erobkin@uwc.edu
Date: 11/17/00-02:36:32 PM Z
Just this one additional message on mercury and then I'm stopping. Any more
exchanges to me off list please.
The following site lists mercury content of coal by type
http://www.hgtech.com/Hydrocarbons/Coal/Coal.htm
The following gives two choices of documents discussing mercury discharge to
the air from coal fired electrical generating stations. You will need an
Acrobat reader for these.
http://www.ewg.org/pub/home/reports/mercuryfalling/mercurypr.html
My read on this is that mercury in the home could be a concentrated problem
for you and your family but does not have to be given reasonable
precautions. It is not a generalized environmental problem.
Mercury from coal is one of the largest single sources of general
environmental mercury and makes the hoorah over thermometers look out of
place from this point of view. A broken flourescent light is a much larger
problem in both the house and in terms of the local disposal sites. It also
calls the outlawing of mercury batteries into some question as well.
If you live near any plant that uses a lot of water in its processes then
left over mercury from the anti fouling treatments that were used in the not
so distant past are a very big problem in your region or maybe in your
backyard.
So reasonable precautions in dag making are in order but you are not a
global threat to anyone. If you are not careful just remember that Darwin
was right. If you work with mercury and think precautions are not realistic
at all please send me your name and address so I can remember to stay away
from your house.
ER
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