Mercury has many industrial uses, as it is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature. It is used in many scientific and household devices, such as the mercury thermometer. Amalgams are used to extract precious metals from their ore. Ingested mercury and mercury mixtures are dangerous to health, and be lethal if a large amount is ingested. Some mercury mixtures are used as poison.
Mercury vapor is deadly if inhaled.
In addition, the amorphous bloblike shape can be easily distinguished if viewed with a magnifying lens. The locality that yields the most and the finest Native Mercury for collectors is Almad n, Ciudad Real, Spain. There, small blobs are found in the associating Cinnabar. Many small blobs have also come from the mercury mines in Idrija, in former Yugoslavia. Small quantities of Mercury also occur in Arkansas and Texas.