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wow. I remember as a kid ~20 years ago playing with mercury (my grandfather was a dentist and had a 1lb bottle of the stuff for some reason) I think if I found

wow. I remember as a kid ~20 years ago playing with mercury (my grandfather was a dentist and had a 1lb bottle of the stuff for some reason) I think if I found mercury in my house I would literally just scoop it up and bring it to the fire department without thinking about any health hazards of it. Is mercury truely that bad that short exposure is that dangerous? I mean, I wouldnt eat the stuff (or breath it in for extended periods) but I used to roll it around in my hands and whatnot as a kid without any effects. Considering how some people work with mercury ( see this : http://www.vice.com/video/el-dorado http://www.vice.com/video/el-dorado ) , I feel like you need quite a bit of exposure to be up shits creek. Then again, I'm not a doctor so dont listen to me.

mjmj 11y ago
Same! I was 7 (25 years ago) and my dad came home with it one day from his work in a vial and I remember him putting it in my hand and letting it roll around for a few seconds. Not sure what consequences I paid for that moment in time.
Terr_ 11y ago
IIRC one time touching cold liquid elemental mercury isn't that bad, the short-term problem is breathing mercury fumes or encountering various compounds that it can react to form. Any sort of persistent chronic exposure is definitely bad, of course, since like most "heavy metals" it accumulates and has long-term effects.
- emddudley 11y ago
  If you haven't seen mercury vapors under an ultraviolet light, it's quite dramatic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JABbofwD3MI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JABbofwD3MI
  - spyder 11y ago
    It looks like same happens with dental amalgam fillings too (which also contains mercury): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw94F94FZqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw94F94FZqA Most say it's safe (the FDA too) and that video just shows water vapor because mercury vapor wouldn't rise like that due to it's weight, but I'm not sure what to believe. http://quackfiles.blogspot.hu/2005/04/smoking-teeth-truth-gets-smoked-out.html http://quackfiles.blogspot.hu/2005/04/smoking-teeth-truth-ge... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy
- duaneb 11y ago
  If it's just a one time thing, the body is actually pretty decent at flushing mercury. But the rate of intake needs to be (much) lower to avoid sustained damage.
prodmerc 11y ago
No, it's not that dangerous. Touching it would absorb minuscule amounts into your body, way less than eating contaminated fish, which you can still survive just fine. Inhaling vapors or mist and eating mercury is the only way to poison yourself. Which doesn't normally happen. But you gotta clean it up meticulously...
jamesrom 11y ago
Chem suit and breathing gear $100-$200. Mercury vac: $1500-$2500 Take your time with the work, and definitely have your home inspected after. But if you don't have $50,000 for this kind of clean up, you can definitely do it yourself.
- cbr 11y ago
  Add in the meter, at maybe $600. [1] Two months is a lot of time to take off work, though you have to be making a lot of money before it isn't cheaper to do it yourself if it takes you the same amount of time. On the other hand, I suspect professionals are faster and better. The main person on this job after day three was someone who typically worked on mercury cleanups full-time around the state. [1] http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jerome-431-X-Mercury-Vapor-Analyzer/271936222514 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jerome-431-X-Mercury-Vapor-Analyzer/...
mark-r 11y ago
I wonder how much mercury is emitted from a broken fluorescent bulb? I'm very glad to see LED bulbs as an alternative, I've probably bought my last fluorescent.

mjmj 11y ago

Same! I was 7 (25 years ago) and my dad came home with it one day from his work in a vial and I remember him putting it in my hand and letting it roll around for a few seconds. Not sure what consequences I paid for that moment in time.

Terr_ 11y ago

IIRC one time touching cold liquid elemental mercury isn't that bad, the short-term problem is breathing mercury fumes or encountering various compounds that it can react to form. Any sort of persistent chronic exposure is definitely bad, of course, since like most "heavy metals" it accumulates and has long-term effects.

emddudley 11y ago
If you haven't seen mercury vapors under an ultraviolet light, it's quite dramatic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JABbofwD3MI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JABbofwD3MI
- spyder 11y ago
  It looks like same happens with dental amalgam fillings too (which also contains mercury): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw94F94FZqA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw94F94FZqA Most say it's safe (the FDA too) and that video just shows water vapor because mercury vapor wouldn't rise like that due to it's weight, but I'm not sure what to believe. http://quackfiles.blogspot.hu/2005/04/smoking-teeth-truth-gets-smoked-out.html http://quackfiles.blogspot.hu/2005/04/smoking-teeth-truth-ge... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dental_amalgam_controversy
duaneb 11y ago
If it's just a one time thing, the body is actually pretty decent at flushing mercury. But the rate of intake needs to be (much) lower to avoid sustained damage.

prodmerc 11y ago

No, it's not that dangerous. Touching it would absorb minuscule amounts into your body, way less than eating contaminated fish, which you can still survive just fine. Inhaling vapors or mist and eating mercury is the only way to poison yourself. Which doesn't normally happen. But you gotta clean it up meticulously...

jamesrom 11y ago

Chem suit and breathing gear $100-$200. Mercury vac: $1500-$2500 Take your time with the work, and definitely have your home inspected after. But if you don't have $50,000 for this kind of clean up, you can definitely do it yourself.

cbr 11y ago
Add in the meter, at maybe $600. [1] Two months is a lot of time to take off work, though you have to be making a lot of money before it isn't cheaper to do it yourself if it takes you the same amount of time. On the other hand, I suspect professionals are faster and better. The main person on this job after day three was someone who typically worked on mercury cleanups full-time around the state. [1] http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jerome-431-X-Mercury-Vapor-Analyzer/271936222514 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Jerome-431-X-Mercury-Vapor-Analyzer/...

mark-r 11y ago

I wonder how much mercury is emitted from a broken fluorescent bulb? I'm very glad to see LED bulbs as an alternative, I've probably bought my last fluorescent.