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My dad had a workshop where he made woodwind instruments. For some applications he required lead. I recall entertaining myself as a kid by melting some small pieces of lead with a welding torch and looking at the pretty liquid metal. It was in the outside air, but I can't help but wonder what I may have done to my brain that day. Thank god he didn't have mercury.

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The vapor pressure of lead when it melts isn't anything ridiculous, afaik. It shouldn't have released that much lead gas unless you were really burning it. (See leaded solder) Also, liquid elemental mercury isn't as scary as the organic mercury salts or something that's been concentrated though bio-accumulation. People like Cody's Lab on youtube have tasted liquid mercury for fun