On Mon, Jun 16, 2008 at 6:55 PM, wrote: > > I do think there is overreaction going on though. Mercury poisioning via > coal plants and it building up in fish is a very nasty problem, but you > don't have to drag your house to a toxic waste dump if you break a CF > lamp. > > The funny thing is that the mercury from these plants is most emphatically not the same as the mercury that people will play with. Pure mercury isn't nearly as toxic as organic mercury compounds, like methyl mercury. The biggest risk when handling pure mercury is from it evapourating, and inhaling the fumes. Truth is, gasoline is far more dangerous. It contains several known carcinogens which can be inhaled as vapour and absorbed through the skin. In reality, when pumping gasoline a wise person would wear a respirator, gloves and goggles. Mercury is a favourite to panic over, but we deal with chemicals that are far worse on a regular basis. People would be horrified to see jars of mercury at the hardware store, yet muriatic acid, drain cleaner and chlorine bleach are perfectly fine. -- Paul Anderson VE3HOP wackyvorlon@gmail.com http://www.oldschoolhacker.com QRP ARCI #13228, GQRP #12447 -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist