Completely and totally off-topic and without any meritwhatso

From: jpero_at_sympatico.ca <(jpero_at_sympatico.ca)>
Date: Tue Sep 7 18:03:35 2004

> > I suspect the hazmat team over reacted just a little.
>
> This is often the case - the hazmat guys I have talked to have been pretty
> reasonable, but due to public pressure, they often have to put on a show.
> Finally someone speaks the truth! Elemental mercury mostly passes thru the
> body in one big blob, and very little is absorbed. I think it is rarely
> used as an antibiotic, as well.
>
> The compounds are the nasty things, as they due damage pretty
> quickly. Also, mercury vapor is also very dangerous *even in short
> periods of exposure*! The poor guys in South America that purify gold thru
> amalgamation (and the subsequent vaporizing to get the mercury back) tend
> to have very short lives if they are not careful.

Compounds in mercury? Such as?

In old days before "safer" plating base metals with other metals was
developed, like 140 years or more years ago, they used that same way
to "gild" the stuff with gold or silver via the mercury amalgamation.

Whew that must be very miserable lifetime back then as gilders. :-(

Cheers,

Wizard

>
> William Donzelli
 
Received on Tue Sep 07 2004 - 18:03:35 BST