MERCURY IN MEDICAL FACILITIES

Mercury (or "quicksilver"), is a naturally occuring element of remarkable qualities, a volatile liquid metal (at normal temperatures) that easily becomes a gas. Mercury (chemical symbol Hg, atomic number 80) conducts electricity, and can be used to directly measure temperature and pressure. Its applications can be found everywhere in human society:
Mercury in Cosmetics

as a catalyst in industrial processes
in solvents, and pesticides;
in light switches, lamps, and batteries
in paints and preservatives
in cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals

Mercury is one of the group of elements known as heavy metals. Many of these (including lead, cadmium, and selenium) are toxic to living things. Mercury too can kill living things, from bacteria to human beings. In particular, it can be converted into an organic form, methylmercury, which is especially toxic.

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