Play up: Bridge is a variant of whist, dating back to the 16th century-it has now been recognised as a sport. Mr Justice Mostyn â who admitted to playing an occasional hand of bridge â cleared the way for a landmark court case to decide whether contract bridge should be classified as a sport.
But how exactly does the mercury end up in the water to begin with? Mercury is used in a variety of products such as thermometers, pharmaceuticals, and making electrical equipment; however, the largest sources of mercury contamination come from burning coal, as well as chlorine plants, and recycling of auto metal scrap.
Although mercury's mystique held the promise of power, many of the ancients also knew it to be toxic. It was in the mining of the element where mercury first became associated with human illness beginning as tremors and progressing to severe mental derangement. The largest natural source of mercury is cinnabar, its only known ore, and the richest deposits are found in Spain and Italy.