Broken Thermometer

[EarthlyMaiden]

So, I just got home about 30 minutes ago and I was starting to relax, and I noticed what honestly, to me, smelled like rubber.
I happen to notice Steve's thermometers out of the corner of my eye, and one is completely red, all the way up to 100. His thermometer has broken, somehow, and the red stuff inside is what I'm smelling.
There aren't any stains on any of his things, nor are there red stains on his substrate, and it only started to leak when I moved it.

What could have caused this thing to break? He's a climber, yes, but the thermometers aren't where he usually climbs and he's never managed to knock them down. I'm thinking that it was just a bad thermometer, in which case I'm going to spring for a different kind.
My thermometers are tubing with red liquid, held inside metal strips. I can't remember brand name off the top of my head, unfortunately.


EDIT:
Okay, the liquid is probably alcohol dyed red. How do I get the smell off my hands? It stinks.