| Author |
 Replies: 19 / Views: 7,703 |
Page 2 of 2
|
|
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
7646 Posts |
If your city/county has an annual Spring cleanup you can turn in hazardous materials for proper disposal. Most will accept anything like car batteries, paints, chemicals, old medicines, old appliances, tv's, computers etc. The only things most won't take are ammunition and nuclear materials (duh?). Your best bet is to call your city's solid waste department and talk to them. As hazardous as Mercury is I wouldn't want it around my house. It still is out gassing through the plastic bag. The only place I'd store it would be in a sealed glass jar clearly labeled as to what it is. Although the risk of contamination is low in this instance why take the risk?
|
|
Valued Member
United States
337 Posts |
I doubt the plastic bag is a real barrier. But mercury does combine with other metals, such as in old tooth fillings. You could check to see if it is a real hazard. Buy really, it is worth 5 cents. Any cure would cost more, so I would take it in to a hazardous materials collection point and say I lost five cents. Where can that be done? Call your waste management for your area. If they do not want it see if a local university can take it for disposal with other materials from the chemistry department.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
 Canada
2522 Posts |
I will turn the coin in as soon as I can. And if if they won't take it I'll bring it to a local university. The only one I know the way to is you of T St. George, which is not too close. I'll be searching if there's a nearer chemistry lab place I can take it to if the hazardous materials won't see it. I didn't know that mercury vapour can pass through plastic. First time I heard of it. I have typed something about mercury dipped coins, please see it and tell me if I made mistakes. Thanks! https://www.dropbox.com/s/tpm7nu9kp...Y%20THEM.pdf |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
There are so many things that could cause that effect. For one thing there are numerous variations in oils. Also, many people use cleaner waxes on coins. Might be just someone using different cleaning materials. So many people use Olive Oils, cooking oils, etc. on coins or just on their hands and that gets on coins. Not sure if in your case Mercury but you may be just getting a bit carried away with all the hype about Mercury on coins. Just drop it off at a coin store, police station, fire station, etc. and tell them of your opinion. If you do, don't bother to ask for another Nickel in exchange.  |
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2522 Posts |
Perhaps. But I actually got a headache the day after having the coin in the same room where I slept for one night. I didn't know mercury vapour passes through plastic. I've moved it out of my room already.
Earlier today I took a pair of scissors and scratched the coin. A layer came off and revealed shiny metal underneath. If it is mercury dipped, it would only just be on the surface (like other things) right?
And if something did get on it, wouldn't its colour match some of the tarnish colour of the cupronickel coins? I have taken out some of my dingiest, dirtiest, dullest cupronickel coins (I have a huge pile of them) and still no match for the colours. The other coins are always a lighter and shinier colour no matter what.
Police and fire stations take hazardous materials?
|
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Police and fire stations take hazardous materials? Here in the USA many cities tell residents to contact the fire, police, etc for such things. IF not sure, try it anyway. Regardless, they should take it and better them doing something with it than you. As to your headach. When I was in Chem classes in high school and college, I handled Mercury all the time. I've also been a Chem lab teacher in college. I also have made lots of toy soldiers with Lead. I've used Mercury for all sorts of things and Lead too. I'm still alive, hopefully well, nothing wrong with me that I know of YET. I really think your headach is from worrying about the Mercury, not the Mercury itself. Of course there is one thing you could do. Simply hand that Nickel to someone you hate.  |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
Mercury vapors are visible in UV(black) light. There's a demo on YouTube.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2522 Posts |
I'm sort of new to the West culture so forgive me if I sound kind of dumb sometimes.  I come from Indonesia where things are very different. First 15 years of my life there before coming to Canada to study abroad. Tell you what, I'll bring the coin to the school chemistry lab tomorrow and see if the teacher can do something about it. There's something wrong with my connection now I think. I can't seem to load YT videos. The page opens, everything else is there, but all I see is a black box where the video should be. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
Quote:
Mercury vapors are visible in UV(black) light. There's a demo on YouTube. Great place for scientific information. Probably also some imfo on big foot. |
|
Bedrock of the Community
United States
17884 Posts |
It looks to me like a normal nickel. And even if it was rubbed with mercury the mercury would have amalgamized with the nickel so and outgassing would be fairly close to zero. And mercury really isn't anywhere near as dangerous as people make it out to be. Amalgams even less so. I've had mercury amalgam fillings in my mouth for over 40 years and as far as I can tell they haven't hurt me at all. And they aren't just subject to outgassing but also leaching from eating acid rich foods and the acids produced by saliva and mouth bacteria.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1554 Posts |
I agree with Conder101. I find this topic kind of silly. No offence intended SlurExe97. Just think of all the stuff that's on money. I don't worry.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
Canada
2522 Posts |
I know amalgams don't gas since it's pretty much alloyed together. My dad has amalgam fillings too and he's fine.
So it forms an amalgam instead of just coating it? I guess it makes sense. It's solid.
I have decided what to do with it. I'm going to turn it in this Saturday when I go to Square One. There's a police near it.
Yes and when you think what has been on money, you'll never know, once it might have been sitting in a water can on rubbish tip every morning having a load of rotting fish dumped on it.
Conder101: It looks quite different in person. I still can't catch properly what I see with my camera yet (improvisations going on). And it also feels very different. I had a couple of friends who were curious about my finding and rubbed it, they agreed that it is very greasy feeling. Not like any other coins they have handled before, they say.
|
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
675 Posts |
Quote:
Just think of all the stuff that's on money. I don't worry. 100% agree. I don't think the coin is going to kill or even harm anybody. I would just spend it without a 2nd thought. |
|
Rest in Peace
United States
7075 Posts |
 The germs on coins are probably far more dangerous than mercury. I think the real danger of mercury comes from prolonged exposure like daily exposure for years. But I understand your concern because of all the fuss that is being made of out the new light bulbs. |
|
Pillar of the Community
United States
1291 Posts |
When I was a kid, my dad worked at the Standard Oil Refinery in Cleveland, Ohio. A couple of times, he brought home a small vial of mercury for me to "play with". This was before I started collecting coins, and it was also before (early 1960s) the full extent of the danger posed by mercury was known/publicized.
I used to have all sorts of fun with that mercury, including making worn dimes look a lot newer. Just rub it in with you thumb and forefinger and, presto, new dime. Eventually, I lost interest in the mercury when it became dull and full of dust from playing with it on the floor, table tops, etc. I have no idea what became of it. Back then, no one seemed to care.
This is an absolutely true story I and I didn't tell it with the intent of minimizing the danger of mercury. I'm quite convinced that mercury IS very dangerous. It was just a different world back then.
|
|
Page 2 of 2
|
Replies: 19 / Views: 7,703 |
Page 2 of 2
|
First Page
Posted 03/29/2014 11:43 pm
