US Senate votes to ban mercury fever thermometers

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ^ | September 9, 2002

[Bernard Marx]

the water carried through Roman pipes was all cold water, and might not have actually absorbed much lead. But maybe it had some effect ;)

Their food was prepared in leadware and that probably was a much bigger factor than water pipes. The following snippet is more to the point:

"The ancient Romans used lead for making water pipes, cooking utensils, water tanks and storage vessels. Lead water pipes were used in most major cities in the empire. Wine was cheap in ancient Rome and Athens and it was contaminated with lead from as many as 14 sources during its preparation. Lead was used as part of the preservative and as a flavor enhancer."

[Vinnie]

Definitely a disincentive to playing sick to get out of school!

You gave me an idea. I'm going to get an electronic thermometer powered with 2 'D' batteries. That'll keep them school.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

...as well as violating the tenth amendment...

Bingo!

1. Technology was solving the problem anyway.

2. We are talking about a tiny amount of mercury contamination.

3. Inventers are now inhibited from new ideas.

4. It violates our rights.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Why not inform the consumer, hmmm? Why tell people 'this is the law' when you can simply inform? Congress could issue a press release and encourage consumers as they see fit. Instead, they make their demands. People didn't even need congress to tell them for goodness sake. Who buys a mercury thermometer anymore? What store sells one? You could even call for a boycott of stores, for goodness sake.

I am SICK of living in a nanny state that locks up people because their child has a sunburn, runs people off of parking lots for doing jumping jacks, and tells people 'You CAN'T buy this.'

[Jim Noble]

>>Ha, I remember as a kid wishing someone would ban those rectal thermometers. Definitely a disincentive to playing sick to get out of school!<<

Went to Catholic school?

[UCANSEE2]

The whole thing is about covering up for mercury pollution caused by commercial manufacturing. It is not about pollution from discarded thermometers. By passing an ACT against the thermometers, the greenies are satisfied, the public thinks the gov't is doing something about it, and the companies which actually are responsible for toxic mercury compounds going into the groundwater are allowed to keep doing so without fines/levies/complicated+expensive filtering processes etc. They can therefore keep paying bribes and campaign contributions to Politicians.

[Freebird Forever]

The REAL reason they're doing this is because of "unsubstantiated" reports that Al Qaeda operatives are purchasing an unusual number of mercury thermometers.

I can't speak to any alleged Al Qaeda usage, but there's a few Texans who use it to tip their hollow points.

; )

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Ah....! I smelled a rat on this one. You pegged it. A large amount of mercury IS a serious hazard. Even I agree with that. Freegards....

[Bernard Marx]

I'm no chemist and am only repeating what I was told by chemists and biologists.

The mercury from gold mining that got into tributaries to the Sacramento River is no danger by itself. It accumulates in crevices and bottom mud. But anaerobic bacteria go to work on it, absorbing it into their systems. They in turn are eaten by snails, etc. which are eaten by fish. I'm not sure of the chemistry involved but mercury collects in animal tissues and is not excreted. It is passed on and on until it ends up in our frying pans and barbecues. I was told that's why mercury from batteries is dangerous in landfills. It's the absence of oxygen that allows it to be converted by bacteria into methylmercury. If I'm wrong blame my sources.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

...there's a few Texans who use it to tip their hollow points.

I wouldn't recommend anyone breaking into your house, especially in Texas!

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

Lead was used as part of the preservative and as a flavor enhancer.

No wonder Romans became as mad as hatters! LOL. What period of Roman history was lead commonly put in food as a flavor enhancer?

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

You know, people keep stabbing themselves with forks. If we put our minds to it, we can prepare all food to be consumed with spoons. Should we outlaw forks next? I also recommend Brothers Outraged Over Bathtubs.

[Pagey]

This is just like those new 'Hardly effective' 2/3/4 gallon toilets.Of all the possible things to ban.Why am I not surprised at the stupidity of our elected officials?Eventually, the whiners (Libs) won't have anything left to complain about,because everything will have been banned,in the name of 'Conservation'.Please spare me.

[Bernard Marx]

Actually, as a goldsmith I'll be delighted to see mercury thermometers phased out. Mercury gloms onto gold like mud on a pig. Nurses, especially, are constantly breaking thermometers and 'mercury-plating' their prized gold rings. Removing it is one of the nastier jobs a jeweler faces. It has to be done with heat and breathing the fumes is decidedly bad for the health. It's a job I'd just as soon never do again.

[Erasmus]

Does anyone know the side effects of mercury poisoning other than death?

For a brief graphical summary, see post #31.

[mware]

I can not believe this!!!!

The Senate has time to vote on this bill but not time to bring up the Partial Birth Abortion Ban??????

[Oztrich Boy]

Actually, this has already happened.

On August 9, 1945, a quanity of plutonium that Ralph Nader has assured us was sufficient to kill everyone on the Earth at the time WAS released into the atmosphere.

And I guess the fears were justified. A large number of the people alive at that time are now dead, and most of the survivors are expected to die within a decade or so.

[Tony Niar Brain]

No I don't, please do not put words in my mouth (or keyboard), but I think it's a pretty good indicator that this bill is free from enviro-nuttyness, because if it wasn't, I don't think it would get past conservative senators without a fight. There was no fight, which leads me to believe there is no nuttiness afoot.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

I'm sure that Vermont is delighted that we are forced to pay more for milk than we'd have to if the dairy industry were deregulated. Freedom, friend. Freedom.

[Tony Niar Brain]

Different drops spread over different backyards will have no effect whatever.
If you insist, fine, it has no effect what-so-ever.

Do you also oppose peeing in the woods on environmental grounds? Have you ever BEEN in the woods?
Yes, as a devoted environmentalist, I am against any and all peeing in the woods. That goes for bears and deer and squirrels as well; I hear they have lots of them in the woods, and they simply must cease this offensive behavior. So there.