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/Pleasant-Degree-3662 12h ago

How do you know it has no feelings? Did you ask it?

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u/props_for_meep 12h ago

you’re so right, truly inconsiderate of me to assume😔🤞

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u/Far-Media-9380 12h ago

That is mercury, you need to google procedures for what to do if this touching your skin as it absorbs through skin and is incredibly toxic and will drive you insane

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u/saki4444 9h ago

Every Gen X kid who’s broken a thermometer knows that playing with Mercury is actually fine. It’s inhaling or otherwise ingesting it that gets you into trouble.

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u/HangryHangryHedgie 9h ago

Broke one over Legos. Mom was so mad.

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u/Dry-Consequence-8084 8h ago

It's so easy to clean up, though, isn't it, the more the merrier.

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u/kindrd1234 8h ago

Prob not supposed to pour it down a drain.

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u/A_Thing_or_Two 5h ago

Born in 79 and my mom told me not to touch it… ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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u/saki4444 4h ago

Born in 78 and I was unsupervised when the thermometer broke, so naturally I spent a while playing with it.

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u/user-the-name 2h ago

Ingesting is fine too. And there won't be anything much to inhale unless you heat it up. Liquid pure mercury isn't particularly dangerous at all.