[dandelany]

People used to do a lot of stupid stuff. If you live alone and are conscious of the risk, sure, this is not a terribly dangerous item if you're safe about it. If you live with pets or children, it's entirely sensible to be concerned about the risk. A mercury spill can seep between the floorboards and contaminate your house with volatile mercury vapors for years to come if not properly managed.

[shellfishgene]

Relevant video series from the same guy, testing chemistry recipes from 1933: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIM6943BSRA

[gwbas1c]

A few hours after I wrote the above comment, my wife dropped a thick bottle of nail polish and it shattered.

That being said, life without any risk is boring.