[Grammy]

I am all for keeping mercury from being spread all around, but lets get real as to what is a serious threat and what is not.

When our thermometer broke (in the late 50's) I played with the mercury for a while before mom made me throw it away. I rolled it around on my hands and tried to pick it up etc. I am now 52, with no problems caused by touching it. Couldn't a teacher have just picked it up with a piece of paper, or gotten little pieces picked up with tape? Hazmat for 5 HOURS???

The reason I react to this is that by over-reacting to something like mercury, they trivialize what is truly dangerous. No, mercury is not a plaything..... but I also don't see it as a 5 hour hazmat danger either.

[flutters]

The reason I react to this is that by over-reacting to something like mercury, they trivialize what is truly dangerous. No, mercury is not a plaything..... but I also don't see it as a 5 hour hazmat danger either.

That was nothing compared to the story last year about a school in the D.C. area where they not only had to clean mercury from the school but some students homes and businesses as well. They had to put entire families in motel rooms for several days. The cost was in the millions. Here's a link to that nightmare: Gaps Marked Response to Mercury Spill

[Revel]

Agreed. When I was in school we used to play with it in science class.