![]() ![]() Popping a few balls of Hg from a thermometer into your mouth isn't a good idea, but it's not likely to hurt you. Even if mercury continues to be ingested, it will not cause insanity but it could cause kidney failure. Any basic environmental chemistry text will say about 7% stays in the body, while 93% is excreted. Ingesting liquid mercury is not very toxic. It goes straight to the brain and causes insanity. ![]() The most toxic is inhaling gaseous mercury. Mercury exists as a vapor (gaseous elemental Hg), as a liquid (elemental Hg), as a reactive species (Hg2+) and as organic methylmercury (MeHg). According to the Blacksmith Institute, a third of the mercury in the environment is due to artisanal gold mines. The more problematic and more toxic form of mercury, methylmercury, bioaccumulates, can have serious health consequences, especially for the young and unborn. So, I agree, when mercury is dropped or vaporizes, evacuate the building. ![]() Also, if it is heated, as in artisanal gold mining, the risks are high. But if you drop a bit, it could become atomized, and inhalation risks go up considerably. If you wash your hands after handling, risks are very low. The vapor pressure of mercury is so low at room temperature that there is very little risk of inhalation. ![]() Ingestion is a "normal" risk, similar to that of other toxic chemicals and cleaners, and it should not be eaten. The risk from elemental mercury is ingestion and inhalation. We all know better now, but I do need to chime in on the actual risks.
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