Many of us use a regular mercury thermometer to measure body temperature. Its advantages are the most accurate measurement readings and inexpensive cost. The disadvantage is the mercury inside the device, which can be dangerous to humans.
Why are mercury balls dangerous?
In everyday life, we observe mercury as a metal in liquid form. It poses a great danger to human health; mercury is capable of evaporation, and its vapor can poison a person.
It has a negative effect on the body, causing diseases of the skin, kidneys, and eyes. This substance causes great harm to expectant mothers and babies. Mercury accumulates in the body, while a person does not feel anything special, and its effects appear after a few hours. Migraines and weakness will begin.
If the thermometer is damaged, 2 grams of mercury are released from it, which can spread its negative impact over an area of six thousand cubic meters of air. Small balls of mercury can roll under the baseboard and stick to slippers. A person who inhales poisoned air begins to suffer from mercury intoxication. Red rashes appear in the form of burns. With prolonged exposure to mercury on the body, it can lead to madness.
First actions
Before you begin collecting mercury, you must complete the following activities:
- Remove all people and animals in the room, as this metal is dangerous for them too.This is necessary to avoid contact with mercury;
- Immediately open the window and lock the entrance doors. It is important to pay attention to ensure that there is no draft;
- If you clean the room yourself, without the Ministry of Emergency Situations, it is recommended in this case to wear a damp gauze bandage;
- Go outside more often, at least twice every half hour. You should wear gloves on your hands and bags on your feet so as not to spread dangerous metal throughout the room;
- You should immediately begin collecting all glass fragments from the thermometer;
- Next, you need to look for balls in cracks on the floor, next to furniture, under the baseboard. They are small and have a silver-gray tint.
How should you collect mercury?
First, take a glass container or jar with a tight-fitting lid. Fill it with water. Place the broken thermometer in a bag. It is not recommended to collect the balls with a broom, especially with a vacuum cleaner; after cleaning you will have to throw it away. Tools:
- aspirator, needle, knitting needle;
- adhesive plaster, good density paper, cotton balls;
- table lamp, bright lantern;
- manganese, iodine.
Clothes worn by a person should be synthetic, since they absorb less mercury fumes.
Stages of assembling mercury metal
First stage.
First, we inspect the room where the event occurred, all the things, shelves, sofas, table, chairs. Use a flashlight while working, the balls are small and in normal lighting it is impossible to see them. Anything that has been touched by metal is collected and taken away. Mark the places where small balls accumulate with a pencil on the floor so as not to step on them in the future. Collect the larger particles first.To do this, take paper and roll them onto it with a needle or knitting needle. When collecting small balls, take a patch and apply it to the mercury, dispose of the patch in a glass mold. If the balls get into the holes in the floor, then take a long knitting needle and wrap a cotton ball dipped in potassium permanganate around the end. After collection, also dispose of the cotton ball as described above. The floor skirting is torn off and treated there with mercury collection methods.
The collected mercury is not thrown away or stored for a long time, but is handed over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations department. The form with the collected metal is immediately taken out of the apartment.
Second phase.
Treatment with chemicals. In the case when you are completely sure that all the drops have been collected and all the affected items have been removed, proceed to the disinfection stage. Prepare a manganese solution. You need to take one liter of running water and pour 2 grams of potassium permanganate into it. Then treat the affected areas using a sprayer or any brush. Carry out the procedure with gloves that do not get wet. Leave the solution on the areas for up to 8 hours, moisten them more often after drying. After this time, treat the surfaces and crevices in the floor with a soap-soda solution and carry out a thorough wet cleaning of the room. In the next 7 days, treat the room in this way, only reduce the time from 8 hours to 1 hour. Take preventive measures as often as possible - ventilate, clean the room.
Mercury gets on your skin
If metal comes into contact with human skin, it is necessary to wash it well with soap.Treat the affected skin with lime solution. Do this periodically. It is possible that this treatment will cause a burn. This measure is necessary to prevent mercury from entering the body. You can collect the drops using a plaster or tape. If vomiting, nausea and diarrhea nevertheless appear, immediately go to a specialist, this is a signal that mercury has penetrated through the skin.
The incident happened in the kitchen
In this case, all products that were in accessible places for metal to enter are thrown away. All kitchen items are thoroughly washed; a mercury film invisible to the eye may have formed on them. All open containers with salt, cereals, and seasonings should be disposed of. Hanging towels, sponges, napkins, tablecloths should be disposed of and should not be washed, as mercury evaporation occurs under the influence of warm water.
The incident happened on the carpet
The covering is rolled up, a large bag or cellophane bag is put on it and immediately taken out into the yard. Lay a film on the ground and hang the carpet on a rope above the film so that the mercury spills out there. Use sharp movements to knock the balls out of the carpet. Collect mercury using the methods described above. Take the carpet outside to air every week.
Protective measures
A person who has been clearing a room of mercury for a long time should brush his teeth as soon as possible and wash his hands thoroughly with soap. Clothes that have been cleaned are hung outside and aired for several months, but it is best to get rid of them forever.Rinse your mouth with a manganese solution and take 10 tablets of activated carbon. Drink plenty of fluids.
Who to contact in emergency situations
It is better to entrust the collection of mercury to professional specialists. They go to the scene of the incident with the necessary equipment.
They work in a room with instruments, completely clear the space of mercury vapor, and analyze the air for mercury vapor content.
It is necessary to take precautions when handling a mercury thermometer to protect yourself and others from infection. Do not give it to your child; it is better to store the thermometer in a special flask in a well-protected place. It is forbidden to fall asleep with a thermometer.
Today there is a huge selection of electronic temperature measuring instruments. They are safer, use them and take care of your health.
