It’s silvery-white and globby and you really want to touch it, make it move around and show it to your friends. That thinking on the part of some kids is a big reason behind the many mercury spill clean-ups the EPA conducts in schools each year, at costs ranging from $100,000 to over $1 million.
Mercury -- a liquid metal - is used in some thermometers, thermostats, electrical switches. It can also be found in many school science labs, which is something the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) wants to change.