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AnXioneth t1_irvj3jc wrote

What does mercury do in the blood?

Inorganic mercury can damage kidneys and cause blood loss. Organic mercury can damage your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Large amounts of mercury or long-term exposure can lead to death if not treated.

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BluetoothXIII t1_irvku9k wrote

the term "mad as a hatter" comes to mind, hat makers used mercury salts in their work.

metallic mercury isn´t that toxic in the sense of poison or venom it is mostly harmfull because it is in the way. you could drink mercury without adverse effects if you don´t inhale. it was used against constipation.

if you inhale Mercury it stays in the lung and blocks area that normally used for gas exchange.

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Professional_Try_384 OP t1_irwaxvj wrote

So does that mean that it’s fine if it’s in like a tube with a cork?

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BluetoothXIII t1_irwgxj7 wrote

If it is air tight it shouldn't be a problem, the high vapor pressure makes that difficult if the temperature changes. You should look up proper storage procedure. I was told dangerous substances are only dangerous if they are where the shouldn't be. Poison that looks like candy is totally save if placed in a locked poison shelf. Dangerous if left in the candy shelf.

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[deleted] t1_irx9mfz wrote

The mercury reduced the sulfhydryl bonds in the sheep's wool, making felt.

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Professional_Try_384 OP t1_ism6boy wrote

So does that mean it can be in that with no effect on people around it?

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[deleted] t1_isolo2u wrote

The mercury acts as a catalyst, so it isn't consumed per se, so that afterwards, all of it can be removed from the felt. I am sure if you were to take a victorian era piece of felt you would find some mercury in it. But in terms of the victorians, their wallpaper was much more dangerous. It was a bright green color loved by the middle class. The problem was it was made with Chromium VI, which when exposed to moisture, would end up in the victorians.

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Zavaldski t1_ity5piz wrote

The green color was from arsenic, not hexavalent chromium.

Even more toxic.

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