Click the ‘Save’ link located in the bottom action bar to save the overall form. Click the ‘Preview’ link to generate a PDF preview of the form.

7.2Attach Documents for CBI Substantiation

The ‘Attach CBI Substantation Document’ link displays on the ‘Instructions for Substantiating CBI Claims’ screen, and provides functionality for you to attach supporting documents where needed. Click the ‘Attach CBI Substantiation Document’ link displayed on a screen to access the ‘Attach Documents for CBI Substantiation’ pop-up window. You can attach a file and enter a description, number of pages, and indicate CBI status.

The system allows you to claim an uploaded document as CBI. If you claim a document as CBI, the system requires you to upload a sanitized version of the attached document. If you wish to change a CBI attachment to be non-CBI by deselecting the ‘CBI’ checkbox, a warning appears to notify you that deselecting the ‘CBI’ checkbox will delete the sanitized file. If you neglect to populate a required field and click the ‘OK’ button, an error message will display to indicate the missing field and the application will delete the previously attached file.

After you upload a document to be attached, the ‘Attach Documents for CBI Substantiation’ window will close and the document’s information will display in a table format on the screen. Depending on the screen, the attachment table may display the section of the page the file is associated with, the file name and file extension of the document, the number of pages in the document, and if the document was claimed CBI. The system allows you to delete unwanted documents by clicking the ‘Delete’ link. To view, open, or edit previously attached documents, click the ‘Edit’ link.

  • Type: Select ‘CBI Substantiation’ from the drop-down menu of the document that you upload. This is a required field.

  • Attachment: Click the ‘Browse’ button to generate the ‘File Upload’ window to search for a document on your hard drive.

  • Description: Enter a description associated with the attached document. Submitters should not include any CBI information in the document description. This is a required field.

  • Number of Pages: Enter the number of pages in a document. This is a required field.

  • Check to claim the attachment as CBI: Check the ‘CBI’ checkbox to claim the attached document as confidential. Un-checking the ‘CBI’ checkbox for a CBI document generates a warning notifying you that un-checking the CBI claim will delete the sanitized file.

  • Sanitized Attachment: Click the ‘Browse’ button to generate the ‘File Upload’ window to search for a document on your hard drive. For any attached document claimed as CBI, you will be required to attach a sanitized version of the document.

  • Cancel: Click the ‘Cancel’ button to cancel the attach document process.

  • OK: Click the ‘OK’ button to attach and link the document uploaded on the ‘Attach Documents for CBI Substantiation’ window to the form. If a field is missing, a warning message will display notifying you that all attachments must be re-attached and the missing field must be populated.



The ‘Attach Documents for CBI Substantiation’ window is under development.

Navigation: Click the ‘Cancel’ button or ‘X’ icon in the upper right-hand corner to cancel the document attachment process. Click the ‘OK’ button to attach the document to the form and navigate back to the ‘Instructions for Substantiating CBI Claims’ screen from which the document attachment process was initiated.

8Submit to EPA via CDX

As a Primary Agent/Consultant, you have the ability to submit amendments. You can save your form at any point during the data entry process and return to that same form at any point in the future.

Once you complete all required information and correct all items failing validation, the system will allow the Mercury Electronic Reporting form to be successfully submitted.

8.1TSCA CBI Certification

Click the ‘Start Submission Process’ button from the ‘Submitting Official Information’ or ‘Instructions for Substantiating CBI Claims’ screen to access the ‘TSCA CBI Certification’ page.



Exhibit 8 -36 shows a screen capture of the ‘TSCA CBI Certification’ screen:

Exhibit 836 TSCA CBI Certification Screen


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the ‘MER Certification’ screen.

8.2MER Certification

Click the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘TSCA CBI Certification’ screen to access the ‘MER Certification’ screen.









Exhibit 8 -37 shows a screen capture of the ‘MER Certification’ screen:

Exhibit 837 MER Certification Screen


Navigation: Click the ‘Continue’ button to navigate to the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ screen.

8.3Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation

Click the ‘Continue’ button from the ‘MER Certification’ screen to access the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ screen.





















Exhibit 8 -38 shows a screen capture of the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ screen:

Exhibit 838 Mercury Reporting Validation Screen


Navigation: Click the ‘PDF Generation’ button to navigate to the ‘PDF Generation’ screen.

8.4Mercury Electronic Reporting PDF Generation

Click the ‘PDF Generation’ button from the ‘Mercury Electronic Reporting Validation’ screen to access the ‘PDF Generation’ screen.























Exhibit 8 -39 shows a screen capture of the ‘PDF Generation’ screen:

Exhibit 839 PDF Generation Screen


Navigation: Click the ‘Regular PDF’ button to view the regular version of the MER PDF in a separate window. Click the ‘Sanitized PDF’ button to view the sanitized version of the MER PDF. Click the ‘Sign, Encrypt and Submit’ button to begin the CROMERR certification process.

8.5CROMERR Certification

Click the ‘Sign, Encrypt and Submit’ button from the ‘PDF Generation’ screen to generate the ‘CROMERR Certification’ pop-up window.



Exhibit 8 -40 shows a screen capture of the ‘CROMERR Certification’ window:

Exhibit 840 CROMERR Certification Window

Navigation: Click the ‘Accept’ button to agree to the certification statement and generate the ‘eSignature Widget.’

8.6eSignature Widget

Click the ‘Accept’ button on the ‘CROMERR Certification’ window to accept the certification statement and generate the ‘eSignature Widget.’ The ‘eSignature Widget’ will prompt for the CDX login password and an answer to one of your security questions registered within CDX. Then click the ‘Sign’ button on the ‘eSignature Widget’ to navigate to the ‘Submission Finished’ screen.



Exhibit 8 -41 shows a screen capture of the ‘eSignature Widget’ window:

Exhibit 841 eSignature Widget


Navigation: Click the ‘Sign’ button on the ‘eSignature Widget’ to navigate to the ‘Submission Finished’ screen.

8.7Submission Finished

Click the ‘Sign’ button within the ‘eSignature Widget’ to navigate to the ‘Submission Finished’ screen.

The ‘Submission Finished’ screen is under development.

Navigation: Click the ‘Home’ button to confirm the submission of the form and navigate back to the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen.

9Download Copy of Record

To download a Copy of Record, navigate to the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen and locate a form alias for which you have successfully completed a submission and which has a status of ‘Completed.’

Click the ‘Copy of Record’ icon ( ) from the ‘Submission History’ table of the Mercury Electronic Reporting ‘Home’ screen for the desired submission to navigate to the ‘Enter Passphrase’ screen. The ‘Enter Passphrase’ screen requires you to enter the passphrase originally associated with the form. If the passphrase is entered correctly, you will view the ‘CROMERR Certification’ message where you can acknowledge the certification. Once you accept the certification, the ‘eSignature Widget’ displays where you provide the correct CDX password, answer the 20-5-1 question, and click the ‘Sign’ button. Then the copy of record .zip file generates on the current page.

The ‘Download Copy of Record’ screen is under development.

10EPA Communications

EPA may send electronic communications related to specific CDX submissions. In the event EPA sends an electronic communication, the original submitter will receive a notification to both their registered email address and inbox within CDX. The notification will inform the user that there is a new, submission-specific communication available from EPA.

Shows a screen capture of a sample email notification from CDX:

This is under development.

11Create An Amendment

The ability to unlock submissions to create an amendment is limited. Contact EPA at to unlock the completed submission.

This process is under development.






File Typeapplication/msword
File TitleCDX User Guide Template
AuthorRobert Parker
Last Modified BySYSTEM
File Modified2018-10-17
File Created2018-10-17

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