Should I Worry About Mercury in My LCD Television?

With new technology comes new risks, or so we are led to believe. With the invention of LCD televisions, banishing the more conventional TV to the scrap yard, it was only a matter of time before someone, somewhere took the opportunity to denounce the technology. LCD screens, with their thin panels and superb picture quality, were a sitting target for Luddites determined to stick to the old ways.

It did not take long for a quibble with LCD screens to be found, namely the element Mercury. It is true that LCD screens do use Mercury as part of their work process, and detractors naturally jumped on this and used it as a stick to beat LCD television manufacturers with. As things do, this knowledge and concern over Mercury spread into the public domain, and while sales of LCD screens has not been affected, there is some residual worry. Mercury, after all, can be poisonous, and trigger all manner of health ill effects.

If you are concerned about the Mercury used within your LCD television, don’t worry. Firstly, the amount of Mercury used is so small it is barely worth worrying about. While it is an essential part of the technology used to produce a picture on an LCD screen, it is not something to worry about due to its size. For Mercury poisoning to occur, a person must be exposed to extremely large quantities for a long period of time, and that isn’t possible with an LCD screen. Secondly, the Mercury is hidden away from human contact in the workings of the television, so no one is ever exposed to it anyway. Fret not, and enjoy your LCD screen.