Are digital thermometers safer?
Across the nation, state governments are beginning to ban the distribution of mercury thermometers. “There s a reason for it,” says Heather Cataldo, program coordinator for Idaho GEMStars. “Mercury thermometers pose both an environmental and a health risk.” Because of its sensitivity to temperature and the fact that it doesn t stick to glass, mercury has been used in thermometers for nearly 300 years. But mercury is a powerful neurotoxin capable of causing birth defects; difficulties with speech, hearing and movement, and a variety of other symptoms. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, swallowed mercury from broken thermometers actually poses a low risk compared with inhaled mercury vapors. Mercury that had seeped into carpets, then volatilized, has caused serious health problems in toddlers. Never use a vacuum cleaner, shop vac or broom to clean up mercury, advises the EPA; that will just put the mercury in the air. If mercury is spilled onto a smooth surface, use t
