Fwd: NS-40 Class E Transmitter on a Postcard

[Philip Miller Tate]

>
>> As for poisoning oneself, the danger from exposure to mercury in CF
>> bulbs is vastly overblown.  A typical bulb contains about 4mg of
>> metallic mercury, which is 1/125th what a mercury bulb thermometer
>> has, let alone the thermostat on the wall of your house.  If you're
>> worried about that level of mercury in your envoronment I sure hope
>> you don't live downstream from a coal burner or eat tuna fish.
>>
>
> It is almost impossible for a chemist like myself to convince  
> people that metallic mercury has a rather low toxicity - it's only  
> slightly worse than most heavy metals because of the relatively  
> high vapour pressure. After all, Isaac Newton only went crazy -  
> and, even then, recovered reasonably after a few years - after  
> boiling one pound of liquid mercury in a small cellar laboratory.  
> It must have been running down the walls! Mercury salts, however,  
> are a different matter - they have a much higher bioavailability  
> and the consequences of ingestion are much more serious. Some  
> marine species concentrate mercury salts (apparently without ill  
> effect to them), and Minimata's disease was not a consequence of  
> mercury in the elemental state.
>
> There are some "authoritative" websites than call for the total ban  
> of all chlorine compounds - including sodium chloride - because  
> they contain "chlorine". The chloride ion is chemically nothing  
> like chlorine - it can't be, because it has too many electrons!
>
> That's chemistry for you.
>
> Regards,
>
> Phil M1GWZ
>
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