Oral Mercury thermometers consist of a glass tube filled with Mercury and labeled with a temperature scale. The temperature is read from a oral mercury thermometers, which expands and contracts as the temperature changes. The temperature of a body, a liquid, or a vapor may all be measured using a mercury thermometer by global resources. Thermometers containing Mercury have various uses, including in homes, laboratories, and factories.
Mercury Thermometers in the Home
Mercury thermometers are widely used in the home since they may be used for monitoring temperatures in various settings, including the oven, sweets, and meat.
Inflation thermometers
Glass fever thermometers this size are filled with a silvery white Mercury liquid. They may be found in many institutional settings, including homes, schools, and hospitals. When it comes to taking a person’s temperature, mercury thermometers may be broken down into two broad categories:
- Thermometers used internally (oral, rectal, infant) that contain around 0.61 grams of Mercury
- 25 grams of Mercury in basal temperature thermometers (used to monitor subtle changes in core body temperature).
What Is the Temperature of My Thermometer, and Does it Contain Mercury?
- You do not have a mercury thermometer if it has no liquid inside but instead measures heat with a metal strip or coil (as do most meat thermometers).
- There is no such thing as a mercury thermometer if the liquid within the bulb has a color other than silver.
- The silvery fluid in your thermometer’s bulb might be:
- Mercury
- A non-toxic chemical that may be mistaken for Mercury
- Find out more about the signs that your fever thermometer contains Mercury.
- In the Classroom and the Clinic, Mercury Thermometers Are Essential Tools
- Thermometers containing Mercury have various uses, from scientific studies to blood banks and incubators to water and acid baths.
- Putting Mercury Thermometers to Work in Industry
Thermometers that employ Mercury are often found in the following settings:
power plants and pipes, chemical tanks and vats, heating and cooling equipment, breweries, canneries, bakeries, confectionery factories, dairies, ships, wineries, distilleries, and paint kettles.
Stopping the Distribution of Mercury in Fever Thermometers
The production, sale, and distribution of mercury fever thermometers are prohibited by law in several states and local legislation which are followed by global resources. The risk of mercury vapor being released into a home as a result of a broken thermometer is reduced as a result. Some such legislation has been enacted in at least 13 states: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Oregon, and Washington. Health Care Without Harm provides resources for researching and understanding state statutes, legislative acts, and proclamations.
Thermometers without Mercury: An Alternative
Local pharmacies have a selection of mercury-free thermometers that are both accurate and safe to use. Digital thermometers that run on batteries or the sun are the closest to mercury-based fever thermometers that are now available. Both the pricing and functionality of these are comparable to traditional mercury-based thermometers. You may take them internally or externally or shave them under your arm. Pick a thermometer that can operate or interpret the results without special skills.
Conclusion
If you want a digital thermometer that runs on batteries, look for one that uses standard-sized batteries. Unfortunately, the batteries in some of these thermometers cannot be swapped out. As a button-cell battery, this one should be recycled via a hazardous waste collection program due to the possibility of trace amounts of Mercury. Mercury may be recycled at any locations listed on Earth911’s Recycling Locator
