BGS Risk List (7)

So last week we learnt some facts about the little known barium. This week’s at risk element will be more familiar to you I’m sure: it’s mercury! So without further ado let us carry on with the countdown!

RANKING:

7

ELEMENT NAME AND SYMBOL:

Mercury (Hg)

RELATIVE SUPPLY RISK INDEX:

8.6

WHY?:

Mercury is extremely rare, it’s presence in Earth’s crust being only 0.08ppm (parts per million). Concentrated mercury ores do exist, but it is more widely found in the red mineral cinnabar (HgS).

The mining of mercury is at risk mainly due to environmental hazard reasons. It is extremely toxic, and so there are worries about both the health of miners, and the risks of it tainting groundwater as drinking water will subsequently be toxic too.

LEADING PRODUCER:

China

TOP RESERVE HOLDER:

Mexico

WHY THE DEMAND?:

Mercury is special in the fact it is liquid at room temperature! It is the only element that exhibits this unusual state aside from bromine. Thanks to this quality it used to be used in thermometers, but that practice has been largely stopped due to health hazards, and alcohol is now more commonly used.

Now it is mainly used in fluorescent lights to produce UV light, which occurs when electricity is passed through mercury. It is also used in ‘silver’ dental fillings, under the name of amalgam, which is a mercury alloy. Aside from these two common uses the rest of mercury’s applications are in scientific research.