Might want to look at the health statistics for the people who actually made those MV rectifiers and mercury switches. Not much risk to the end user unless carelessly handled.
My uncle died of mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos which was widely used in the nuclear power industry through sometime in the 1970s at least, he was a design engineer and later project manager for some big nuclear plants, he never handled any asbestos insulation, but he did breath in the fibers and it ultimately killed him. Had there been regulation and an awareness of the health risks of asbestos exposure he might have lived a bit longer. (My dad's cabin mate in the USN died of the same thing due to engine room exposure on the destroyer they served on.)
I live in a city with a significant population of retired folk who worked at the now closed Quincy ship yard, I have only met one or two, but it is well known here that most of them die of one of several forms of cancer, mesothelioma being most common amongst pipe fitters and boiler builders.
Not every regulation is a bad idea, particularly if it protects people from occupational and other types of avoidable hazards. (I am a cancer survivor so have some limited awareness of these things. 😀 )
My uncle died of mesothelioma due to exposure to asbestos which was widely used in the nuclear power industry through sometime in the 1970s at least, he was a design engineer and later project manager for some big nuclear plants, he never handled any asbestos insulation, but he did breath in the fibers and it ultimately killed him. Had there been regulation and an awareness of the health risks of asbestos exposure he might have lived a bit longer. (My dad's cabin mate in the USN died of the same thing due to engine room exposure on the destroyer they served on.)
I live in a city with a significant population of retired folk who worked at the now closed Quincy ship yard, I have only met one or two, but it is well known here that most of them die of one of several forms of cancer, mesothelioma being most common amongst pipe fitters and boiler builders.
Not every regulation is a bad idea, particularly if it protects people from occupational and other types of avoidable hazards. (I am a cancer survivor so have some limited awareness of these things. 😀 )
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For now I'm going to treat this as a 'nothing burger' - sure in Australia mercury is listed as a controlled substance - a precursor - but then so is platinum, and just about every car on the road has a catalytic converter containing platinum.
Well the company cars in our parking lot do not. Someone relieved them of their catalytic convertors. Platinum theft!!
And that would be WHY it is a controlled substance. They don’t let you take a bunch of copper wire or tubing to the recycler anymore either. If you’re not a builder or HVAC/electrical contractor they just assume you stole it.
Regulation of course is a good thing but it seems things are going overboard now. Often in areas where they made extremely silly mistakes on a regular basis for decades. Mistakes with very serious consequences that could have been easily avoided with some old fashioned forward thinking. That would help much better than solving a problem that already occurred at several places. It seems now the consumer is held responsible for products produced with dangerous materials, that is plain dishonest.
Asbestos was already found to be a danger in 1951, yet the companies that processed it lied about that aspect and the government of that country allowed this. Same goes for beryllium, lead, cadmium, dioxines, PFAS/teflon, chrome VI, fracking, much too large car engines, bizarre waste of energy, air pollution, air travel etc. Any product produced by humans and used by humans should not contain any dangerous substance endangering any human being or animal also when the product is EOL/dismantled and it should be possible to recycle its materials for let's say a minimum of 75%. Simple.
The throw away society is what we created ourselves and the question is if we are willing to adapt to another way of living. What I see is many mouths saying we should change but the actions seem to indicate otherwise.
Asbestos was already found to be a danger in 1951, yet the companies that processed it lied about that aspect and the government of that country allowed this. Same goes for beryllium, lead, cadmium, dioxines, PFAS/teflon, chrome VI, fracking, much too large car engines, bizarre waste of energy, air pollution, air travel etc. Any product produced by humans and used by humans should not contain any dangerous substance endangering any human being or animal also when the product is EOL/dismantled and it should be possible to recycle its materials for let's say a minimum of 75%. Simple.
The throw away society is what we created ourselves and the question is if we are willing to adapt to another way of living. What I see is many mouths saying we should change but the actions seem to indicate otherwise.
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Surprised no one has mentioned smoke detectors. The ionizing type use Am-241 (radiation) as the source. My city demands that you have one in every bedroom, hallway and living area. I think I have 12 all told. I have been switching them over to the photo ones as they fail. I only have 2 thermostats. And please do not open up your smoke detector, ingesting/breathing the particles is bad.
Amalgam tooth filings should have been removed long ago when they were banned because of the toxicity. Not only to the patient but also to the dentist. They do loose quicksilver which can be seen in the change of color of the filling. Should not be used in a human body just like palladium.
The quicksilver thermostats are museum pieces as they are on/off and not modulating. These were indeed thrown in the trash then. Many homes had the famous Honeywell type of which I kept one for historical purposes.
The quicksilver thermostats are museum pieces as they are on/off and not modulating. These were indeed thrown in the trash then. Many homes had the famous Honeywell type of which I kept one for historical purposes.
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If anyone in Australia is concerned about their mercury vapour rectifiers then I suggest they download a copy of the legislation and go through it, while it helps to be lawyer when you read it one can make sense of it, if it is read slowly.
I downloaded a copy of the legislation, and had a good look at it, and this is how I understand it :-
yes mercury is listed as a possible precursor used in drug manufacture as is platinum, and as such both are listed as controlled substances - controlled substances are assigned a schedule number according to their potency as a poison or their desirability for illegal drug manufacture - the lowest rung of the schedule ladder is schedule 1 or S1. The legislation states that the section 17C precursors, mercury being one of them, are to be treated as S1 poisons - S1 poisons are not illegal to have, but to make a purchase of a S1 poison one must fill out a form stating the intended use and show proof of ID at the time of purchase.
I downloaded a copy of the legislation, and had a good look at it, and this is how I understand it :-
yes mercury is listed as a possible precursor used in drug manufacture as is platinum, and as such both are listed as controlled substances - controlled substances are assigned a schedule number according to their potency as a poison or their desirability for illegal drug manufacture - the lowest rung of the schedule ladder is schedule 1 or S1. The legislation states that the section 17C precursors, mercury being one of them, are to be treated as S1 poisons - S1 poisons are not illegal to have, but to make a purchase of a S1 poison one must fill out a form stating the intended use and show proof of ID at the time of purchase.
Notice how when confronted with facts, the discussion or argument ends. Guess that's why they're going out of style...
Sadly, the philosophy expressed in the first statement does not seem to be the winning culture. In aggregate, the average human is demonstrably poor at near-term vs long-term rewards, even absent the issues of self vs community, tragedy of the commons, etc.
The second statement seems in conflict with the first (while I agree it can be viewed as an excuse or deflection of the responsibility of the creator/manufacturer, it also contributes to the devolution of responsibility of the individual, as absolving the consumer of responsibility for things they now own seems to lead to notions that the state has the right and even charter to now swoop in).
I don't expect things to get better, Joseph Schumpeter described capitalism as a system of creative destruction. And while I would love for everyone in the world to have an epiphany, convert to the ideals of [rugged individualism, sufficiency vs convenience, and reuse/conservation - which are not inconsistent with American or European ideals, see "mountain men", maintenance of hunting grounds, etc.] However, I expect it would go the way of any "utopia" - i.e. likely last ~13-25 years before the next crop of teenagers arrive who did not have this conversion/epiphany and voluntarily join the club.
But I don't see anything other than iron fisted tyranny replacing capitalism (robber barons, highwaymen, and drug cartels are capitalism), so seems to still be the worst system except for the alternative.
My dentist claims that removal is worse for our health because the small particles created by drilling then inevitably partly end up in our body, 'en masse'. He did admit that he could earn more by doing it. Still fair I thought.
Worse for his/her health. For the patients various adequate measures can be taken and leaving them will definitely lead to the fillings loosing their toxic content in your body. Pick your poison 😉
Careful removal is a one time experience contrary to the dentist who may be in contact with amalgam every day or week. That also counts for HPV, HIV, polymer plastics and whatnot. Risk by profession.
Careful removal is a one time experience contrary to the dentist who may be in contact with amalgam every day or week. That also counts for HPV, HIV, polymer plastics and whatnot. Risk by profession.
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High Protection Measures. Like rubber dam and air suction and respiratory masks....
Look for Dr. Klinghardt e.g.
Well, that is what he claimed when I asked him. Even with adequate measures the release of toxins would be less when left in place then if removed. He only does it when strictly necessary. And he always wears a protective mask.
Also, reports indicate that recycling plastics is worse than not recycling them. Only solution: get rid of it... not an easy task. Think we're going off topic.
Also, reports indicate that recycling plastics is worse than not recycling them. Only solution: get rid of it... not an easy task. Think we're going off topic.
This reliable site seems to agree with my dentist. Translate with Google:
https://www.gezondheidenwetenschap....ijk-voor-de-gezondheid#article-detail-wrapper
https://www.gezondheidenwetenschap....ijk-voor-de-gezondheid#article-detail-wrapper