Why is mercury dangerous and how to recover it if a thermometer breaks down, disposal rules
To determine body temperature, many people use mercury thermometers. If used carelessly, such thermometers can break, resulting in the dispersion of mercury balls. It is necessary to determine in advance how to collect mercury and what to use at the same time.
Why is mercury dangerous?
It's no secret that mercury balls can harm human health, and therefore it is necessary to familiarize yourself with how this substance affects the human body.
Symptoms
There are several common symptoms of mercury poisoning that people most often encounter:
- Migraine.If mercury particles enter the body, a person gradually develops a severe headache, accompanied by nausea and dizziness.
- Increased drowsiness. Due to the effects of the elements of mercury, drowsiness appears, which leads to general weakness and apathy.
- Sweat. Another common symptom is high sweating, which is accompanied by a rapid heartbeat.
Consequences
The negative effects of exposure to this substance do not appear immediately. They can be felt even several years after contact with mercury balls. Consequences of prolonged exposure to mercury vapor include:
- urge to urinate;
- blood on the gums;
- hand tremor;
- difficulty in breathing.
If a mercury thermometer breaks
Everyone should know what to do when a mercury thermometer is broken.
Urgent measures
If the thermometer accidentally crashes, you should take the following steps:
- get people out of the room, close the door and open the window to ventilate;
- wear protective gloves, respirator or gauze bandage;
- place a broken thermometer in the water and take it out;
- ventilate the room for a month and process the coatings with disinfectant solutions.
What can be useful
There are a few things that can be helpful when cleaning a room of mercury ball remnants.
Glass container with lid
To get rid of mercury particles at home that have scattered around the room due to a broken thermometer, you will need a container with a lid. It is used to store the collected balls. Before collecting mercury, water is collected in the container. It is important that it does not get too hot.Water should be warmed to room temperature.
Syringe
Some people use a conventional medical syringe to remove mercury particles from the surface. First, you need to remove the needle, after which the syringe is carefully applied to the ball of mercury and pulled inside. After collecting all the drops, the filled syringe is placed in a jar of water.
This procedure must be carried out with protective gloves so that the mercury does not penetrate the surface of the skin.
Brush
A regular foam shaving brush can help remove mercury. To do this, foam is applied to the surface of the brush, after which the area of accumulation of mercury balls is wiped with it. After that, the foam applied to the surface should be carefully collected with a brush moistened with warm water. The procedure is repeated several times until the coating is completely free of mercury.
Tape
Another remedy that can help you get rid of mercury balls fast is duct tape. The main advantage of this mercury removal method is its ease of use. To remove small drops, you need to lower a small strip of tape with the sticky side down on a dirty surface. After that, the glued tape is carefully lifted and placed in a pan of water.
piece of cardboard
Sometimes, when removing drops of mercury, small pieces of ordinary cardboard are used. To do this, the balls are carefully scraped into a cardboard box and immediately discarded.
Garbage bags
It's no secret that before removing mercury droplets, you need to protect your feet and hands. Thick rubber gloves are used to protect the hands and shoe covers are used for the feet.However, not everyone has shoe covers and so trash bags can be used instead. They are put on your feet and tied with ordinary ropes. After cleaning, the bags are removed and disposed of.
Flash light
Sometimes mercury balls are hard to spot as they can be found in dimly lit areas. That is why during the cleaning process you need to use lighting lamps or flashlights that will help you notice the mercury on the floor.
Disinfectant
After removing mercury drops, the surface must be treated with disinfectants that remove mercury remnants.
Potassium permanganate solution
A mixture of manganese is considered an effective remedy for mercury balls. To create it, you need to add 50 grams of potassium permanganate with acetic acid and salt to a liter of water.
The prepared product is applied to the place of mercury accumulation and washed off with warm water after 2-3 hours.
whitening powder
Another effective mixture is chlorine solution. To prepare it, you need to add a liter of bleach to a bucket of warm water. Then the mixture is applied to the floor and other coatings that have come into contact with mercury.
Clean even floor coverings
The easiest way to clean is on a flat floor surface. To do this, collect all the drops of mercury with a syringe or brush, then disinfect the floor with liquid manganese or a chlorine solution.
Clean a rug or rug
It is more difficult to pick up mercury from carpets because it becomes tangled in the pile. When cleaning the carpet, the balls will have to be collected with a syringe.After collection, the rug is taken out to the street, wiped with soapy water and aired for 2-3 days.
Demercurization of the kitchen
If the thermometer breaks in the kitchen, you will have to get rid of all the food that was not in the refrigerator. All dishes are washed several times with hot water and detergents. Discard towels and sponges in the kitchen as they may contain mercury particles.
Recommendations
There are several recommendations that will help you properly dispose of mercury droplets:
- clean the room, you need to drink more liquid;
- if a ball of mercury comes into contact with the skin, wash it off immediately with soap and water;
- after collecting mercury droplets, it is better to contact a service that will check the room for dangerous fumes.
What you should not do
The cleaning of mercury particles must be carried out correctly, so mistakes should not be made when cleaning. Common errors are:
- collection of mercury balls using cloth gloves;
- dumping mercury in a garbage chute;
- wipe the surface with a damp sponge.
Rules for disposing of a broken thermometer
To properly dispose of a broken thermometer, you need to prepare a container of water in advance. It is in it that the broken thermometer should be placed. After that, it is better to take it to a special sanitary station for further disposal.
Answers to questions
People who break a thermometer often have several questions.
I'm afraid to do it myself. can i wait
It is necessary to get rid of mercury immediately, as it is dangerous to human health.You can do it yourself or use the services of companies that professionally deal with the demercurization of living quarters.
Mercury got into the heater core. What to do?
It is more dangerous for drops of mercury to fall on a hot surface. In this case, the mercury particles dissolve immediately. To get rid of dangerous fumes, you will have to resort to the services of specialized services.
The child flushed the toilet
Mercury particles that have fallen into the toilet cannot be disposed of by themselves. Even salt, baking soda and washing powder will not remove mercury droplets in water. Chemical demercurization is the only way to get rid of mercury.
The child accidentally swallowed
If a child has swallowed mercury balls, the body should be cleaned immediately. To do this, induce a gag reflex and wash out the stomach with a manganese solution. If you cannot flush the stomach on your own, you need to go to the hospital.
Disposal of Contaminated Items
Fragments of the thermometer should not be thrown into the bathroom or toilet, as they are dangerous to health. It is necessary to contact the sanitary-epidemiological station so that they can collect contaminated items.
how much erodes
The duration of mercury weathering depends on the room temperature and the amount of substance. If you ventilate the room daily, the vapors will disappear in 1-2 months.
Use a magnet
It's no secret that mercury is a liquid metal, and that's why people who have broken a thermometer pick it up with a magnet. However, this must be done carefully so that the drops of the substance do not get on the skin.
where to put
All mercury collected must be transferred to mercury waste disposal facilities.
Conclusion
Sometimes people are faced with the need to collect mercury from a broken thermometer. It is necessary to familiarize yourself in advance with the features of cleaning and removing mercury drops.