Would a person choke on mercury?

Answer 1

No ... something much worse :

Fortunately, this is uncommon and fairly unlikely. To get the Mercury in you will have lead to a glass breakage which will be affecting your mouth, throat and stomach. You would probably need medical assistance for this alone.

Mercury is venomously poisonous (it is also very reactive - try dropping mercury onto a piece of aluminum and see what happens). I have been told that any mercury dropets in you will eat through your stomach lining and much other flesh it touches. So, you have two worries, not just one (toxicnous, organic attack).

If this really has happened get to a hospital (you need more than a GP, and you need it NOW).

If you drop mercury on say your floor and need to get rid of it (as you do), one recommended way that I was taught was to use a small paintbrush made of copper strands, (not hair) and sit it on the mercury. It will run up the strands through capillary action (and I think for a chemical reason too). You then dispose of the brush in an environmenally sound way (my original answer was "hurf the brush in the rubbish" - I decided this was environmentally unfriendly).

Of course, you cannont just buy these copper brushes at a corner store. You could however make a simple brush from fine copper wire cut (say) into 2 inch lengths - and tie them tightly together. It is not as hard as it sounds - it is actually easy - it need not be the Rolls Royce of the brush industry. In reality you would probably call the emergency services. If however you want or need an alternative, this method was taught to me in a formal course.

You're welcome :)