Mercury

Mercury, which usually appears as a thick silvery fluid, is the only metal that’s liquid at room temperature. It’s also called quicksilver.

We use mercury in a wide range of products, from thermometers and barometers to batteries and pesticides. But mercury is extremely poisonous, and we can absorb it by touch, inhalation, or consumption. It builds up in the body with each exposure and is very difficult to remove. If you get too much in you, you can suffer from mercury poisoning, which is both unpleasant and potentially fatal.

That’s why you have to be careful not to break a mercury thermometer or a compact fluorescent light bulb. It’s also why people are concerned about mercury in industrial waste and pesticides flowing into rivers and oceans and being absorbed by fish, which are then eaten by people.

Most mercury is mined from a mineral called cinnabar, which can contain up to 86 per cent mercury. Cinnabar is crushed into small pieces and heated in a kiln, the liquid mercury becomes a vapour. As that vapour cools, the mercury condenses into a pure liquid that can be collected.

The Herald

1) Mercury is liquid

2) Mercury is

3) Mercury is used

4) Mercury can be dangerous

5) Cinnabar is