How would it have poisoned just his rival and not also him? Touching it doesn’t do much unless you’re submerging your skin in it for long periods. The fumes would affect everyone. And it’s very unlikely his opponent would have licked the board to ingest the mercury.
Organic mercury compounds can look like water and absorb quickly through skin, they can be potent enough for just a drop on your skin being deadly, even if you have gloves as it can penetrate quickly through many different rubbers. Metallic doesn’t kill you even if you ate it*. With metallic mercury highest risk is vapours but unless you heat it it will only become a problem in poorly ventalated areas.
*assuming you have no open wounds on your digestive tract and minor chronic damage might be still caused depending on amount and frequency.
How would it have poisoned just his rival and not also him? Touching it doesn’t do much unless you’re submerging your skin in it for long periods. The fumes would affect everyone. And it’s very unlikely his opponent would have licked the board to ingest the mercury.
Organic mercury compounds can look like water and absorb quickly through skin, they can be potent enough for just a drop on your skin being deadly, even if you have gloves as it can penetrate quickly through many different rubbers. Metallic doesn’t kill you even if you ate it*. With metallic mercury highest risk is vapours but unless you heat it it will only become a problem in poorly ventalated areas.
*assuming you have no open wounds on your digestive tract and minor chronic damage might be still caused depending on amount and frequency.
The article says it’s safe to touch and even swallow, but inhaling it causes problems consistent with the victim’s symptoms.
Don’t know, but both players were women.
Suicide chess player?