Broken thermometers are the cause of numerous calls to the Poison Center. Thermometers with a silver line contain elemental mercury. Thermometers with a red or blue liquid do NOT contain mercury.

I read recently that Boston is the latest city to ban the sale of mercury thermometers because of environmental concerns. I found my heart racing when I thought of my own run-in with that shiny ...

The first mercury thermometer was invented in 1748 and had provided accurate (and precise) temperatures for 250 years. There's even a study showing that they are more accurate than the stupid digital ...

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts. Years ago, when my children were young, I remember walking into the ...

The boiling point of mercury is around 674 degrees as opposed to 173 degrees for the ethanol used most often in alcohol thermometers. Share Share this article ...

Another advantage of alcohol is that the freezing temperature of mercury is around -38F, so a mercury thermometer is not useful in extremely cold weather.

Kessler Thermometer faces almost $200,000 in penalties after inspectors determined that the West Babylon company failed to adequately protect workers who were exposed to toxic airborne mercury.

Determined to do the right thing, King County residents have rushed to take advantage of an environmental program that trades old mercury-filled thermometers for battery-powered digital ones. They ...