Has mercury been banned in thermometers?

Question

Has mercury been banned in thermometers, including cooking thermometers? If so, when?
How do you know if your thermometer has mercury?
My thermometer has red in the center of a glass tube? Is it mercury?
How do you safely dispose of these thermometers?
Thank you!

Answer 1

Mercury hasn't officially been banned, but it is known to be highly toxic and hazardous. Most laboratories will try to avoid using them, but there are times when Hg (mercury) thermometers are needed. Your thermometer, that is red contains 'red alcohol' and not mercury. Unfortunately there is no way to get rid of mercury, because the halflife is something like 5000 years. But there are mercury clean up kits, and thats the easiest way to dispose of it.

Answer 2

Mercury is not banned in thermometers but as it is now known to be dangerous to inhale the fumes and as it will eat aluminium( therefore banned on planes) safer substitutes are used. The red liquid is probably alcohol coloured so that you can see it easily.
Mercury is a silver liquid. When I was a child we used to play with it as it runs around and groups into balls.
They used to put it in shops in the middle ages for the rich to run thier hans through as it took the gold from their rings which could later be recovered.

Answer 3

Mercery ones have a metallic color instead of red.
Today mercury thermometers are still widely used in meteorology, however in other usage they are becoming increasingly rare, as mercury is highly and permanently toxic to the nervous system and many countries have banned them outright from medical use. Some manufacturers use a liquid alloy of gallium, indium, and tin, galinstan, as mercury replacement.

Answer 4

Actually, recent thermometers can have a silvery grey metal inside that is NOT mercury, but an alloy of gallium, indium and tin, which is also liquid at room temperature, and is non toxic.

Answer 5

i think mercury is more of a silvery color..but im pretty sure they arent used anymore, since mercury is very dangerous, especially if the thermometer got broken somehow.

Answer 6

Red is alcohol, silver is mercury. Call city recycling center.

Answer 7

No it depends on where you go

Answer 8

Hmmm............ give me some time i am thinking about it