I remember the days when I was a kid I would smash a thermostat and play with the liquid mercury rolling around on the floor... Now a days you spill a drop and a hazmat team needs to be contacted for disposal.
On the bright side people now go mad because of illegal street drugs or genetic reasons rather than the effects of widely used industrial chemicals, or maybe not.
Mad as a hatter anyone?
By the time I got to high school we were only allowed to watch the teacher play with mercury, couldn't do it ourselves. I'd guess that's banned now.
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:
I rather suspect that mercury is now a banned substance.
It is in the EU where despite this everyone has to switch to fluorescent lights with mercuric compounds in them.
Probably because for certain applications they offer performance benefits that outweigh the disadvantages. Also, not everywhere has the same limitations on mercury, I'm sure there are markets in places where you can still play around with it in school.
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:
It was used and is still used at a high school by me in North Carolina. Some kids took some back in 2005 and Haz Mat shut the school down for 2 days scouring the school looking for it.. Kid dumped it in his backyard in a hole after hearing how "dangerous" it is.
Haz mat and 2 days of a school shut down for 8-12 ounces of Mercury missing..
I have just spent my morning trying to figure out how to manage ammonica for our blueprint machine. I can find the stuff. Disposing of it is proving to be a challenge. I still haven't found anyone. It looks like our machine is about to retire.
I am glad I do not have a supply of mercury.
A manometer is just a bent glass tube is it not? I made an H2O manometer out of a piece of clear, flexible plastic hose once.
I think at most it was a suggestion you consider using a manometer with a less toxic fluid, not that you replace the mercury in the same unit with water. Obviously, if water it would have to be about 13.6 times taller which may be an issue, but it's an idea.
KENAT,
Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:
Mercury manometers are very useful and reliable for measuring low absolute pressures. I use them regularly. These days most engineers have no idea what they are or how to even read one. Because of this they also have a rather poor understanding of the distinction between gage pressure and absolute pressure. The toxicity of metallic mercury (quicksilver)is extremely exaggerated. It is almost impossible to be absorbed by the body, even when swallowed. that is why we didn't all die, or even get sick as kids. Mercury in the environment from fluorescent lamps and coal power plants is more of a problem.
Water manometers are only used for measuring small differential pressures. Water has a very high vapor pressure and will boil under vacuum. There are low vapor pressure oils that can be used but the low density means the gage will be tall.
The other thing banned in the EU as of today, it seems, are 100watt incandescent light bulbs.
As one of the few people to have been caught out and not having stockpiled a lifetimes supply (though I'm told they have a shelf life) I think what I need is an illegal source of supply).
Seems that instead of packing my suitcase with cigs, I'm gonna have to switch to light bulbs on my next trip outside the EU. Thought I had it last week till I discovered Latvia was a member state.
