# The Toxic Metal We Still Put In Our Mouths 🎓 I wanted a character in one of my stories to ride a quicksilver horse, but although I had heard the term and read [the comics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_(comics)), I wasn't totally sure what it _was_. Then I found out that it's toxic, and still used in dentistry today ([it's probably safe](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3388771/)), so I went digging for more. ## Fun Facts - Quicksilver is an alternate name for mercury; I'm surprised the comic creators didn't link Pietro Maximoff to the Roman god. - Mercury occurs naturally mostly in deposits of ore known as cinnabar, aka mercuric sulfide. - Cinnabar (the ore) is the historic source of natural vermilion (the dye). - Cinnabar is usually found in rocks near volcanic activity or in hot springs; it's most common in Spain and Italy. - Mercury and bromide are the only two metals that are liquid at room temperature. ## Safer Symbology Women in India wore vermilion along the parting of their hair and in a dot on their foreheads to indicate that they were married. Today an artificial (non-toxic) version of the pigment called sindoor is used. \[[Read More](https://owlcation.com/stem/Cinnabar-A-Beautiful-But-Toxic-Mineral-Ore-and-Pigment)\] ## Homemade Red Persian Red is also known as artificial vermilion, but the technique for making artificial vermilion from mercury and sulfur probably comes from [[China]] in the eighth century.   \[[Read More](https://chempedia.info/info/vermilion_artificial/)\] ## Mad Hatter's Disease Mercury is a mostly neurological poison, causing tremors, extreme mood changes, and eventually loss of hearing and restricted vision. It can also damage damage the liver and kidneys. \[[Read More](https://sites.dartmouth.edu/toxmetal/mercury/mercury-element-of-the-ancients/)\] ## A Fountain of Toxic Beauty Spain once commissioned a fountain that pumped (and sprayed) pure mercury to honor the miners of Almadén, most of whom were forced laborers that died of mercury poisoning. \[[Read More](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/calder-mercury-fountain)\] <div class=infobox>If you found this interesting, you may also enjoy </div>