HOUSTON (AP) — An attorney for a 19-year-old man accused stealing mercury and spilling it at several locations in Houston tried Wednesday to downplay the danger that the public faced from exposure to the liquid metal.
During a brief court appearance by Christopher Lee Melder, his attorney, Patrick Ruzzo, told a judge that the type of mercury his client is accused of stealing is not a substance that could immediately cause significant harm to people.
“My understanding is, it’s not lethal unless you have exposure to it over a long period of time, kind of like cigarettes,” Ruzzo told reporters after the court hearing.
Mercury is a heavy, silvery naturally occurring liquid used in such things as thermometers and batteries. It’s a potent neurotoxin, but health effects depend on how much mercury a person is exposed to, how long they’re exposed, and their age. Small children are most vulnerable.
Melder is accused of stealing the mercury from an abandoned business and spilling it inside and near several businesses. Officials say he spilled less than a pint of mercury and there is a very low health risk for the public. Dozens of people had to be decontaminated over the weekend due to possible exposure, and several businesses were closed for cleanup.
Melder is charged with burglary and the illegal disposal of hazardous waste.
In response to Ruzzo’s arguments, state District Judge Chuck Silverman raised Melder’s bonds from $5,000 to $50,000. read more
Freddie Mercury was unavailable for comment.
This guy would be Pete Butt head’s attorney General.
Did he “spill” it accidentally or “dump” it on purpose and why?
Okay, asshole attorney, go stand in puddle of mercury for 15 minutes barefoot if you really believe this horse shit you’re peddling. What a fucking asshole, but I already said he was a lawyer.
He’s a lawyer, so he was slanting things in favor of his client, but it is a fact that elemental mercury, the silvery liquid, has nowhere near the toxicity of organic compounds of mercury. It is certainly a good idea to avoid exposure to elemental mercury, but if you are exposed, it isn’t a reason to panic.
There’s a whole pool of it in the basement of the NASA Supersonic wind tunnel building from all the broken manometers over the past 70 plus years it’s been in operation.
What Uncle Al said. A cup of antifreeze or brake fluid is probably just as deadly, but we’ve been conditioned to fear mercury, like DDT, irrationally. The judge is probably a green-washed leftist who is penalizing the lawyer for challenging leftist science dogma.
At least his idiot client didn’t burn a rainbow flag…
“Your honor, my understanding is that it is just a flag, and burning flags is legal.”
WHAP WHAP “I hereby sentence the defendant to sixteen years! And jail his attorney for contempt of court!”
In junior high science class the teacher poured it into our hand. Now I think I may die someday.
Can’t get excited about it. What do you think
is in those silver tooth fillings we got over
the years?
Different Tim, you must have had the same science teacher I had!
He was a pretty cool guy. One of my favorite classes in junior high.
I remember somebody breaking a thermometer when I was a kid, and my brothers and I played with the mercury that came out of it.
My brother and I once found a pint jar of mercury high on a shelf in our garage. Our dad worked in a laboratory so we figured he brought it home from work. We’d play with it all the time. Poking your finger into it felt like poking your finger into a brick. Maybe I would have been a genius otherwise but I can’t say it had any ill effects on me or my brother. We’d also saw open shotgun shells. We’d melt pounds of lead and spill the molten stuff onto the concrete garage floor then peel it up and wrap it around us like we were creatures from outer space. It’s just stuff boys did when exploring the world around them. Good times! lol
Remember when we used to rub it onto pennies to turn them silver?