Phase Out
As of 2012 many mercury-in-glass thermometers are used in meteorology; however, they were becoming increasingly rare for other uses, as many countries banned them for medical use due to the toxicity of mercury. Some manufacturers use galinstan, a liquid alloy of gallium, indium, and tin, as a replacement for mercury.
The typical "fever thermometer" contains between 0.5 to 3 g (.3 to 1.7 dr) of elemental mercury. Swallowing this amount of mercury would, it is said, pose little danger but the inhaling of the vapour could lead to health problems.
Read more about this topic: Mercury-in-glass Thermometer
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