Mercury prompts thermometer call

Washington Times ^ | Shayla Bennett

[AFPhys]

The D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department is encouraging District residents to get rid of thermometers containing mercury, to prevent future incidents of mercury poisoning from spills of the type that occurred at Ballou High School in Southeast.

Under a program set up over the past weekend, residents can drop off old thermometers at Engine 12 fire station on the corner of Fifth Street and Rhode Island Avenue NE between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

[RippinGood]

the horror!

re: the bucket o' Hg

try to refrain from drinking a large quantity (3 kg - 6-ish lbs) of it (though small quantities don't seem to be a problem)...

From: http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/chem_profiles/mercury/health_mercury.html

What happens if Mercury is accidentally swallowed (enters the digestive system)?

Elemental mercury is poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and is more toxic following inhalation. In one report, ingestion of 204 gm did not cause harmful effects. In a second report, ingestion of 220 mL (approximately 3.0 kg) caused immediate effects such as tremor, irritability, forgetfulness and fatigue. It is uncertain whether liver effects observed several months later were related to the mercury exposure. Ingestion is not a typical route of occupational exposure. Although airborne droplets of elemental mercury are actually more likely to enter the gastrointestinal system rather than the lungs, resulting in lower absorption.


RG

[Fiddlstix]

It is still one of the most benign elements on God's earth, and one of the most interesting and safe things to show children ... but these chemophobes are seemingly hopeless.

Check out this Link

(From The Society of Amateur Scientists )

[ko_kyi]

I read a story about a guy that died of mercury poisoning. He worked in a dental office in a third world country and was obtaining silver by melting/boiling the mercury out of old fillings. The vapors did him in over the course of a couple months, and his house had to be torn down.

Liquid mercury is pretty harmless, I have heard. A science teacher said some people in the middle ages actually drank it as a laxative.

[AFPhys]

WOW !!! What a GREAT link you posted there!

Let's see: the earlier story said the levels found in one of the buildings was 55 MICROgrams per cubic meter and "elevated levels" were found in another.

Your link talks about MILLIgrams of Hg/m3 for DAYs lead to some acute health effects, and that HEATED Hg is needed to get that factor of a thousand greater Hg into the air. Also, later in the article, it talks about the 25ug/m3 level creating some problems after 15 years (possibly).

But these maroons are scurrying around with crime investigations and EPA cleanup crews at costs of certainly thousands of dollars, and creating insane and worried people out of sane ones.

AAAGGHHH!

[AFPhys]

the link posted just above yours is GREAT!

[joesnuffy]

Hg is fun stuff ...one of our neatest and cool elements...
what the heck is wrong with these folks
dont breathe the vapors...dont throw it on a fire....dont eat it....wash your hands after playing with hit..dont play with it too much
you could go blind...
kinds of like a lot of things..
in nature.... M O D E R A T I O N

[Atlas Sneezed]

It probably weighs about 20 pounds.

---

Figure the market value (if pure, in a 76 pound flask) at $2 per pound. Worth two or three time copper or aluminum per pound, but much more fun.

[pageonetoo]

"But these maroons are scurrying around with crime investigations and EPA cleanup crews at costs of certainly thousands of dollars, and creating insane and worried people out of sane ones. "

FOLLOW THE MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!! One bet: there is an outside crew CONTRACTED" to clean it up, under the supervision of a battalion of federal and DC employees!

[Fiddlstix]

the link posted just above yours is GREAT!
(Click Here)

Thank you J
(I always like to be helpful if possible)

[Core_Conservative]

Give me a break! I used to break these thing on purpose just to play with the mercury. It never affected me in the least

[TexasRepublic]

JUST DAMN! We are talking about mercury, not plutonium. Political Correctness is the most corrosive and toxic thing that I can think of.