Mercury is a toxic material - especially if ingested... Because of this its been replaced by other liquids in thermometers, barometers, etc. If you have a mercury thermometer I'd suggest you replace it. Here's some information about mercury.Mercury safety card **************************************************** 02-12-03, 11:15 AM methos as cibby said, most thermometers don't contain mercury anymore. They often contain alcohol instead. Just to be safe, it would be best to replace your thermometer with an alcohol one.
if you do have a mercury thermometer, with the small amount of mercury present, there probably wouldn't be any noticeable effects, but you definitely shouldn't swallow it. You should also clean up any spills by rolling the mercury onto a sheet of paper (pushing it with another piece of paper) or by sucking it up in an eyedropper (NEVER vacuum mercury). Whatever you use to clean it up should be sealed in a zip lock bag. Call your local health department to find out how to dispose of it, ventillate the area, and if the thermometer does break in your mouth, definitely see a doctor.
[This message was edited by methos5000 on 02-12-03 at 11:37 AM.]
02-12-03, 05:17 PM Pin~Jinx P, Mercury is POISONOUS so most definitely falls under the category of 'unsafe'.
However, it is quick to respond (compared to other liquids such as alcohol) and detects the slightest of difference so is used (atleast by me). We've had it since years & thankfully not a single person from my entire family who depend on the Mercury-laden-thermometer have suffered any injury or anything.
If you are dubious that (GodForbid) the glass might break open in your mouth or something than shove it under your arm, I say! Pin~Jinx / anarchist
02-25-03, 01:57 PM Skeez Sorry but all of these people are wrong... Mercury (Hg) is not dangerous at all... That is Elemental Mercury is not dangerous. If you swallow a small amount and don't have any cuts in your stomach or intestine (which you shouldn't) you will be 100% safe. The types of dangerous mercury are Mercuric salts (any ionic compound with mercury in it such as Mercury Chloride) and Mercury Vapor. The Mercury Vapor is the most dangerous because it can be inhaled and that's when it gets absorbed the most. But I'm not saying to go out and handle mercury like it's a toy. I did that.. and I am lucky that I didn't get hurt. If the elemental Mercury (liquid) gets in contact with any cuts, it will be absorbed, and that's when you'll have problems.
-Skeezics
02-25-03, 02:22 PM FlyingHellfish Skeez is actually correct. Elemental mercury, like that which is found in thermometers and barometers, is relatively harmless if ingested. Our digestive system simply can't process elemental mercury, so only a very tiny portion would make it into our bloodstream in that way. Elemental mercury vapors, on the other hand, are quite dangerous. Due to the nature of these vapors, we can absorb them much more readily by inhaling them than by ingesting it.
However, there are other "types" of mercury that are quite dangerous. "Organic mercury" and "inorganic mercury" can be found in fish and water supplies, and even trace amounts of these can be quite dangerous.
02-25-03, 03:35 PM methos Skeez - please reread my answer before stating "all these people are wrong." As I said, the amount of mercury in a thermometer probably won't have a noticeable effect if you swallow it. Also keep in mind where mercury vapor comes from. You seem to dismiss liquid mercury as harmless, but, as i noted, if you do not remove it and properly ventillate the area, a significant amount of mercury vapor, which is dangerous, will be evolved.
03-04-03, 09:29 AM cibby I am very concerned about the answers being given to this question... Anyone who is even suggesting that ingesting mercury is not dangerous is being highly irresponsible. Elemental mercury affects the kidneys of adults. Young children, are more at risk than adults from swallowing small quantities of mercury, and may die from the mercury in a thermometer. This is one of the reasons (probably the main reason) they don't use mercury anymore for this application.
From WebMd: "According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers' Toxic Exposure Surveillance System, in 1998 alone more than one million unintentional poisonings among children under the age of 6 were reported to U.S. poison control centers. Nineteen of these poisonings resulted in the deaths of children under the age of 6, the majority from ingesting common household agents such as nail polish remover, suntan lotion, mercury (found in thermometers), lighter fluid, and boric acid (found in pesticides)."
03-04-03, 11:58 AM methos From the American Medical Association: "Although the amount of mercury in a single thermometer is usually insufficient to produce clinically significant exposure when ingested, if the thermometer breaks, the mercury vaporizes and can be inhaled, causing toxicity."
From the EPA: "It is also common for children to break fever thermometers in their mouths. Mercury that is swallowed in such cases poses low risk in comparison with the risk of breathing mercury vapor. The mercury passes through the body without being absorbed, but then it enters the waste water system and can reach the environment."
From California Poison Control: "Of all the forms of mercury, elemental mercury is the most commonly swallowed form of mercury, usually from a broken thermometer. Fortunately, elemental mercury from a thermometer is not absorbed from the stomach and will not cause any poisoning in a healthy person. In a healthy person, the slippery swallowed mercury will roll into the stomach, out in to the bowels and will be quickly eliminated without causing any symptoms."
As I said, the amount of mercury in one theremometer is unlikely to produce any noticeable effects when ingested, but it is best to replace them and you should definitely contact your doctor if one breaks inside your mouth. The true danger is in the vapors (which is the reasoning behind the clean-up method I described above - never vacuum).
03-04-03, 03:31 PM cibby While I agree that inhaled or absorbed mercury poses a much greater concern than ingested mercury and that mercury compounds are more of a problem than elemental mercury I think its wrong to say that ingested mercury poses no risk. I think the advice given in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS); to contact a doctor in the event mercury is ingested is the correct thing to do.
03-04-03, 04:14 PM methos cibby - I did not say that ingesting the small amount of mercury present in oral thermometers "poses no risk," just that "there probably wouldn't be any noticeable effects," (which is supported by the 3 agencies I quoted and several others) and I did say, "definitely see a doctor".
03-04-03, 05:29 PM K.K. According to M-W:
Main Entry: mer·cu·ry Pronunciation: 'm&r-ky&-rE, -k(&-)rE Function: noun Inflected Form(s): plural -ries Etymology: Latin Mercurius, Roman god and the planet
1 a capitalized : a Roman god of commerce, eloquence, travel, cunning, and theft who serves as messenger to the other gods -- compare HERMES b often capitalized, archaic : a bearer of messages or news or a conductor of travelers
2 [Middle English mercurie, from Medieval Latin mercurius, from Latin, the god] a : a heavy silver-white poisonous metallic element that is liquid at ordinary temperatures and is used especially in scientific instruments -- called also quicksilver; see ELEMENT table b : the mercury in a thermometer or barometer
3 capitalized : the planet nearest the sun
M-W seems to think it is poisonous and I can find nowhere that suggests otherwise. All of the instances mentioned require a certain set of conditions to be required for Mercury NOT to be poisonous. So I think the correct clarification would be "Mercury IS poisonous, however..." Wink
[This message was edited by K.K. on 03-04-03 at 05:40 PM.]
05-01-03, 09:16 PM Skeez I hate to beat a dead horse with a big stick, but as said before... We are just stating the facts (sorry about before methos, didn't read all of your post before) but IMHO a dictionary isn't a very good source for chemistry. Mercury is poisonous.. in almost all cases (that I know of) mercuric salts (mercury and an anion) is poisonous. and Mercury is poisionous but as said before, by methos' helpful reply, the mercury passes through the system so fast, it's effects are not very noticable. It's mercury vapor that causes problems (read the above posts).
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
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