"Mercury spill, Mercury spill."

[kf4anm]

futurama

and just think in a few thousand years a petrified turd will be on display in a museum because someone scientist found it encased in a white padded protective casing, that was carefully rolled and taped shut.

what would Charlton "you damn dirty ape" Heston think.

[Mortman22]

Mercury is fun!

I dont know if I should have many of the things I do but, I have a pound of mercury in my kitchen. It's a refill bottle for an old blood pressure machine. When I was just a kid my father and I would take the mercury out of old thermostats. His big score was the one pound bottle out of his work. He didn't steal it he was clearing the facility of all the mercury bottles because people like to get thier panties in a bunch about things like that. I tell ya' one of the coolest things you can do with mercury is freeze it in an alcohol bath. What you do is put some rubbing alcohol in a bowl and add to it some dry ice. wait just a bit 'till the alcohol is super-cooled. Then put a film container half full of mercury in and wait for it to freeze. It was so cool. I banged it out onto a paper plate and waited for it to melt. It took a bit but when it went it was like it all want at once. This perfect little cylinder of mercury just plopped down into a puddle almost all at once. It was fun.

[tommystinson]

I had about a liter of mercury. It used to be used as pendulum weight in grandfather clocks. It weighed 80 pounds or so. I'd pour it into a baking dish and float wrenches on it. Or coins and rocks. It was weird needing both hands to pick up a pickle jar.

[LoserShoes]

Maybe you guys ought to go have a blood test to see what your mercury levels are. No joke! Mercury is cumulative and once in the body stays there. Ever hear the expression "Mad as a Hatter"? The was from the mercury used in making felt hats in the 1800's. There are now procedures to chelate? the heavy metals out the body, so there are procedures to alleveate the problem. Left alone you end up with symptoms similar to Alzhimers.

Sorry to be alarmist, but mercury poisoning is real and insidious.

Steve

[tommystinson]

Actually, I think I have been tested! It's a long story but, my psychoses are inherited. Yeah, mine too! And mine! Hey, dont forget me! And me! The doc said that about me too!

[prometheus578]

"don't want to end up like Freddy Mercury"

Had thought about that, Loser shoes. Still researching.
It had been on the floor for a while, but direct exposure (and close proximity indirect exposure)was quite minimal.

[trbig]

I donate whole blood pretty regularly... so I am passing mine on to the next poor schmuck! A little lead paint here... a little mercury there.. I keep my cholesterol under control the same way!... lol

Tod

[Geezer]

Originally posted by prometheus578
The plan was, at my insistance, to fire the service manager after I returned from my trip. (He was canned while I was away)
The new owner's plan is for me to run the show. I haven't decided on that one yet, but if I do take it, I plan to continue my Reign of Terror and replace the snooty Triumph tech, as well.
Yes, I'm accepting resumes.

If I weren't so far away, a service manager's gig sounds like fun. I'm to old and messed up to turn wrenches any more...

Geezer

[LoserShoes]

Not to keep beating a dead horse, but knowledge is power.

The most likely route for contamination is direct ingestion, get some on your hands, the eat something for instance. Not too sure how well mercury is absorbed directly. but suspect that route is minimal. After handling mercury, a good hand washing should be all that is required.

Good personal hygene applies to many situations.

I also remember someone mentioning a sulfur compound that will absorb mercury spills.

Steve

[LoserShoes]

For a good (and scary) overview look HERE

* Even though it is far less toxic than its organic compounds, elemental mercury still poses significant environmental pollution and remediation problems due to the fact that mercury forms such organic compounds inside living organisms. Inorganic mercury is less toxic than organic compounds (molecules containing carbon).

The Standard of Care for mercury poisoning is chelation therapy. Conventional medicine makes use of DMSA (US) along with DMPS and ALA (Ex-Soviet Union, Europe).

Alternative medicine makes use of these same substances along with others, such as vitamin C (ascorbic acid), EDTA and "high sulfur foods". However, it has been shown that inorganic mercury (Hg2+) bound to EDTA (a necessary step in EDTA-induced mercury chelation) forms a complex (HgEDTA) that is "potentially injurious to the neuronal cytoskeleton". [9] Homeopaths claim to have approaches to the symptoms of mercury poisoning. While these practitioners believe that their approaches can support the body's own ability to heal itself, and can thus help with the symptoms of mercury poisoning, the human body is incapable of removing mercury or other heavy metals from the brain.

While I was a welder, I became very interested in Industrial Hygiene and the more you learn, the scarier it gets. One of the many reason I quite and went back to school to finish my degree.

Steve

[LoserShoes]

And HERE is a good link about cleanup.

Steve

[prometheus578]

Thanks, Losershoes... most informative. Though, a little sketchy on disposal. Well, not really, but I was hoping for "mix in a little of this and that, put in a sealed container, and toss in your neighbor's yard. Shall stop at the HAZOHOUSE at the landfill and inquire. Shop is a large open bay, so not too concerned about fumes from the little buggers I didn't clean up... still find one occassionally in a crack in the cement floor. (still have the stuff in a jar on my workbench)
Thanks again to all concerned.
(Can't have any chemicals messing with my brain, now can I?)

[MikeFromMT]

I won't go into details but you can have even more fun with mercury, nitric acid and a certain type of alcohol. Just don't get caught.

[prometheus578]

Where's my copy of "The Anarchist's Cookbook" when I need it?
Hhmm... come to think of it.... where's my "Poor Man's James Bond", and all my manuals on Improvised Munitions?
I better check my boy's rooms!
Hmmm.. can't remember the name of the movie... oh, some social avenger... either had some hollow points, or drilled a hole in the lead slug, filled it with mercury, and then sealed it up again. Fired a coupl'a rounds into the body cavity of some senator having his way with a little boy. That movie was twenty years ago... how history repeats itself.
(HHmmm... I may want to hang on to this stuff)

[prometheus578]

By the by... spoke with the toxicology and lab people at the hospital on base today. Exposure was minimal, no need to get tested, treated, etc.

Yeah, Geezer... looks like I'll be having to take that Service Manager's gig anyway. We've never really had one, and I've been keeping the shop running by myself for most of the last three years anyway.(even with that doofus we had last summer) The other mech here is just drawing pay, no concern over function, nor form.(nor mercury spills)
Never really needed a service manager. If it was Triumphs or race bikes, the other mech would deal with it. Kawi's, Victories, quads and all the old stuff I'd handle and schedule. I don't mind people at the counter, it's just those interupting phone calls and everyone whining,"when's my bike done, when's my bike done" that really waste my time. (You know what it's like, can't get anything done)
Now I just need to find someone versatile enough to handle all the stuff I used to work on.