10 Sep
2004
10 Sep
'04
10:41 p.m.
Golden Eye ointment contained mercuric oxide , I had some in my youth as a
treatment for styes. It was withdrawn for reasons of safety.
Mercury amalgam is still used in dentistry in the uk.
Geoff.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pete Turnbull" <pete(a)dunnington.u-net.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: Completely and totally off-topic and without any
meritwhatsoever
On Sep 7 2004, 21:28, William Donzelli wrote:
pretty
thru the
I
suspect the hazmat team over reacted just a little.
This is often the case - the hazmat guys I have talked to have been reasonable, but due to public pressure, they
often have to put on a
show.
Mercury in elemental form is not all that
dangerous ( or
most of us old timers would be dead or vegetables by now ).
It is most dangerous as salts or as long term exposure
to vapor.
Finally someone speaks the truth! Elemental mercury mostly passes body in one big blob, and very little is
absorbed. I think it is
rarely
used as an antibiotic, as well.
The compounds are the nasty things, as they due damage pretty
quickly. Also, mercury vapor is also very dangerous *even in short
periods of exposure*! The poor guys in South America that purify gold
thru
amalgamation (and the subsequent vaporizing to
get the mercury back)
tend
to have very short lives if they are not careful.
That's because of *chronic* exposure. The risk from a single small
dose is not very high (though obviously it depends on the dose); your
body will excrete most of the mercury (but not very fast, and over the
last couple of decades, what's regarded as a "safe" level has been
reduced quite a lot). The problems come when repeated exposure causes
ingestion or absorbtion faster than you can excrete it. That's why
spilt mercury is dangerous. It gets into small spaces, and takes a
very long time (years) to vapourise (the vapour pressure is very low
but so is the toxic level).
Various mercury compounds have been used medically (eg mercuric
chloride and mercuric iodide were used as antiseptics and fungicides).
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York