The most common household items that contain mercury are thermometers and the low watt compact fluorescent light bulbs. These days though the glass thermometers that contain mercury are being replaced by digital thermometers which have no mercury at all, the compact fluorescent light bulbs are becoming much more popular due to their energy saving properties. Obviously, these devices are safe but if the mercury from any of these devices or other sources happens to spill by accident, one must be careful while cleaning up the spilled mercury as the aim is to prevent minute droplets of mercury from contaminating your clothes or getting into the air or worse in the air conditioner ducts of the home.

Small disk batteries also contain mercury. These batteries can get swallowed by a child. If the battery leaks inside the body, the mercury can cause exposure to the metallic form of mercury causing vomiting. The child should be provided with medical attention as soon as possible to assess the damage from the mercury.