Jerry Peters wrote:

Eeyore wrote:
James Sweet wrote:
"Art" wrote in message

Certianly hope you did not mind handling the mercury (HG) during that
procedure, BTW did you do in on the kitchen table also?

There's very little mercury in one of those lamps. I wouldn't sprinkle it in
my food, but there's no need for the paranoia about it either. An old
thermometer contains hundreds of times the mercury.

Our silly excessively risk-averse society has demonised such things without
adequate reason.

I believe that a large part of the problem is that the current crop of
journalists are almost totally ignorant of science and technology,
even perhaps to the point of being afraid of them. Add all sorts of
advocacy groups that invent their own "science" in support of their
causes and you get our current situation.

In addition to ignorance you can add 'can't be bothered to research' to the list of
skills held by journalists today. They'll happily reprint any old nonsense they're
spoon fed.

Graham