[Noisebridge-discuss] mercury on the table?

[Sai Emrys]

FWIW: my suggestion has nothing to do with finding out who did it (I
don't care), but with ensuring that in the future we have materials to
deal with it (on hand, clearly labeled, and disposable).

Namely, this stuff from the cleanup instructions:

   * latex or vinyl gloves
   * flashlight
   * zipper-type plastic bags (several)
   * plastic trash bags (at least two)
   * wide tape (masking, duct or clear)
   * paper towels
   * eyedropper
   * two index cards or pieces of stiff cardboard
   * sulfur powder (see below for details)
   * water to moisten paper towels

... and possibly also an industrial strength fan to ventilate fumes
towards windows. Or, ideally, a vapor-tight (or at least controlled
air flow) workbox, like you'd find in a chem lab or cleanroom.

A binder of MSDS and cleanup guidelines for all hazardous materials
we'll come into contact with would also be a good idea.

Regardless of what happened in this incident, if any of us will be
conducting any similar experiments or dissection of electronics or
other components containing dangerous materials, we must be prepared
to do so safely - both for routine stuff and emergencies.

I don't think that discussing how to ensure that we are prepared is a
bad thing, any more than ensuring that we have ABC fire extinguishers
on hand. It's an ethical, medical, and legal responsibility.
Accidents, over time - especially with a bunch of inquisitive hardware
hackers around - are a certainty, and we should be able to deal with
them in a routine way without being caught surprised and unprepared.

As such, I think characterizing this as a 'freak accident' is
unhelpful, because it implies that there's no way (or responsibility)
to have been prepared for it. If a jet engine fell on 83c, I'd agree,
but when we get hazardous materials released that we know to be
contained in stuff we work on, I don't.

- Sai

P.S. And yes, I'm the kind of guy who never rides my motorcycle
without full gear. :-P