http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm
--
Steve Loft
Sanday, Orkney. 5m ASL
http://sanday.org.uk/weather

Steve Loft wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm

From a linked page: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4801434.stm

Typical - ban the 'easy' targets leave the coal burning power stations
etc....

Steve Loft wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm


There is a mercury barometer, encased in what seems to be a cast iron housing,
attached to a wall down by the water. One opens a wee hatch to read it and I
have been known to sneak a peek from time to time.

The above is the only mercury barometer I have ever seen (other than in pictures
or museums) and I would say a 'traditional' barometer is an aneroid barometer,
preferably in a brass housing.

But I suppose time marches on. We used to have mercury barometers, steam
trains, planes made from paper and string, and best of all, rickets.

This is not to say I am a progressive type.

--
Gianna

http://www.buchan-meteo.org.uk
* * * * * * *

Steve Loft wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm

Typical of the BBC to show a picture of an aneroid barometer as an
illustration of an article on mercury barometers!

--
Graham P Davis
Bracknell, Berks., UK
Send e-mails to "newsman" as mails to "newsboy" are ignored.

Steve Loft wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm

I see it also affects thermometers. Will all meteorological measurements
have to be made using electronic temperature and pressure devices?

--
Graham P Davis
Bracknell, Berks., UK
Send e-mails to "newsman" as mails to "newsboy" are ignored.

On Wed, 6 Jun 2007 09:25:40 +0100, cupra wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm

Why is the picture that of an aneroid barometer?

From a linked page: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4801434.stm

Typical - ban the 'easy' targets leave the coal burning power stations
etc....

Mercury is nasty, that's where the phrase "mad as a hatter" comes from and
there was a serious case of mass poisoning in Japan from eating
contaminated seafood but the exposure levels were rather high.

I expect most of the population over about 35 have a fair amount of Hg in
their mouths and have a far greater exposure to Hg from that source than
the effectively sealed in glass mercury barometer.

It's interesting that they are aiming to ban the sale of all products
containing mercury. What about flourescent tubes? They all contain
Mercury... I see the second article mentions schemes for the collection
and recovery of the mercury from products containing it. So not only do we
have a fridge mountain we'll shortly have a florescent light mountain as
well.

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm
This was mentioned on TWO a couple of months ago and (unusually for the BBC)
it's little more than an anti EU rant.

No, you won't (easily) be able to buy a new mercury barometer, but you will
still be able to get old ones repaired.

It's a mountain out of a molehill really.

See Euromyths for more info:

http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/pr...myth150_en.htm

"Darren Prescott" wrote in message
...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm
This was mentioned on TWO a couple of months ago and (unusually for the
BBC) it's little more than an anti EU rant.

No, you won't (easily) be able to buy a new mercury barometer, but you
will still be able to get old ones repaired.

It's a mountain out of a molehill really.

See Euromyths for more info:

http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/pr...myth150_en.htm
---------------------
Thank you for the link Darren. I get fed up with people saying "now the EU
have banned.... " this and that when they patently haven't. Then we end up
keeping the blatantly ridiculous pounds and ounces. Bring back pounds,
shilling and pence, I say!

Dave

On Jun 6, 12:58 pm, "Darren Prescott"
wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm

This was mentioned on TWO a couple of months ago and (unusually for the BBC)
it's little more than an anti EU rant.

No, you won't (easily) be able to buy a new mercury barometer, but you will
still be able to get old ones repaired.

It's a mountain out of a molehill really.

See Euromyths for more info:

http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/pr...myth150_en.htm

As I suspected. Thanks, Darren. Mercury (as the metal) is
not really a hazard. Although pretty toxic its vapour pressure is
very low. When I worked for BP I was using mercury as a hydraulic
fluid and on one occasion the pipe burst, spraying fine droplets of
mercury everywhere. The mercury detector in the lab just reached the
8-hour working exposure limit and it was situated close to the spill.
I strongly suspect that if you had a mercury barometer and the tube
broke and all the mercury fell on the floor and you left it there you
would not be in any danger whatever. The mercury would get covered in
dust and a film of household grease and dirt which would in effect
reduce the vapour pressure even further. This effect is well-known
among industrial chemists and perhaps the European Parliament, or
least its advisors, know it as well. Mercury compounds, on the other
hand, are very toxic if ingested. The Mad Hatters probably licked
their fingers. It would not happen today or even 40 years ago. Staff
would simply wear gloves and there'd be one or two other elementary
safety precautions which people would take as normal even before we
went safety-mad.

Tudor Hughes (ex industrial chemist), Warlingham, Surrey.

Tudor Hughes wrote:
On Jun 6, 12:58 pm, "Darren Prescott"
wrote:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6725161.stm

This was mentioned on TWO a couple of months ago and (unusually for
the BBC) it's little more than an anti EU rant.

No, you won't (easily) be able to buy a new mercury barometer, but
you will still be able to get old ones repaired.

It's a mountain out of a molehill really.

See Euromyths for more info:

http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/pr...myth150_en.htm

As I suspected. Thanks, Darren. Mercury (as the metal) is
not really a hazard. Although pretty toxic its vapour pressure is
very low. When I worked for BP I was using mercury as a hydraulic
fluid and on one occasion the pipe burst, spraying fine droplets of
mercury everywhere. The mercury detector in the lab just reached the
8-hour working exposure limit and it was situated close to the spill.
I strongly suspect that if you had a mercury barometer and the tube
broke and all the mercury fell on the floor and you left it there you
would not be in any danger whatever. The mercury would get covered in
dust and a film of household grease and dirt which would in effect
reduce the vapour pressure even further. This effect is well-known
among industrial chemists and perhaps the European Parliament, or
least its advisors, know it as well. Mercury compounds, on the other
hand, are very toxic if ingested. The Mad Hatters probably licked
their fingers. It would not happen today or even 40 years ago. Staff
would simply wear gloves and there'd be one or two other elementary
safety precautions which people would take as normal even before we
went safety-mad.

I visited a factory where they broke a mercury arc rectifer while I was on
site - that prompted an emergency since these things don't contain just a
few mgs!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:M...-Rectifier.jpg

(visiting the sub room was like visiting a b grade 50's horror film set!)