Well...though I do have a lot of health issues...whether it was caused by exposure or not...I don't know. I remember playing with those little mercury balls (not with my hands). When I was a kid a thermometer broke in class (yep the old fashioned kind) and the teacher turned it into a learning lesson...and had all the kids come up and watch while she poked and pushed the little mercury balls around the floor. lol. I also remember it happening at home. Now...my parents did say not to touch them...but it didn't stop us from pushing them around. How they cleaned them up and disposed of them is a good question! LOL! I'm thinking they just pushed them onto a piece of paper and threw them in the trash with the broken thermometer.