Video: The Sensory System: Definition, Parts & Functions. This lesson will examine how the sensory systems are integrated and how they function as a whole. Instead of telling you ears hear and eyes see, we will examine how these systems are actually very similar in terms of reception, signals, and translations.
Mercury is a silvery-white metal element that is liquid at ordinary room temperature; it has no taste or smell. It occurs as metallic mercury (Hg), as cinnabar (HgS) and in perhaps 25 other in organic mineral compounds. The elemental form (Hg) vaporizes at any temperature down to almost 40Â° below zero. The vapor also has no taste or smell. The specific gravity of mercury is 13.546; therefore, it is heavier than lead and, like lead and other heavy metals, it is a potent poison. Exposure to metallic mercury or mercury compounds, even in small quantities over a period of time, can cause severe poisoning.
Small-scale gold refining and processing is a major cause of air pollution from mercury. EPA helped design a low-cost mercury capture system that is simple to build and install, using locally available materials, and that reduces mercury emissions by at least 80%. View a larger version of this video and read more information about reducing mercury pollution from artisanal and small-scale gold mining.