Mercury

The science embedded in this article is right on - flouride is a concern, mercury is a fiction. Concern should be expressed - the cost of cleaning up mercury in a classroom is a $39 kit readily available through any supply house that supplies chemicals to schools. The teacher should have had one on hand in the lab.

If you have a mercury spill and do not wish to recover the mercury (which you should - mercury is expensive) you can just treat it with sulfur. The form of mercury that is toxic is Mercury(I), which exists as a dimer. Some organo-mercury compounds are also supremely toxic. But if mercury in fish is so toxic - why doesn't it kill the fish?

If you are associated with a school and would like a professional chemist to reorganize your laboratory stockroom - leave me an e-mail address. I charge $125/hr plus expenses - minimum 2 days if traveling.