In November 2011 I broke a 4 foot flourescent light bulb and probably inhaled the mercury vapor it contained. In December/January timeframe I had what I believed was a cold . In the morning I would cough up chunks (not runny at all) of thick white mucous. I also had a metallic smell in my nose especially in the morning. My sense of smell was reduced to nothing -- I realized I was unable to even smell ground coffee. My chest felt heavy in the evenings. The mucous was so thick it clogged my ears making me virtually deaf in one ear. After 6 weeks of deafness in one ear, I was convinced that it wouldn t clear on its own any time soon so I finally had a tube put in and the gunk sucked out. This was in February and it fixed my hearing . The thick mucous continued, each morning I would cough up the chunks of thick white mucous. Over time this has dwindled -- my mucous has thinned somewhat and is now semi-thick, and greenish but I still have to cough up chunks to clear my lungs. It is now late May and my sense of smell seems to be returning a bit though still not complete. The metallic smell is not as prevalent. Would you think these symptoms are typical or could they be related to mercury vapor inhalation? Should I be seeking treatment? Is mercury exposure as I ve described, detectable?