Labs used to have students play with liquid mercury with their bare hands. No one ever had a problem. It doesn't really go through the skin very well. Even people who have tried to commit suicide by eating it or by injecting it end up as failures because it doesn't absorb well through our digestive tracts or bloodstream. You are slightly more likely to have problems if you inhale it though even then that is unlikely.
1. It'll evaporate eventually. So if in a well-ventilated area just leave it alone.
First thing I thought of when OP said he got Mercury all over his mouth.
There must still be a lot of T87F 'stats out there.
The dual stage heat/cool heatpump ones had FOUR switches in them.
They're not super big like the ones in older boiler controls but still have a nice amount of mercury in them.
If you removed the bulb and wanted to remove the mercury all you have to do is pull slightly on one of the leads with a pair of needle nosed pliers. The glass end will fracture and open up and allow you to pour out the contents.
But if you did use a hammer to fracture the vial perhaps you should not be playing with mercury in the first place! :biggrin:
Mercury is there to be played with. I mean if Torricelli didn't we wouldn't have the barometer.
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