Talk:Mercury-in-glass thermometer
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With reference to: "When Celsius decided to use his own temperature scale, he chose to set the boiling point of pure water at 100 °C (212 °F) and the freezing point at 0 °C (32 °F). One year later Frenchman Jean Pierre Cristin proposed an inverted version of the scale with the freezing point at 0 °C (32 °F) and the boiling point at 100 °C (212 °F). He named it Centigrade [1]."
- This doesn't make sense. Both describe boiling at 100, freezing at 0. But the text says that Cristin's version is inverted. Which is correct?
[edit] Campaign against mercury thermometers
There is a campaign against mercury thermometers, which claims mercury is "unsafe" even when used in oral thermometers for medical purposes. What is Wikipedia's take on this? Do we endorse their view, or remain neutral? --Uncle Ed 17:20, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
WikiPedia has a Neutral Point of View policy (NPOV). In my opinion, if the mercury stays in the thermometer, it can't do much harm, but the potential for breakage exists, and mercury boils at room temperature, fumes get inhaled, etc. The porosity of glass is another issue, and I have not examined that. Intersofia 02:42, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Poison or hazard
Cut from article:
- mercury is highly and permanently toxic to the nervous system and
- Due to the possibility of mercury poisoning
What does this have to do with mercury thermometers? Has anyone been poisoned by such a small amount? Or is it more that doctors are law-abiding and will comply with a ban?
In other words, is the ban-mercury campaign starting with the least hazard but easiest group to get compliance from? Or are mercury thermometers really the biggest source of poison hazard?
What about science class, where they used to let you hold a big drop of mercury in your palm? How much hazard is there from 5 minutes of class play? Mostly from the fumes, right? Well how much hazard? I read all three ref's on my talk page and they were not specific. Yes, the ban is definitely in effect; but, no, it doesn't say how much danger there is from a broken mercury thermometer. --Uncle Ed 01:55, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
- Need a source that indicates countries have banned. And yeah we all played with it in science class. I lost the one link that indicated that the hazard would be greater based on room size and lack of air exchange. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 16:57, 9 December 2006 (UTC)
re:mercury, vaccines, and autism--i've tagged for cite. please source or delete--it sounds like nonsense to me. Adavies42 22:41, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
- I've removed the sentence as it has nothing to do with thermometers. Plus the AAP says there is no link]. CambridgeBayWeather (Talk) 23:39, 16 December 2006 (UTC)
