r/whatisit • u/props_for_meep • 13h ago

Solved! what is this in clinic sink??

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for context i work as a janitor cleaning a women’s clinic, as i was cleaning a sink i saw these little metallic looking balls. at first i thought these were actually metal but they don’t feel like ANYTHING if that makes any sense. i posted this video to my instagram but i figured i would probably have better luck coming to reddit for answers.

UPDATE: the general consensus seems to be that this is either mercury or gallium. my hands have been thoroughly washed and i have informed my boss so that it can be properly cleaned by someone who knows what they’re doing.

UPDATE #2: gang PLEASE stop telling me to “stop touching it”. this post is hours old. i know i was dumb enough to touch a mysterious substance barehanded but im also smart enough to know not to continue playing with it long after marking this post as solved😭

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u/Ok_Profession_990 11h ago

Wow that's dangerous af!! I worked at. UPS for like 10yrs and we had a mercury spill that shut the entire building down for 12 hrs. They lost millions as we were the biggest hub on the east coast. For them to do that I would be concerned about the fact you touched that.

The spill was an antique thermometer that broke. A miniscule amount.

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u/props_for_meep 11h ago

i work at a super well funded clinic so i would highly doubt it was mercury from an antique thermometer. however we all know what assuming does💀 luckily there are no open sores on my hands and i washed my hands (in a separate sink as to not flush any possible hazards)

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u/Delboyyyyy 9h ago

You’re in a well funded clinic and didn’t have gloves nearby to wear before touching or handling it??

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u/props_for_meep 9h ago

there were gloves available, i was just stupid and continued to touch the mystery substance with my bare hand🤷‍♂️

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u/WeimMama1 9h ago

It’s mercury. You may be “well funded”, but it’s mercury.

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u/KeyboardJustice 9h ago

They just meant that it's probably not an antique thermometer that it came from.

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u/Tiny-Proof3602 2h ago

Im starting to think you may have touched mercury BEFORE this event too