Metallic mercury is used in thermometers, batteries, some children's sneakers that light up, some household thermostats, some heirloom clocks, barometers, vapor lamps, and blood pressure cuffs. That is enough to cause great concern if spilled. Commercial uses of mercury include the manufacture of chemical pesticides and mercury compounds. Metallic mercury is highly toxic. Young children and fetuses are the most vulnerable.
Mercury can enter the body through inhalation of mercury vapors or by skin absorption.
Mercury will accumulate in body tissues and organs and cause adverse health problems. Both short and long-term exposure to metallic mercury can cause serious health problems. Human exposure to metallic mercury occurs primarily from breathing contaminated air. Mercury may enter the body directly through skin contact. Exposure to mercury can come from the breakage of a thermometer, spillage of elemental mercury used in a high school or college laboratory or the unknowing contamination by youths experimenting or playing with discovered elemental mercury.