Re: Mercury spills

["Glenn A. Carlson" <gcarlson@MAIL.WIN.ORG>]

Stuewer David wrote:
> How much mercury are we talking about here?  If somebody (misguidedly)
> vacuumed up the droplets from, say, a broken thermometer, would their
> house have to be demolished?

Stan Dodds wrote:
> Incidentally, the Illinois story has the marks of
> an urban legend. Most homes are so well ventilated that vapor from
> modest spills of dirty mercury is not likely to reach hazardous
> levels.

As I recall, the incident involved much more than just one thermometer
("gallons" sticks in my mind).  A handful of stories ran over a few
weeks in my local newspaper.  Don't just take my word for it, though
(after all, this IS the internet)  Perhaps, I can relocate more reliable
information.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

Glenn A. Carlson, P.E.
St. Charles County Community College
St. Charles, MO
gcarlson@mail.win.org