Can playing with mercury from thermometers as a kid affect health as an adult?

As a child, in the early mid 1960's, I used to play with mercury that spilled out of thermometers. I distinctly remember doing this at least 3 times, but could have been more, I'm not sure. At some point my parents caught me and thereafter kept thermometers away from me.

There's so much conflicting info and I can't find a concise answer anywhere. I'm 45 now and have chronic headaches, CFIDs, and fibromyalgia, sleep problems, depression, etc.

Is there any possibility that the mercury playing may have caused these conditions to appear so late in life, or is there just no way to possibly know at this point?

mercury DOES absorb through the skin and even evaporates into the air meaning you can breathe it in just being next to it. it bioaccumulates, which means once it's in your body, it's not leaving. it can cause neurological symptoms if your body accumulates too much.

it could we used to play with in in school for science
but the only way that i know of is if you had cuts on your hands or some way for it to absorb into your skin , skin by itself wouldnt not absorb it there would have to be a way for it to get in. Now if you were eating it then you have a problem:)

If you had ingested the mercury it would have effected you immediately. I don't believe your problems now have anything to do with your childhood. Mercury was taken out of thermometers about that same time period. It's possible that you were playing with the replacement stuff.

http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/survwe...