Dan, a 45 year old male from Madison asks on March 2, 2008,

In junior high school, our science teacher demonstrated the difference between the surface tension of water and that of mercury by letting us dip our finger in a small container of mercury. I am not sure what compound of mercury was used. I probably did this 3 or 4 times (for about a second each time) over a couple of years (he performed the same demonstration each year, I recall). I don't remember whether we washed our hands afterward or not. This was 32 years ago. Should I be concerned at this point for any harmful long-term sequelae from this "experiment"? Also, aside from insanity, what other neurological effects have been linked to mercury exposure? One of my classmates died from multiple sclerosis four years ago, after an illness of only three years. Could this have been linked to mercury exposure (assuming she also dipped her finger in this)?