With the future of the planet at stake, many of us have developed a new consciousness when it comes to the environment. Recycling and the proper disposal of potentially hazardous materials have taken on a new and growing significance. From common household chemical to batteries of all kinds, a serious environmental health impact can be averted if these common, everyday materials are properly disposed of.

Virtually all wrist watches in use today are powered by a battery. With millions of new wrist watches sold worldwide every year and millions more currently in service, imagine how many watch batteries are changed out and disposed of every year. The figures are in the hundreds of millions so the issue of how to properly dispose of these batteries is critical. To understand just how serious the issue of battery recycling can be it is necessary to look at how watch batteries are made and the hazardous materials that are contained inside.

Wrist watch batteries are commonly referred to as button cells or button batteries. Watch batteries can contain a number of substances, including mercury, lithium, silver, cadmium and other heavy metals. Proper recycling of these batteries, which are found in other types electronic devices like hearing aids, is proving to be a profitable business enterprise. Metals like silver and lithium can be reused, though the process of recovering these substances can be expensive. Once these metals are introduced into the environment, removal is virtually impossible. Heavy metals are now found in every level of the food chain and do not break down over time.

For example, if heavy metals like lead and cadmium are introduced into a lake or stream, fish and other aquatic animals may ingest the substance. Since heavy metals concentrate in fatty tissues and organs like the liver, humans and other animals who consume the fish are also consuming the heavy metal, which then concentrates in our tissues. Our bodies do not expel these substances very easily and tend to remain in the body for years.

As human eat more contaminated food, the concentration of heavy metals increases. When watch batteries, car batteries and even flashlight batteries are disposed of in a landfill, the outer case of these batteries eventually corrodes and the contaminants inside leech into the surrounding soils and even down to the ground water. Once these substances get into the ground water, it is virtually impossible to remove them, even though filtering. A whole host of adverse health effects can result from heavy metal contamination, and can range from birth defects to cancers, organ failure and many other diseases.

It is easy to see that the risk is real and the consequences are serious. We all have a responsibility to reduce the amount of hazardous material in the environment and ourselves. Getting educated about how to safely dispose of batteries, including our old watch batteries is the first step. Whenever you need to change out the battery in your watch, have it changed at a retailer that offers a program to properly recycle the old battery.

Many jewelers and retailers will install a new battery free of charge and you will not be saving any money by replacing the old battery yourself. Some watches require special tooling to open the case that will not break waterproof seals. Some watches are designed with o-rings that can be easily damaged is the watch is handled incorrectly. Taking your watch, even an inexpensive one, to a qualified retailer eliminates the possibility that you may damage your watch, but will also ensure the old battery can be properly recycled. The risks are real and the choice is yours.