[magnumman]

This is the nonsense that occurs at Americas public schools.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/local/article/285396/8/School-locked-down-over-thermometer

[MoreAltitude]

That sir, is truly mindboggeling! A HazMat team, really? Glad I wasn't there, someone might have noticed the tritium in my watch face and quarantined the whole town! Elemental mercury is only dangerous in vapor form (yes there are other very dangerous forms used in specific applications). Exposure to a little liquid is unlikely to cause any harm, let alone major health effects. Many older people remember playing around with mercury from broken thermometers when they were kids; they haven’t all died.

[Overkill0084]

Originally Posted by MoreAltitude

That sir, is truly mindboggeling! A HazMat team, really? Glad I wasn't there, someone might have noticed the tritium in my watch face and quarantined the whole town! Elemental mercury is only dangerous in vapor form (yes there are other very dangerous forms used in specific applications). Exposure to a little liquid is unlikely to cause any harm, let alone major health effects. Many older people remember playing around with mercury from broken thermometers when they were kids; they haven't all died.

Me for one. In science class at school in California of all places.

One student brought in mercury -- contained within a thermometer -- and the school went into lockdown.

IT WAS CONTAINED IN THE THERMOMETER! It only becomes hazmat if the thermometer is broken. I wonder if these same morons have ever had one of those CFL lights break in their homes? Did they call for a full hazmat response?

[Mosin]

Better call and tell them that their parking lot is full of cars with LEAD batteries!!!!!!

[primer1]

My physics teacher had a small container of mercury, he would let us play with it. When I stuck my finger in it (joke time), I could feel it create bouyancy because it was so dense compared to my finger.

[winds-of-change]

Originally Posted by MoreAltitude

Many older people remember playing around with mercury from broken thermometers when they were kids;

We did all the time. We kept it in a little jar when we weren't playing with it.

[rocshaman]

Originally Posted by primer1

My physics teacher had a small container of mercury, he would let us play with it. When I stuck my finger in it (joke time), I could feel it create bouyancy because it was so dense compared to my finger.

Same thing when I was a kid, the teacher had us pass it around class to check out its properties. I remember it would leave a silverish smudge on your skin. We thought it was cool and we're all still alive and kicking.

[primer1]

And to think they say it causes drain bramage, jeez to think of all the, the, what were we talking about?

[rocshaman]

Originally Posted by primer1

And to think they say it causes drain bramage, jeez to think of all the, the, what were we talking about?

Nah we were just tougher kids back in those days. Little battery acid here, little mercury there, no biggie...

[winds-of-change]

Originally Posted by rocshaman

Nah we were just tougher kids back in those days. Little battery acid here, little mercury there, no biggie...

The worst thing about battery acid is it would make holes in my clothes. But it didn't make me stoopit like the mercury did. LOL