Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature, and, as such, has very interesting chemical properties. I’ve blogged about the antics of the FDA with respect to mercury in the past. Some readers may be interested in this essay about mercury, which contains a wealth of facts and some humorous commentary. Some examples:
The Environmental Protection Agency named mercury a hazardous air pollutant in 1971, which it would be if there were any mercury in the air.
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Recently (December 2003), news reports stated that tuna fish contained “large amounts of mercury” in an alarming tone. What they really should have said is that tuna fish contains only extremely small, scarcely detectable, amounts of methyl mercury. The extrapolated threat appears to be to the nerves of developing fetuses. I wonder how many cases have been observed of fetal mercury damage by normal tuna fish. I suspect that the number is zero.
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The level of knowledge of many experts can be judged from statements like: “mercury vapor is very heavy and collects at low levels.” … You might as well say that water vapor collects near the ceiling.
That is not to say that the whole essay is snarky. Quite the contrary — it is informative and interesting. Rather than listen to the FDA/EPA propaganda, the internet allows you to easily form your own conclusions, and this essay on mercury is just one example of this power.
UPDATE: Here is another example. (Thanks to S. C.)
8:47 am on June 10, 2010
