Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]There are other sources of mercury that were NOT banned, many with much larger quantities than tiny photo batteries. Take for instance fluorescent lights. Or, as a personal example, I recently purchased a sphygmomanometer . It contains about an ounce of pure elemental mercury. How come that wasn't banned? I think banning the batteries was a symbolic gesture and we photographers were sacrificed on the enviroalter. Buzz Hausner wrote: > Trust me, Hans-Peter, mercury is one very nasty environmental contaminant, > it is extremely toxic in even small doses and it may be both ingested in its > liquid form and inhaled as a vapor. EU and US regulators were unusually > wise in banning the production of mercury batteries. They were not being > capriciously mean to devotees of old photographic equipment. > > Buzz Hausner > > -----Original Message----- > From: Hans-Peter.Lammerich@t-online.de > [mailto:Hans-Peter.Lammerich@t-online.de] > Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2000 4:43 PM > To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us > Subject: [Leica] Re: Battery adapter wanted (became a long story) > > After all I find it stupid that EU and US legislators banned mercury > batteries instead of just requiring that new cameras, hearing aids etc. > shall work with mercury free batteries. Mercury cells in my cameras seem > to last for years instead of the 4 to 6 weeks quoted for zinc-air cells. > Are 30 to 60 zinc-air cells that I would need to purchase over five > years better for the environment than a single mercury cell, even > without recycling? Where is the proper environmental impact assessment > to prove that zinc-air is better? Why legislators are bashing the > minority of classic camera users, but not owners of 3 ton, 400 hp "sport > utilitiy vehicles"? Zinc-air is probably ok for hearing aids which suck > any battery in 4 weeks, for occasional use and low current applications > like photoelectric meters mercury is hard to beat. I am not really > willing to accept the limited life of the . Because the battery is > hidden inside the Rollei 35 and Leica CL, you can replace it only in the > dark or when you change the film.