answersLogoWhite

0

Mercury is poisonous... If the thermometer is broken - it could cause harm. It's safer to use alcohol thermometers - or electronic ones.

User Avatar

Wiki User

8y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What instrument is used to measure temperature of a body?

A thermometer is used to measure the temperature of a body. There are various types of thermometers, such as digital thermometers, infrared thermometers, and mercury thermometers.


What are mercury thermometers used to measure?

Mercury thermometers are used to measure body temperature, room temperature, and other temperatures in a variety of settings. However, due to the toxicity of mercury, their use has decreased in favor of digital thermometers.


Why is mercury rarely used in thermometers that take body temperatures?

Mercury is a toxic heavy metal. The possibility of breakage and the subsequent release of mercury into the body, or into the environment, means that mercury usage has gradually been phased out in consumer thermometers. Laboratory thermometers often still contain mercury, since it's useful over a wide range of temperatures. This isn't so critical in medical thermometers, since the body temperature of someone who isn't actually dead is almost certainly going to be no more than 10 degrees from 37 Celcius.


What are mercury thermometers used for?

If the bulb is red, blue, purple, green or any other color, it is not a mercury thermometer. Mercury thermometerscan be used to determine body temperature (fever thermometers), liquid temperature, and vapor temperature.


What liquid is inside thermometers?

If the liquid is silver, it is liquid mercury (Hg). If the liquid is red, it is coloured ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH).


Are digital and clinical thermometers same?

Digital and clinical thermometers are not necessarily the same. Digital thermometers can encompass a wider range of types, including both clinical and non-clinical variations. Clinical thermometers, on the other hand, are specifically designed for medical use to measure body temperature accurately.


Why do you put thermometers on body for 1 minute?

Older thermometers took about a minute for the body temperature to warm the mercury in the glass bulb so that it reached body temperature and a reading could be taken. Modern thermometers are much faster and do not need to be kept for a minute.


Why is that mercury is used in thermometer?

Mercury is used in thermometers because mercury is the only liquid metal in room temperature. Hence our body temperature is observed by melting the liquid metal mercury due to our body temperature.


Why is mercury no longer used in thermometer?

Mercury, if it enters your body, causes severe brain problems, and is usually deadly, so it is a poisonous material. it is no longer used in thermometers because thermometers were breaking and too many people were dying.


What is the difference between clinical thermometers and other mercury-in-glass thermometers?

Clinical thermometers. They can be (and usually made) by glass hollow rods with mercury inside). So I would say 'no diiference' considering the fact that: A clinical thermometer made with glass and mercury inside. Now - a - days other types of thermometers are used (to avoid mercury). Some contains alcohol (for glass type), some are made up like robbons with censors implanted.


Why is mercury used in clinical thermometer and not laboratory thermometer?

Mercury is no longer used much in thermometers due to the poisonous compounds that it forms. When I grew up, in Chemistry at school and at the doctors there were mercury thermometers and alcohol thermometers.


The metal mercury used for?

It is used in the thermometers as it detects the heat change.It points out the variation of temperature of human body.