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Mercury Arc Rectifier

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cduma

Wed Jan 06 2010, 01:04AM

Registered Member #1822 Joined: Fri Nov 21 2008, 08:04PM
Location:
Posts: 300

Many of the older people that I have talked to have said that they used to play with mercury alot. It seems odd that many are still alive...

Renesis

Wed Jan 06 2010, 01:16PM

Registered Member #2028 Joined: Mon Mar 16 2009, 08:13PM
Location: Norway
Posts: 319

cduma wrote ...

Many of the older people that I have talked to have said that they used to play with mercury alot. It seems odd that many are still alive...

A little OT about my ancestors:

My great great grandpa lived on an island just north of Bergen. My grandfather told me that he used to dismantle the many (live) sea mines that washed up on the beach during the years following the war. 30kg of brass would certanly help a poor fishermans economy. In one such event he accidentaly broke a container inside the mine, and it was full of mercury. He managed to fill an entire 1.5 liter bottle of it, which if i remember right weighed in at almost 20kg. They ate meat that night.

Steve Conner

Wed Jan 06 2010, 02:52PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

wrote ...
They ate meat that night.

Well, he certainly earned it!

My mum was a science teacher during the 70s and has a few "playing with mercury" stories too. Don't get me wrong, the stuff is poisonous, but you have to absorb quite a lot of it before you get any acute symptoms. Chronic symptoms are a different matter.

I read an extract from Thomas Edison's lab notebook where he describes how one of his young lab assistants accidentally swallowed 1lb (?) of mercury. As you might expect, he became very sick, all of his teeth fell out, and Edison got into serious trouble with the boy's parents.

I wonder how the EPA found out about the sale?

cduma

Wed Jan 06 2010, 09:32PM

Registered Member #1822 Joined: Fri Nov 21 2008, 08:04PM
Location:
Posts: 300

I bought the mercury from a guy on craigslist. We met in a parking lot and some people called the cops about two guys wearing masks and pouring stuff. He got pulled over later that night and told the officer what happend and he told the EPA and then the EPA paid a visit to me.

Mads Barnkob

Wed Jan 06 2010, 10:05PM

Registered Member #1403 Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968

cduma wrote ...

I bought the mercury from a guy on craigslist. We met in a parking lot and some people called the cops about two guys wearing masks and pouring stuff. He got pulled over later that night and told the officer what happend and he told the EPA and then the EPA paid a visit to me.

I am no longer surprised you got a visit and are happy to know that it was not caught in some imaginary internet filter :D

cduma

Thu Jan 07 2010, 05:33PM

Registered Member #1822 Joined: Fri Nov 21 2008, 08:04PM
Location:
Posts: 300

Good thing I dont live in China! That filter is not quite so imaginary there. Although they probably wouldnt care what I did with mercury. I only have 4fl oz while some manufacturers are dumping gallons.

I am still surprised about EPA special agents. When they arrived I pretty much said BS. When I asked for half a dozen forms of ID they were prepared since most people probably have the same reaction.

Andri

Thu Jan 07 2010, 06:58PM

Registered Member #1533 Joined: Wed Jun 11 2008, 02:13PM
Location: ReykjavÃk, Iceland
Posts: 46

Why were you wearing masks in a parking lot?

Mads Barnkob

Thu Jan 07 2010, 08:17PM

Registered Member #1403 Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968

Andri wrote ...

Why were you wearing masks in a parking lot?

pouring mercury between containers, but yes, why at all places do something like that in a parking lot... :)

mikeselectricstuff

Fri Jan 08 2010, 11:05AM

Registered Member #311 Joined: Sun Mar 12 2006, 08:28PM
Location:
Posts: 253

When I was at school (late 70's, UK), in physics class we made a mercury barometer by filling a long tube with mercury. putting a finger over the end, inverting it and then putting the end (with finger) into a big bowl of mercury.

Nowadays I'm not even sure they use bunsen burners in chemistry... Happy days!

Arkin

Fri Jan 08 2010, 11:07PM

Registered Member #2140 Joined: Tue May 26 2009, 09:16PM
Location:
Posts: 53

Of course bunsen burners are used :)

Can you get mercury poisoning through the skin (is it absorbed)? Or is it just a higher chance of ingesting?

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