Yeah, but the Hg in thermometers is in the metallic form, not fixed in organic compounds like methyl mercury. The metallic form has a lower bioavailability and toxicity in general than the organometallic form. I cannot comment, however, on the ease of fixing Hg from metallic to organometallic form. There may be sufficient risk to caution about direct association with Hg on a daily basis; Evangelista Torricelli devised the barometer and invented the necessary vacuum pump to build such a device by "playing" with Hg for years on end; he died at the ripe old age of 39. However, natural sources of Hg are far more abundant in our waters than man-made releases, therefore a convincing argument of the folly of limited-mitigation will fall on deaf ears among the "comfortably ignorant."
There are but 3 possible reasons the Senate would vote and pass this ACT.
(1) Pressure from GREEN lobbyists.
(2) Susan Collins owns stock in digital thermometer manufacturers
(3)Mercury contamination caused by manufacturing processes can be 'masked' by blaming it on thermometers. Passing this Act will convince the public (and hold off liability lawsuits) that the government 'did' something about the problem.