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Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

popsci.com

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Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#31

Post by blasdel »

Rod wrote: post #23
mattmaroon wrote: post #15

So if you're Al Queda, the play here seems obvious. Get as many sleeper agents in the U.S. as possible (which I'm sure they're constantly working on) and each day send a couple on a plane armed with an old thermometer. How many could you take down before people realized what was going on? And after they did, how much damage would it do to the economy when nobody flew anymore? I sure hope I'm missing some secret reaso…

Wouldn't it be easier to create a modified water-gun (a sort of super soaker on steroids, so to say) and splash airplanes at the airport with mercury from a few hundred yards away? Sounds crazy, I know, but it would be a lot cheaper and more discreet than using stinger missiles, right?

Did you ever notice that aircraft are painted?

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#32

Post by Rod »

blasdel wrote: post #31
Rod wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wouldn't it be easier to create a modified water-gun (a sort of super soaker on steroids, so to say) and splash airplanes at the airport with mercury from a few hundred yards away? Sounds crazy, I know, but it would be a lot cheaper and more discreet than using stinger missiles, right?

Did you ever notice that aircraft are painted?

Couldn't one assume a priori that not all paints are mercury-resistant? If Aluminium is corroded by mercury, would it be unreasonable to conjecture that some paints are too?

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#34

Post by astine »

Rod wrote: post #32
blasdel wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you ever notice that aircraft are painted?

Couldn't one assume a priori that not all paints are mercury-resistant? If Aluminium is corroded by mercury, would it be unreasonable to conjecture that some paints are too?

From what I know, it's possible, but it's not the kind of thing that I would assume a priori. I'd actually go and check to see if it worked.

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#35

Post by Rod »

astine wrote: post #34
Rod wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn't one assume a priori that not all paints are mercury-resistant? If Aluminium is corroded by mercury, would it be unreasonable to conjecture that some paints are too?

From what I know, it's possible, but it's not the kind of thing that I would assume a priori. I'd actually go and check to see if it worked.

I honestly do hope that paint is mercury-resistant. Otherwise, any terrorist-wannabe with a paintball gun and balls filled with mercury instead of ink would be able to cause a LOT of damage.

In the article they mention that it would be dangerous to bring mercury to the aircraft's cabin. Well, I have never seen an aircraft cabin where the aluminium fuselage was exposed. Thus, I thought that mercury would corrode all the way to the fuselage. From that to inferring that it would corrode paint as well would not be unreasonable, right?

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#36

Post by astine »

Rod wrote: post #35
astine wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I know, it's possible, but it's not the kind of thing that I would assume a priori. I'd actually go and check to see if it worked.

I honestly do hope that paint is mercury-resistant. Otherwise, any terrorist-wannabe with a paintball gun and balls filled with mercury instead of ink would be able to cause a LOT of damage. In the article they mention that it would be dangerous to bring mercury to the aircraft's cabin. Well, I have never seen an aircraft cabin where the aluminium fuselage was exposed. Thus, I thought that mercury would corrode all t…

Otherwise, any terrorist-wannabe with a paintball gun and balls filled with mercury instead of ink would be able to cause a LOT of damage.

I think that it would be easier and cheaper to simply fire actual guns at the plane. A hit on a wing will bring down the plane quicker than mercury and hits will be easier.

From that to inferring that it would corrode paint as well would not be unreasonable, right?

It wouldn't, but I think that the article exaggerated the danger a bit. I don't think that the mercury from a single broken thermometer would eat through the floor and reach the fuselage. At least, I've never heard of it happening.

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#37

Post by Rod »

astine wrote: post #36
Rod wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I honestly do hope that paint is mercury-resistant. Otherwise, any terrorist-wannabe with a paintball gun and balls filled with mercury instead of ink would be able to cause a LOT of damage. In the article they mention that it would be dangerous to bring mercury to the aircraft's cabin. Well, I have never seen an aircraft cabin where the aluminium fuselage was exposed. Thus, I thought that mercury would corrode all t…

Otherwise, any terrorist-wannabe with a paintball gun and balls filled with mercury instead of ink would be able to cause a LOT of damage. I think that it would be easier and cheaper to simply fire actual guns at the plane. A hit on a wing will bring down the plane quicker than mercury and hits will be easier. From that to inferring that it would corrode paint as well would not be unreasonable, right? It wouldn't, bu…

You are totally right and I am a fool for having allowed super exaggerated articles like this one to fire that region in my brain dedicated solely to imagining cheesy James Bond-like movie scripts ;-)

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#38

Post by mattmaroon »

noonespecial wrote: post #24
mattmaroon wrote: post #15

So if you're Al Queda, the play here seems obvious. Get as many sleeper agents in the U.S. as possible (which I'm sure they're constantly working on) and each day send a couple on a plane armed with an old thermometer. How many could you take down before people realized what was going on? And after they did, how much damage would it do to the economy when nobody flew anymore? I sure hope I'm missing some secret reaso…

The mercury has to more or less be a special paste and be smeared in the right area. The surface tension of ordinary liquid mercury seems too high to get the alu "wet" otherwise. I umm.. ehem .. went and maybe umm tired it a little bit after seeing this because it sounded so darn cool. The liquid mercury I've culled from old thermostats had no discernible effect. Edit: I tried it on a piece of aluminum angle bar. I e…

That article most definitely should have come with a "dont try this at home kids" at the end.

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#39

Post by dkokelley »

mattmaroon wrote: post #38
noonespecial wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The mercury has to more or less be a special paste and be smeared in the right area. The surface tension of ordinary liquid mercury seems too high to get the alu "wet" otherwise. I umm.. ehem .. went and maybe umm tired it a little bit after seeing this because it sounded so darn cool. The liquid mercury I've culled from old thermostats had no discernible effect. Edit: I tried it on a piece of aluminum angle bar. I e…

That article most definitely should have come with a "dont try this at home kids" at the end.

Even better, a "but if you really want to, here's the best way" just after that.

Re: Why mercury is forbidden aboard airplanes

#40

Post by dmoney »

Rod wrote: post #35
astine wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I know, it's possible, but it's not the kind of thing that I would assume a priori. I'd actually go and check to see if it worked.

I honestly do hope that paint is mercury-resistant. Otherwise, any terrorist-wannabe with a paintball gun and balls filled with mercury instead of ink would be able to cause a LOT of damage. In the article they mention that it would be dangerous to bring mercury to the aircraft's cabin. Well, I have never seen an aircraft cabin where the aluminium fuselage was exposed. Thus, I thought that mercury would corrode all t…

The fuselage isn't exposed from the cabin, but what about the cargo compartment? If enough mercury paste leaked out of your suitcase, the plane could be in trouble. I'm thinking if you had enough mercury to damage the plane it would show up on the X-Ray though.
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