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From: dennisg@felix.UUCP (Dennis Griesser)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Mercury/Sodium Filled Speaker Wire
Message-ID: <7578@felix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 18-Sep-87 22:45:31 EDT
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Posted: Fri Sep 18 22:45:31 1987
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In response to mercury-filled speaker cables, Larry Lippman <1997@kitty.UUCP>
warned about the toxic hazard presented by mercury.  Then he said...

>	Now, for a more practicable idea, consider the use of SODIUM-filled
>cables, which have been available to the electric power industry for a number
>of years.  Sizes go up to at least 500,000 circular mils, and I know for a
>fact that the cable is available with an insulation rating of 15 kV for
>direct-burial applications.

Sodium-filled cable really does exist.  Many years ago, my father worked in
Union Carbide's NaCon division where they were being developed.

What Larry failed to mention, and should have since he was reminding us about
the dangers of mercury, is that sodium reacts vigorously with water.  The
insulation needs to be quite water-tight, and terminating the ends must be
interesting.

>	Be the first on your block to have sodium-filled speaker cables!
>They'll beat ol' Monster Cable any day...

I don't think so.  If I recall properly, the big motivation for sodium cable
is that sodium is a lot more plentiful than copper.