{"id":592968,"date":"2025-11-06T06:53:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T12:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/?p=592968"},"modified":"2025-11-06T17:05:20","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T23:05:20","slug":"video-shows-prohibited-mercury-on-planes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cerebrodigital.net\/en\/video-shows-prohibited-mercury-on-planes\/","title":{"rendered":"Video of just one minute shows why you\u2019re prohibited from bringing a mercury thermometer on planes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A viral video lasting barely a minute was enough to clarify why mercury is entirely banned on aircraft. Although it may seem like a harmless object, a simple thermometer can put an aircraft\u2019s integrity at risk. The reason lies in the dangerous chemical reaction between mercury and aluminium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The invisible enemy: how mercury destroys aluminium<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Video<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Anyone who has flown knows that there are a number of items you\u2019re not allowed to bring. Naturally we think of firearms, flammable liquids and the like. However, there is one very specific object: mercury thermometers. Why would a simple thermometer be banned? It is not the instrument per se\u2014after all, you could bring a digital one\u2014but the chemical element inside it that is prohibited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In commercial flights<\/a>, most structural parts of an aircraft are made of aluminium because of its lightness and strength. However, this metal has one fatal weakness: mercury (Hg). When they come into contact, a reaction known as amalgam corrosion occurs, which can rapidly weaken the metal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under normal conditions, aluminium is protected by an oxide layer that prevents oxygen or external agents from affecting it. But even a small scratch in that layer allows mercury to penetrate and begin a destructive reaction. When combined, the aluminium loses its solid structure and becomes a brittle mixture. This process can propagate itself, destroying large areas of the fuselage with a minute amount of mercury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why if a thermometer were to break inside an aircraft, the liquid metal could leak and attack vital areas of the structure. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other aeronautical authorities expressly prohibit its transport because of the extreme risk it poses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This video explains it in just one minute:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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