Difficult choices as death nears. As the changes described in this article develop in the final days or hours of a progressive terminal illness, difficult choices may arise. There may be questions about whether to provide food and fluids, receive blood transfusions, or treat infections.
The use of mercury in thermometers dates back hundreds of years. It was widely used because it reliably expands and contracts with changes in temperatures. It is highly poisonous, however, and can enter the body through the respiratory or digestive tracts, or directly through the skin.
What is Mercury and Where Does it Come From? Mercury (Hg) is an element that occurs in the environment naturally as a result of human activity. It is a silvery color and the only metal that is liquid and room temperature. It is considered one of the heavy metal because of its atomic weight and can be found as number eighty on the periodic table of elements. Mercury can also evaporate to form an odorless, colorless, vapor. Mercury has proved useful for measuring devices such as thermometers, but is toxic to humans and animals.