Hello
About a year ago my 3 year old managed grabed a newly bought 'baby thermometor' and broke the end off. I hoovered up the glass (with my three month old daughted in a baby carrier on my front), without realising he had broken the end off. We then noticed small beads of what appeared to be Mercury all over our kitchen floor. We did our best to clear it up, but were told to dispose of the hoover as apparantly, hoovering Mercury is very dangerous. I was upset about it, to say the least, but eventually forgot about it.
A few days ago, I pulled out my dishwasher as it had broken and found a very small spec of Mercury under it. The size of a peice of glitter. I went on the internet to look for some advice and now I am really scared! The only way I can make sure all that Mercury is gone would be to literally rip out our fitted kitchen. I called environmental healthy, who weren't too fussed about the whole thing, but I'm still freaked out about all the stuff I read on the web.
Could that small amount have been slowly evapourating in my house for a year, with my 1 and 3 year old breathing it it. The worse thing I read was even at low levels it can effect brain function in adults, let alone very small children.
So...should I just forget about it. Hope that was the last bit that I found the other day or start taking my kitchen apart? What about the kids? I don't think that they have Mercury poisoning, it's just the thought of it being there at a low level in the air for a year, when they are so young, that's what worries me.
Any advice much appreciated.