Is this mercury and is it dangerous?!
Question: I bought a cheap thermometer at Walmart a few months ago to track the temp in my basement. This AM I began to smell something funny, but thought it was probably the diesel fuel on my hands from filling my tank earlier. A few minutes ago I found a small plastic bulb (broken off) and realized I had busted the thermometer. The red stuff inside that adjust to the surrounding temp is pretty much gone and was on my hands. Could this possibly be mercury and be very toxic?
Answers: I bought a cheap thermometer at Walmart a few months ago to track the temp in my basement. This AM I began to smell something funny, but thought it was probably the diesel fuel on my hands from filling my tank earlier. A few minutes ago I found a small plastic bulb (broken off) and realized I had busted the thermometer. The red stuff inside that adjust to the surrounding temp is pretty much gone and was on my hands. Could this possibly be mercury and be very toxic?
I'd suggest calling your local poison control center ASAP to find out how to properly deal with this (whether it's Mercury or something harmless). They have all the proper procedures ready and available for these situations so you don't need to look it up online or worry about other people's opinions, whether they are right or not.
And yes, some thermometers still use Mercury... it's better to be safe than sorry
I'm pretty sure they don't use mercury any more in thermometers. Also, mercury is silver.
If it's red or blue, it's alcohol. It's probably ethanol- same stuff in your Jack Daniel's at the bar.