How to dispose liquid mercury

[w1z4rd]

Mercury is toxic so needs to be handled with care. Saying that, when you drop a large amount of it from a distance of about 2 - 3 meters the splash it makes (in sunlight) is spectacular.

 

[Moosedrool]

Ha ha. It probably does.

But I recall it’s only harmful if ingested?

Skin contact and the vapour it makes.

 

[Willie Trombone]

Ha ha. It probably does.

But I recall it’s only harmful if ingested?

It can pass through the skin and the vapours are bad.

 

[Milano]

Out of interest why would it be in water?

I recall as a kid we had a sizeable chunk of mercury we played with as well and it didn’t seem to bother anyone.

Of course it was all over when someone dropped it and it split into millions of little pieces and attached every little metal filing you didn’t even know was there.

In high school the tards also used to play with liquid mercury and disperse it all around classrooms. It is readily absorbed into the skin and many of the ill effects are long term to kidneys, brain, reproductive system and so forth. Supposedly.

 

[BigAl-sa]

Contact the chemistry dept at your local varsity or technikon, they may be interested.

Mercury looks like fun to play with, but it is very dangerous.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Yeah I see now it could cause kidney problems with long term exposure, problems I do actually have.

But I would imagine long term exposure means like constant over many years, not just fiddling with it for a few weeks/months.

Does it lose its efficacy over time?

 

[SauRoNZA]

In high school the tards also used to play with liquid mercury and disperse it all around classrooms. It is readily absorbed into the skin and many of the ill effects are long term to kidneys, brain, reproductive system and so forth. Supposedly.

I like the supposedly at the end.

But I do agree it does appear like a very possibly/maybe kind of thing and not a sure fire result.

Also if it was handled a lot like this and exposed surely it must lose some potency, it not all of it otherwise everyone would be dead and there would have been a much bigger restriction and fuss about it.

 

[Segg]

I’m in Pretoria

. Picking this stuff up now I just realised it’s weighing a lot more than I thought. I’d say 5 to 6 kgs.

That's close enough for me - if you're happy for me to collect it, a family member often runs chemistry workshops at various school, and thus has the facility to safely store and dispose of it

PM me your details if you want to proceed

 

[Willie Trombone]

Mercury Poisoning From Fish & Other Sources: Testing & Treatment

Learn about mercury poisoning (vapor, organic, inorganic, etc.), what to do if you are exposed to mercury, and how to prevent mercury poisoning.

www.emedicinehealth.com

 

[BigAl-sa]

Does it lose its efficacy over time?

No. If it is still in metallic form it is still poisonous.

BTW the liquid above the mercury is more likely to be paraffin than water.

 

[Milano]

I like the supposedly at the end.

But I do agree it does appear like a very possibly/maybe kind of thing and not a sure fire result.

Also if it was handled a lot like this and exposed surely it must lose some potency, it not all of it otherwise everyone would be dead and there would have been a much bigger restriction and fuss about it.

Yeah had to add the obligatory 'supposedly' There is naturally occurring cyanide and arsenic in much of our food. There is asbestos that still naturally makes its way into products we use. Then there are contradictory studies every second day. So yup who knows, and who really cares. Nobody is getting out alive.

 

[AstroTurf]

Go watch Cody's lab, unless it's organic Mercury it's not that bad...

 

[SauRoNZA]

Yeah had to add the obligatory 'supposedly' There is naturally occurring cyanide and arsenic in much of our food. There is asbestos that still naturally makes its way into products we use. Then there are contradictory studies every second day. So yup who knows, and who really cares. Nobody is getting out alive.

Yeah and plenty of mercury in food.

It’s the same way they tell pregnant women not to eat sushi, then you go actually look at stats and the odds of anything is like 0.001% and actually completely irrelevant.

Or don’t eat eggs. But it only actually applies to Americans because they pasteurise everything.

 

[Lupus]

Jeez that is a **** load.

And yes the weight is surprising every time for the volume.

Still wonder what the water is meant to do.

Prevent it from separating I think.

 

[Lupus]

Yeah and plenty of mercury in food.

It’s the same way they tell pregnant women not to eat sushi, then you go actually look at stats and the odds of anything is like 0.001% and actually completely irrelevant.

Or don’t eat eggs. But it only actually applies to Americans because they pasteurise everything.

Actually the reason for the not eating sushi isn't for the mecury it's for parasitic worms, bacteria or other nasties. You could eat sushi if the fish was frozen beforehand or if it doesn't contain shellfish. The mecury content isn't really the issue as the fish normally used don't have a high mecury content.
Also you can eat eggs as well as long as it's fully cooked or pasteurised to kill the bacteria/salmonela.

 

[Lupus]

Actually the reason for the not eating sushi isn't for the mecury it's for parasitic worms, bacteria or other nasties. You could eat sushi if the fish was frozen beforehand or if it doesn't contain shellfish. The mecury content isn't really the issue as the fish normally used don't have a high mecury content.
Also you can eat eggs as well as long as it's fully cooked or pasteurised to kill the bacteria/salmonela.

Except Tuna, I forgot some places use tuna in sushi, this one fish does have high mecury.

 

[Rickster]

That must be worth a few thousand rands easily if its 99.99% pure mercury.

 

[Cray]

Go watch Cody's lab, unless it's organic Mercury it's not that bad...

Organic mercury is truly horrifying...

 

[ArtyLoop]

Hg is a dangerous element... toxic AF.
Play with it at your own peril.

 

[Zyraz]

Mercury is used in Gold refinement on small scale and a low budget .

First, mercury is mixed with the materials containing gold. A mercury-gold amalgam then is formed because gold will dissolve in the mercury while other impurities will not. The mixture of gold and mercury is then heated to a temperature that will vaporize the mercury, leaving behind the gold.

The vapor from the vaporizing Mercury is toxic

In one of the episodes from Discovery Parker`s Trail
Parker Schnabel creates a device that captures and cools the mercury fumes that then condenses into Mercury again.
None of the Mercury vapor escapes into the air thus causing pollution and sickness to the villagers breathing this in and has the extra nice feature of recycling the Mercury for re use.
Trying my best to try get Google results for what the device is called but not successful yet.

Here is a clip of that episode