Mercury thermometers are (finally) being phased out.

[conuly]

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is no longer calibrating them.

I remember going to the doctor with my grandmother once, in Texas, and the doctor's daughter was sitting on the waiting room floor gently tipping a bowl back in forth. In the bowl was the mercury from a broken thermometer. It was absolutely fascinating to watch it roll around and join and split itself.

Now, of course, I know how reckless it was, etc. etc. etc. And I do think it's better to limit mercury in our homes and dumps and all.

But it really is magical in some ways. And there's no kid alive in this country today who will know to miss that memory.

Comments

[dragonwolf]

And here I thought they had already phased them out. It seems, too, that Ohio only banned them in 07, and PA only has a ban on them in thermostats. I thought maybe it was because the states I lived in had banned them a long time ago, but it seems that's not the case. *shrug*

I agree, though, watching the things mercury does is fascinating.

[steorra]

I remember playing with mercury from a broken mercury thermometer on the kitchen floor when I was a teenager. I didn't touch it, but pushed it around with some sort of instrument. I think there were other times that mercury thermometers got broken and we played with the mercury (not touching it), but that's the one that sticks in my memory.

I feel much the same way about it as you express here. Playing with mercury is really quite amazing and kids who don't get to (even though for good reason) are missing out on something.

[mc776]

I remember in grade school we had this one toy in the classroom, a little maze thingy that you have to tip and angle to try to get the bead to navigate the maze, except instead of the usual little ball bearing you had a big drop (or a big drop's worth of little drops) of mercury.

Keeping in mind Terminator 2 was still the gold standard of CGI at the time. @_@ *_* ^_^ *_*

I'm amazed that thing never broke and spilled delighfully wiggly shiny poison all over us the way we spun that thing around.

[jedirita.livejournal.com]

I played with mercury from broken thermometers when I was a kid too. Maybe that explains a lot about me.....

[lady-angelina.livejournal.com]

I once broke a thermometer as a kid, and apparently, the mercury poured out, but I never found it on the floor where I expected it to be. (unsure) Which is troubling in a way, unless my parents were able to find it and clean it up.