Thanks for the suggestion on waste disposal. Here in Ottawa Canada,
there is a collection depot for hazardous materials open to the public
two days each year. At this point I could pass for a non-commercial
operation, so it would not be an issue to bring them small amounts of
stuff like thermometer mercury. MP
The accident that occurred with the Dartmouth researcher involved
methyl mercury as I recall. It was not metallic mercury. The small
spill readily penetrated the researcher’s latex gloves, and I believe
some even suggested that the gloves readily allowed the methyl mercury
to absorb into the skin. The sad part is that the symptoms were very
flu-like and that the mercury poisoning was not detected until it was
too late. It was a shame, she was a respected chemist and far too
young.
Elemental mercury should not be handled and if a spill occurs…do
not vacuum it up! You can imagine how a vacuum cleaner might help to
provide a continuous release of vapor. Mercury sponges help to
retrieve mercury by trapping the tiny balls that have scattered and
then releasing them into an air tight container. So with little in
the way of clean-up tools…a piece of paper to guide the little balls
into one larger one…and then into an air-tight container. Then at a
household clean-up day…bring it in.
Please use the MSDS sheets to learn more about the chemicals you are
working with. There are many sites on the web that provide these
safety sheets and reading them helps a lot. Don’t take my word…read
it yourself…and protect yourself and others.
–Barbara
Hello Gini, Like I have already said, I played with mercury as a kid
too. I do not have fibromyalgia. To my knowledge, my younger sister
did not have contact with mercury. She does have fibromyalgia. Len
Carlson