On Sat, 05 May 2007 07:11:24 GMT, Paul Hyett
wrote:

In uk.sci.weather on Fri, 4 May 2007, Dave Ludlow
wrote :

I can see no reason why meteorological thermometers should be exempt.

As a kid, it was fun to play with liquid mercury, and I day say most of
us here did so, and we're still around...

I have no problem with the actual thermometers (unless perhaps you
smash one on yourself!) but isn't it the danger to the workers during
manufacturer that the EU is worried about? Continual exposure to
minute quantities of mercury poses, I assume, a serious health risk
and to justify that, the use has t be "essential" and presumably with
tight (perhaps expensive) controls during manufacture?

In this day of accurate electronics, it's hard to justify a claim that
mercury thermometers are essential to meteorology. But I take the
point, hinted at by some, that it's another example of the nanny state
going too far. I don't know enough about the risks to know if this is
true or not.

--
Dave