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Area residents will have the opportunity to pick up a free digital thermometer near the UC campus during an end-of-September promotion for National Pollution Prevention Week. 

There are two restrictions: Only one digital thermometer will be given per household, and a mercury thermometer must be given in exchange. The mercury thermometers should be brought either in their original cases or inside two sealed plastic bags. 

The exchanges can be made at the Cal Student Store on Bancroft Way at Telegraph, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 20 through Friday, Oct. 1. 

The exchange is being promoted by UC Berkeley, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the City of Berkeley as a way of getting the old mercury-based thermometers out of the public’s hands. Mercury is a toxic metal linked to numerous health risks, including neurological damage and death.