Surprise! More Than Twice As Much Mercury In Environment As Thought

Posted by timothy on Sunday September 7, 2014 @06:33AM from the does-this-mean-it's-half-as-bad? dept.

sciencehabit writes The most comprehensive estimate of mercury released into the environment is putting a new spotlight on the potent neurotoxin. By accounting for mercury in consumer products, such as thermostats, and released by industrial processes, the calculations more than double previous tallies of the amount of mercury that has entered the environment since 1850. The analysis also reveals a previously unknown spike in mercury emissions during the 1970s, caused largely by the use of mercury in latex paint.

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Re:Broken light bulbs. by GarethIwanFairclough · 2014-09-07 08:12 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Compared the coal-fired electric plant, that's nothing.
I had a broken FL bulb just the other day. I can assure you, the effects I suffered certainly did NOT feel like "nothing". The blindness, shakes, tingling and headaches didn't last long, but they were definitely not pleasant.