Just about every doctor's surgery or emergency room more than about 15 years
old will have had more than one thermometer broken in it. I'm sure there are
lots of little balls of mercury lurking in carpet fibres or between tiles in
those environments. It doesn't seem to have surfaced as an occupation health
hazard. You're more likely to encounter "lead or sharp steel poisoning" in
inner city ERs :-(
Morris
Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:22:30 -0500
From: Chuck Harris cfharris@erols.com
Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material
Yes, and no. When mercury hits the ground, it splatters into hundreds
of
miniballs of mercury. When you walk on them, they further fracture,
and
by the time you are done, you have increased the surface area of the
mini
drop of mercury greatly... probably thousands of times. That increases
the mercury vapor emitted into the room.
Is it harmful? Maybe. Maybe not.
Just about every doctor's surgery or emergency room more than about 15 years
old will have had more than one thermometer broken in it. I'm sure there are
lots of little balls of mercury lurking in carpet fibres or between tiles in
those environments. It doesn't seem to have surfaced as an occupation health
hazard. You're more likely to encounter "lead or sharp steel poisoning" in
inner city ERs :-(
Morris
> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:22:30 -0500
> From: Chuck Harris <cfharris@erols.com>
> Subject: Re: [time-nuts] Conducting Bench Top Material
>
> Yes, and no. When mercury hits the ground, it splatters into hundreds
> of
> miniballs of mercury. When you walk on them, they further fracture,
> and
> by the time you are done, you have increased the surface area of the
> mini
> drop of mercury greatly... probably thousands of times. That increases
> the mercury vapor emitted into the room.
>
> Is it harmful? Maybe. Maybe not.
>
***
