 |
 |
many years ago I was working in a laboratory where there was a lot of mercury used and spilled. One of the chemists wondered about the possibility of poisoning from the vapors and researched the literature. His findings showed that, put in terms of our lab we were all being exposed to mercury poisoning. As a result rules were setup concerning the handling and care of mercury which were very rigid concerning spillage and cleanup. The problem with the spillage was that the vapor pressure of mercury is quite high and that a few grams of mercury in cracks in the floor or benches was enough to be dangerous. A contributing factor is that the globules in the cracks are very small and therefore have a very high surface area. This was about 50 years ago ( Dark Ages ??) but some people are still careless with mercury. In the amalgamated form in dentistry the problem is practically non-existent. Bob Anibal [log in to unmask]