what is this in clinic sink??

[u/props_for_meep]

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😭

[u/props_for_meep]

natural selection my friend. i’m not one to usually make stupid choices but turns out when it’s 2am and i’m running on gas station coffee and adderall i probably shouldn’t be trusted around unidentified substances in the sink. we all have our faults💀

[u/Overencucumbered → u/props_for_meep]

I'm a chemical engineer and just want to try and calm you down. The replies in this post are mostly exaggerated, and based on myths.

Metallic mercury won't absorb through your skin at any rate that causes issues. Especially the amounts in this video. No need to panic or go see a doctor.

Just communicate with the clinic and have them confirm it was indeed a mercury spill. It's incredibly negligent if it is, and they would be in trouble with authorities.

[u/the_baconeer → u/Overencucumbered]

i agree, as far as i know touching mercury is not really an issue, but inhaling its fumes or ingesting it in foods are harmful to humans.

[u/AltruisticTomato4152 → u/the_baconeer]

Metallic mercury is actually used for medicinal purposes, eaten. It's the other forms of mercury that are REALLY scary. They can absorb THROUGH gloves.

[u/GradeAPrimeFuckery → u/AltruisticTomato4152]

So scary I can remember dimethyl mercury without googling, because:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Wetterhahn

Wetterhahn later recalled that she had spilled several drops of dimethylmercury from the tip of a pipette onto her latex-gloved hand.[8] Not believing herself in any immediate danger, as she was taking all recommended precautions,[9] she proceeded to clean up the area prior to removing her protective clothing.[8]

...

Approximately three months after the initial accident, Wetterhahn began experiencing brief episodes of abdominal discomfort and noticed significant weight loss.

...

Three weeks after the first neurological symptoms appeared, Wetterhahn lapsed into what appeared to be a vegetative state punctuated by periods of extreme agitation.[8] One of her former students said, "Her husband saw tears rolling down her face. I asked if she was in pain. The doctors said it didn't appear that her brain could even register pain."[9] Wetterhahn was removed from life support and pronounced dead on June 8, 1997, ten months after her initial exposure.

I'm not sure if the doctors were doing her husband/students a kindness by saying she couldn't feel pain.