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 ) , 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.