What is one of the first things you do when you feel sick or think you might have a fever? You pick up a thermometer, of course. Thermometers enable you to check your body temperature in order to diagnose whether or not you have a fever or flu or other sickness. They are cylindrical, thin, and clear, allowing one to easily stick it in their mouth our under their arms, or in other places where you can take one's temperature... Originally, thermometers were created using the element Mercury because it has a very low freezing temperature (-38.83 °C or -37.89 °F) and a very high boiling temperature (356.73 °C or 674.11 °F). These extreme temperatures allow it to accurately take human temperature. Thus far, the design of the thermometer is very ergonomic and straight-forward.
However, Mercury is a very dangerous and poisonous substance. It can cause severe health problems and illnesses, including short-term memory loss, brain and nervous development in children,and even death. People had not known that Mercury was the cause of such horrible health issues. It was only recently, in the twenty first century that the U.S. and other countries began banning and reducing the use of Mercury products. Instead, they encourage the use of digital thermometers, which do not contain mercury. Digital thermometers can also be very accurate (you won't have to twist it around and around, like a Mercury thermometer, in order to see where the liquid increased to) and more sturdy than Mercury thermometers. Also, the design of digital thermometers is clear and simple. There is just button that must be pushed in order to read a person's temperature. Then, the numbers pop up on the screen. In discovering the dangers of Mercury thermometers, a path was paved for digital thermometers.
Photo Credits:
Oracle ThinkQuest, Mercury Matters
Basal Digital Thermometer
No comments:
Post a Comment