In recent years it has been discovered that mercury, once thought to be an extremely useful and safe element, is highly toxic to humans, animals and the environment. However, when a mercury filled device breaks, the mercury can escape in vapors, which may be inhaled by humans and animals.
Mercury vapors are colorless, odorless and tasteless.
Short-term exposure to a concentration of mercury or mercury vapors can lead to nausea, shortness of breath, bronchitis, migraine headaches, and fatigue. Long term exposure can include symptoms such as shakiness, tremors, numbness in the fingers and toes, loss of muscle control, memory loss and kidney disease. The Michigan Department of Agriculture in cooperation with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality recently expanded to statewide its program to replace mercury manometers on dairy farms with mercury-free versions. Agricultural manometers are used to measure and monitor the vacuum in a diary farm's milking system. After collecting the offending manometers, the mercury is taken to Clean Sweep sites for recycling.