[Noisebridge-discuss] mercury on the table?

[Noah Balmer]

I'm as tired of this thread as anyone, but that's not a good reason to
demand its demise.
Possibilities to consider:

Case 1: A single bead of mercury was transported into the space and
deposited, intact, on the table, without anything else touching it before it
was noticed and cleaned up. Yay!
vs.
Case 2: A box containing a broken tilt switch or two was placed on the
table, then moved to a shelf, and left some (not all) of its mercury behind.
not yay.
vs.
Case 3: Just like case 1, except someone set something down on the table in
between deposition and discovery, and moved some of the mess to another part
of the space. also not yay.

In any gamble, it's as important to consider stakes as odds.  Stakes in this
case are probably very minor nerve and organ damage for anyone who uses the
space.

I'm all for taking calculated risks.  In the last week I've probably done
myself as much harm by welding stainless without a respirator as anyone is
likely to sustain by just being in the room with some uncontained mercury,
and I'm comfortable with that,  but I wouldn't look down on someone for not
wanting to breath my welding fumes. Maybe the stakes and odds in this
situation are such that everyone's comfortable taking their chances.  That
said, "we don't know where it came from but we know it's all cleaned up"
sounds like self-deception.  It's totally reasonable to withdraw from a
discussion because you're done with it.  It's less reasonable to demand that
everyone else stop talking about it too, especially when there is a
reasonable chance that they are right.

Rock on, Curly Wurly, whomever you may be.





On Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 10:34 AM, Jeffrey Malone
<ieatlint at tehinterweb.com>wrote:

> /me reiterates Rubin's request to LET IT DIE.
>
> The mercury was cleaned up, it was not tracked anywhere, the amount
> was comparable to that in a thermometer, and the risk of exposure is
> almost nil.  THERE ARE WORSE THINGS IN THE ALLEY than on that table
> right now.
>
> We don't know for sure where it came from, and no one has stepped
> forward to claim responsibility (perhaps because they don't realise
> they brought it in).  Either way, whatever caused it is not like a
> weekly thing, so we don't need a fucking inquisition.
> This was a completely freak "accident", if you will, and I expect
> people will be more aware of their actions before bringing anything
> that may contain even trace amounts of hazardous materials into the
> space.  But with the way this conversation is going, god help anyone
> who breaks an EFL bulb and has someone on this list scream bloody
> murder and call hazmat.
>
> So there's no point in this unless the discussion, unless someone is
> arguing we should get MSDS -- but even that should be broken off from
> this thread so we can end this craziness.
>
> Jeffrey
>
>
> On Sat, Jun 27, 2009 at 9:48 AM, Curly Wurly<curlywurly22987 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > I think it's important to keep talking about this, and at the very
> > least identify the source of the mercury.  To not do this is grossly
> > irresponsible.  It would be excellent if those who were hacking on the
> > neon sign could become experts in those devices and report to the list
> > about how this could have happened.  I personally don't see how a
> > large quantity could have come from a neon sign, but I'm no expert.
> > Since someone put all of us at risk, the onus is upon them to
> > thoroughly research this.
> >
> > Thankfully Ani noticed the spill before the situation got worse.
> > Imagine if 5mL of mercury spilled on the floor and we all tracked it
> > all over the place.  Not good at all.
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> >
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