As a liquid, elemental mercury is slow to be absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream.
As a vapor, however, elemental mercury rapidly enters the bloodstream once breathed in.
"You wouldn't get hot spots with releases of elemental mercury."
The country where the elemental mercury will be used certifies its support for the exemption.
In pure form, it is known alternatively as "elemental" or "metallic" mercury.
The majority of atmospheric anthropogenic emissions are released as gaseous elemental mercury.
The atmospheric residence time of elemental mercury is in the range of months to roughly one year.
Today, we now know that both elemental mercury and many of its compounds are quite toxic.
Handling elemental mercury or its compounds is discouraged unless you are quite sure what chemistry is going on.
Around 2,700 to 6,000 tons of elemental mercury are released via natural activity such as volcanoes and erosion.