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Famous Steven Magee Quotes

“When I worked at Columbia University and Dartmouth College we would handle the rubber filled mercury mirror support system with bare hands and no respiratory protection. What was ironic was that we were visually inspecting it for leaks and that microscopic leaks could be entering our bodies through our bare skin and respiratory tracts. I had no industry recognized training in correctly handling mercury systems, dealing with unexpected spills, the health hazards and the correct storage protocols. When I reflect on the mercury filled rubber mirror support band, it was just one of the many incompetence's that astronomers were subjecting their unsuspecting staff to.”

“The entire astronomical observatory team were installing a mercury argon spectral lamp (HgAr) during a training session when one of the workers smashed the mercury filled spectral lamp. We continued the training session with a new mercury spectral lamp from stock. A week later I was at the doctors complaining of a variety of health conditions that were classic mercury poisoning.”

“I had taken an obsolete astronomical spectral gas tube home from the observatory for use as an ornament. Many years later I broke the specialized gas tube in the home. In the days afterwards I started experiencing sickness that I had been reporting to my doctor during working at the high altitude observatory. My notes state: During the last few days my bones are starting to ache again and nerves are twitching in my body and face like they were when I worked at the Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO)...headaches...insomnia...zoning out...tired...forgetful...confusion. 5 days earlier I had been atop Kitt Peak mountain and 4 days later the sheriff disconnected my electricity.”