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    Inspiron 5150 contained mercury?

    Discussion in 'Dell' started by googlei, Jun 5, 2010.

  1. googlei

    googlei Notebook Consultant

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    Hello, I tried to repair my old 5150 when I accidental broke the back lites ccfl tube. My question is did it contain mercury, and if so how much?

    -Thanks in advance

    P.S. The person with the best answer get a rep point, :)
     
    googlei, Jun 5, 2010
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  2. LoneWolf15

    LoneWolf15 The Chairman

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    I don't know of a mercury-free CCFL backlight. My relatively new ThinkPad T400 is included.

    The amount of mercury is relatively small, so provided you don't decide to sniff the components, I wouldn't be worried. However, it is required they list it for recycling purposes, because mercury is not only toxic, it has a cumulative effect over time. Absorb some mercury into the bloodstream, and it isn't just shed away --absorb some more, and it adds to what you had at first, etc. Eventually, someone exposed to continued levels of mercury over time will develop heavy-metal poisoning, so special recycling precautions need to be taken rather than just throwing LCD displays away.

    Side note: This is where the phrase "mad as a hatter" came from. Haberdashers (hat-makers) in Britain during Charles Dickens' time used to use quicksilver(mercury) to smooth the fur they used to make for their hats. Eventually, some absorbed enough to cause toxic effects which displayed as mental insanity to others.
     
    LoneWolf15, Jun 5, 2010
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  3. googlei

    googlei Notebook Consultant

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    But do you know how much mercury is in there, I presently have the broken cathode tube in a box witch is a a room and I am worried of the concentration of mercury in the air and if it has all already evaporated. I can do the math to figure out how long it will take to evaporate at its mass and at the rooms temperature but I need to know around how many uL's or grams to finish the equation.

    -Thanks again
     
    googlei, Jun 5, 2010
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  4. LoneWolf15

    LoneWolf15 The Chairman

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    LoneWolf15, Jun 5, 2010
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  5. googlei

    googlei Notebook Consultant

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    I have calculated that all the mercury would have evaporated in 2.9 days if it was 4mg of mercury, and since it is a smaller amount it would have evaporated in less.

    -Thanks again, i have given you your reward.
     
    googlei, Jun 5, 2010
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