|
They used to (still do?) put Hg in metal dental fillings. Maybe to aid in the placement because the Hg raised the amalgam's melting point? Anyway, I once read of a worker at a factory that made dental fillings. He stole hundreds of fillings and melted them down in a homemade forge in his basement. He wanted the silver. As you can probably guess, things didn't turn out too well for him. The entire town was surprised when the man and his family died suddenly. The coroner determined that the cause of death was Hg poisoning due to the atomized Hg that circulated via their home's central air system.
So sad. Chemistry strikes again.
|