Thanks for sharing!
From: hhwroundtable@kalcountyeh.simplelists.com [mailto:hhwroundtable@kalcountyeh.simplelists.com]
On Behalf Of Cynthia S. Foster
Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2016 2:49 PM
To: 'hhwroundtable@kalcountyeh.simplelists.com'
Subject: Mercury False Alarm
Hello HHW family,
I apologize for any cross-posting. I hope that you all enjoyed a happy Thanksgiving weekend. Today was further proof of – you never know what you are going to get. We got this little gem in at Kalamazoo County’s HHW Center today. The bottom
is stamped with “Honeywell Made in the USA”, the front says “1969 MSU Varsity Club “Good Luck” The Shuilders”. It is a thermometer/paperweight/pen holder. The thermometer pointer quivers with the slightest touch but it is quite heavy at 0.4 pounds and if you
shake it, it feels like there is some kind of liquid inside. I had tried researching online but I only found them for sale on sites like Etsy and Ebay with no explanation of what is inside. I sent a message to one of the sellers asking what the device was
weighted down with and she said she didn’t think it was a liquid and couldn’t hear any sloshing inside. My coworker wanted to take it home because it was so unique but I told him I needed to check it out first.
We carefully dismantled the device while it was inside a couple Ziploc bags – no mercury. Please see the attached for a look inside. We also drilled a couple small holes and no mercury as a “ballast” either so this was pretty harmless.
We were most likely feeling the bimetal coil vibrating.
I’m glad to be wrong on this one. My coworker is out a vintage keepsake but I prefer the peace of mind.
Cindy Foster
Household Hazardous Waste Specialist
HHW Center
269-383-8742
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