The Thermometer Factory

A company made thermometers in a city factory using mercury, a poison whose vapour damages the nerves. Safety inspectors had warned the company for years, yet workers had little protective gear. Inspectors then found a hidden basement operation where broken thermometers were processed to recover mercury. One worker there breathed vapour at five times the legal limit and developed nerve damage consistent with mercury poisoning. The company's president and plant manager were charged with assault. They say workplace safety is a federal matter, so the state cannot prosecute them.