If the thermometer is broken. Broken mercury thermometer

From childhood, parents, grandparents told us that playing with a mercury thermometer is very dangerous. Time has passed, progress does not stand still, but most families still prefer to use a traditional mercury thermometer to measure temperature. By negligence, both adults and children can drop the thermometer, so it is important to know what to do first if a mercury thermometer breaks.

Why is a broken thermometer dangerous?

It's no secret that mercury is a very dangerous chemical that is contained in the tip of a thermometer. Mercury vapor, which affects the respiratory organs, is of great danger. In order to know how to act correctly when a thermometer is broken, each of us must be aware of how dangerous mercury vapor can be in the air.

Mercury balls are very mobile and move easily. They can get into cracks, flooring, animal hair. If you do not immediately take security measures, then in the future it will be very difficult to find mercury residues. Mercury begins to release vapors. Toxic products of evaporation enter the human body through the respiratory tract. The lungs absorb about 80% of the poisonous substance.

If the evaporation is long or there is a large amount of mercury material in the air, then it can enter the human body through the skin and mucous membranes. First of all, the kidneys, gums and central nervous system are affected.

Of course, if a mercury thermometer were so dangerous, then it would not be available for free sale. Of course, intoxication in the acute phase will not occur when mercury leaks out, but serious consequences can still occur and undermine the health of all family members.

Depending on how long mercury evaporates from a broken thermometer, and a person inhales mercury vapor, the following symptoms and pathologies may appear:

• insomnia;
• trembling of the limbs of the hands;
• anxiety;
• paralysis;
• depressive state;
• decreased reaction and memory;
• damage to the thyroid gland, kidneys and liver;
• violation of the functioning of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems.

It is especially dangerous for pregnant women to inhale mercury vapor, since not only the work of the kidneys and liver of the expectant mother, but also the fetus itself can be affected. To avoid serious consequences, each of us must know what actions to take if a mercury thermometer breaks at home.

Mercury vapor is a poison of the 1st hazard class. Even in small quantities, mercury vapor causes irreversible harm to humans and animals. Residents of Moscow and the Moscow Region, if your mercury thermometer breaks or mercury spills, provide ventilation, leave the room contaminated with mercury vapor and urgently call the mercury collection service.

Entrust the search for mercury and demercurization to certified professionals. Specialists go to the place of emergency with all the necessary equipment. The mercury metric complex is included in the State Register of Measuring Instruments. We guarantee the complete elimination of mercury contamination. Control measurement of mercury vapor - free of charge. Works are carried out in residential and non-residential premises, offices, country houses, as well as in open areas. Soil samples. Preventive air analysis for mercury vapor content.

MERCURY DISPOSAL SERVICE 24/7 HOTLINE.
Get a free consultation +7 495 968 10 86 http://ekonyus.info/

We specialize in carrying out a full range of works on the disposal of waste of I-IV hazard class. Complies with the requirements of GOST R ISO 14001-2007 (ISO14001:2004)

A mercury thermometer has broken: when should I contact the emergency departments?

Every person who uses a mercury thermometer in everyday life should know what urgent measures should be taken if it crashes. In most cases, you can handle this situation on your own. But there are situations when contacting the Ministry of Emergency Situations is vital.

You can always contact the Ministry of Emergency Situations and receive a number of instructions on how to collect and dispose of a hazardous substance. If a mercury substance has got on a hot surface, for example, a heating device, then it is imperative to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, since at temperatures above 40 ° C, mercury begins to evaporate instantly.

It is undesirable to try to get rid of the consequences on your own in cases where you did not find mercury. It is strongly not recommended to collect mercury residues for pregnant women, persons under the age of 18 and over 65 years, as well as people suffering from diseases of the urinary and nervous system of a chronic type. In such cases, you must immediately leave the room where the thermometer crashed and call the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

How to eliminate the consequences yourself if a mercury thermometer breaks?

When a thermometer breaks in a living room, first of all, you should remain calm. All actions related to the elimination of especially dangerous consequences must be carried out without haste and correctly.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks:

1. All people must leave the room. Also, animals should not be left in the room.
2. The door closes tightly and all windows open.
3. On the threshold, you should lay out a rag previously moistened in a soda solution (potassium permanganate can be used).
4. The person who will clean up the remains of the broken thermometer must wear protective gloves and a bandage (respirator). A cotton-gauze bandage should be made as follows: fold gauze in 2-3 layers and treat it with water or soda solution.
5. Experts recommend wearing clothes made of synthetic fabric. It is best to discard these clothes after cleaning the room.

What should I do if the tip of the thermometer remains intact and the mercury has not leaked out?

There are cases when, when broken, the tip of the thermometer visually remained intact and next to it no remains of mercury balls are visible. In this case, carefully inspect the thermometer, but do not lift it without gloves and a cotton-gauze bandage. As soon as you are convinced that the contents are in the tip, the thermometer must be carefully taken so that the mercury substance does not leak out, and transferred to a vessel with water, which must be tightly closed.

It is strictly forbidden to dispose of mercury waste under the guise of ordinary garbage. Hide the jar in a non-residential area and notify the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the incident or contact a specialized enterprise for the disposal of mercury substances.

How to collect mercury from a thermometer from various surfaces?

If the mercury thermometer breaks and drops of the contents remain on the floor, table, shelf or any other element of the furniture set, then you will have to work hard to completely eliminate mercury.

Procedure:

1. Prepare a glass vessel, which is half filled with water.
2. Using two sheets of plain office paper, collect all the leftover thermometers in one place. This can be done with a shaving brush or a small piece of cotton.
3. Larger mercury balls are placed on a sheet with a shaving brush or cotton wool and carefully placed in a prepared container of water.
4. Small particles can be collected with tape or plaster. Then these strips, together with adhering residues, must be placed in a container.
5. If mercury has got into hard-to-reach places, for example, corners or crevices, then you can use a medical syringe or knitting needle to eliminate it.
6. If mercury gets under the plinth, the latter must be immediately dismantled.
7. All items and tools that were used during the mercury collection procedure are placed in a plastic bag and transferred for disposal.
8. The container with mercury residues must be tightly closed and taken out of the room. Until the moment of disposal, it is better to store it in a dark place remote from people, at a low temperature.
9. If the mercury substance has got on upholstered furniture, clothes, carpets or toys, then it is useless to try to get rid of it with a vacuum cleaner. These things should be destroyed immediately. If you are too attached to these things, then they can be placed in the open sun away from people and weathered for at least a couple of months so that the mercury completely evaporates.

A broken mercury thermometer must be recycled. This is done by specialized enterprises, the location of which can be told to you in the Emergencies Ministry unit.

In practice, there are situations when a mercury thermometer has broken, but the remains of mercury have not been found. In this case, you must take all measures to disinfect the room with a solution of soda, iodine or potassium permanganate. You can use plain white.

Banned: what actions can not be performed if a mercury thermometer is broken?

Never use a broom or a vacuum cleaner to remove mercury balls, as all poisonous substances will circle in the air. Also prohibited:

• throw away mercury residues in the garbage chute;
• drain into the sewer;
• self-dispose;
• keep.

Preventive measures to prevent mercury intoxication

People in the room where the mercury thermometer has broken should take a shower after cleaning and rinse their mouth with a manganese or soda solution. To prevent mercury vapor poisoning, which primarily affects the urinary system, it is recommended to drink more fluids.

As you can see, breaking a mercury thermometer is very dangerous and has negative health consequences. This item must be handled with care. If, nevertheless, the thermometer crashed, then it is important to follow all the rules related to cleaning the premises and disposing of the mercury substance.

The mercury thermometer has always been a convenient and accurate instrument for measuring temperature. And although electronic models have appeared today, many continue to use old glass samples at home. Probably the only but significant drawbacks of the latter is the fragility of the material from which they are made, and the toxicity of mercury vapor contained in them. If the thermometer breaks, there is a danger of poisoning.

Benefits of a mercury thermometer

A mercury thermometer is a vacuum tube with a reservoir filled with about two grams of the metal. There is a special scale with divisions from 34 to 42 degrees Celsius.

Why was mercury chosen as the thermometric liquid? With a melting point of minus 39 degrees, it is the only metal that is liquid under normal conditions. This is a heavy element with a high density, which expands evenly when heated. In addition, mercury does not dissolve in water and does not wet glass. These properties make it suitable for thermometric measurements. If a thermometer with mercury is broken, it can be carefully and correctly collected.

Chemically, this silver liquid is also comfortable to use. Being quite inert, it does not react under normal conditions with oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen, which are present in the composition of air in molecular form. In the normal state of aggregation, mercury is not even absorbed in the intestines. Due to this property of the metal, in ancient times it was used to treat intestinal volvulus. A whole glass of liquid mercury passed through the intestines, putting things in order with its weight, and left without changes.

Mercury vapor is poisonous, although organic metal compounds are much more toxic. But since it begins to weather at a temperature of 18 degrees, then everyone should know what to do, and if a mercury thermometer is broken, how to do it right. From the impact, the metal breaks into tiny balls, which quickly scatter across the floor, falling into all the cracks and cracks. Of course, the amount that flows out of a broken thermometer is not enough to create maximum allowable concentrations in the volume of an apartment. However, you need to remove the mercury balls, as they will gradually evaporate. Since mercury has a cumulative effect, constant inhalation of vapors will lead to accumulation in the body.

First measures

The modern classification classifies mercury and its compounds as substances of the first hazard class. Therefore, if the thermometer crashes, the following actions must be taken.

• First of all, do not panic and scare loved ones. The problem can be easily solved on your own, mercury is removed independently.
• If there are people in the room, they should be taken to fresh air. This condition applies especially to children and the elderly, as well as pets.
• It is necessary to determine the area of ​​"contamination" and limit it. This measure will prevent the mercury from spreading the soles throughout the room.
• Before cleaning the area from mercury, do not open windows to avoid drafts. Otherwise, metal droplets can roll into cracks and under furniture, and then it will be difficult to find them and remove them.

Prohibited actions

It is important to read the instructions on how to properly collect mercury. This will prevent mistakes that will only complicate the task of demercurization. Actions that are unacceptable at home in this situation include the following.

• You can not collect mercury balls with a vacuum cleaner, as it heats up, causing the mercury to begin to evaporate.
• Using a broom for such purposes is also not suitable - its rods will break the balls into many smaller ones, then it will become impossible to collect them.
• The broom and vacuum cleaner will then have to be disposed of.
• You can not wipe the mercury with a rag - it will only disintegrate into a mass of tiny pieces.
• The collected mercury should not be thrown into the garbage chute or into the sewer, otherwise the whole house will be at risk of poisoning.

Instructions for collecting mercury

There are certain rules about how to collect mercury, and if the thermometer is broken, how to act correctly:

• prepare a jar, glass or plastic, and fill it with cold water;
• put on shoe covers and rubber gloves;
• balls must be collected in the direction from the border of the contaminated area to its middle;
• rolling small balls to each other, collect them into larger ones;
• using a brush, sweep all the drops of metal onto a sheet of paper and pour into a jar;
• remove droplets of mercury from small cracks with a pipette or syringe, you can use adhesive tape;
• small droplets that have fallen into a gap on the floor can be covered with sand, and then swept away with a small brush; mercury balls will also be swept out with the sand;
• sometimes copper wire is used - metal balls stick to it;
• put the broken thermometer and all improvised devices in contact with mercury into a jar and close tightly.

Disinfection

The next step is to treat the contaminated area.

• First, open the window and ventilate the house, as a result of which the remaining particles or the resulting vapors are safely vented.
• Wipe the cleaned area with a wet newspaper.

Rinse this surface with a mercury oxidizing solution.

• For this purpose, a solution of bleach is suitable;

• potassium permanganate solution;
• hot solution of laundry soap with soda.

Treat all wooden and metal surfaces in the room where the thermometer crashed with the same solution. The smallest particles of mercury could remain on them. It is recommended to rinse them with clean water after two days.

• If someone accidentally stepped on metal balls, the soles of the shoes should be treated with a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate.

• Rags and fabrics that have been used to treat contaminated surfaces cannot be washed later, moreover, their machine washing is unacceptable. It is necessary to put them in a bag and, together with the jar in which the collected mercury is located, isolate them from others. Put them on the balcony or in another place where the air temperature will be below room temperature.

Cleanup

• If the thermometer crashed on the carpet, the algorithm of actions is as follows:
• carefully roll the carpet, moving from the edge to the middle, otherwise the balls will scatter to the sides;
• place the rolled carpet in a plastic bag;
• take it out into the cold - to the garage or to the balcony before the onset of warm weather;
• in the summer, hang the carpet on the crossbar and carefully shake it, after laying out the film under it;
• you can’t knock it out, as droplets of mercury will scatter around, infecting the surrounding area;
• collect the balls from the film and pour into a jar of water;
• leave the carpet in the air for ventilation for three months.

Change clothes, and also put the clothes in contact with mercury in a plastic bag.

• If a thermometer is broken in an apartment, how many days does mercury disappear? This will take several days. Therefore, during the week it is necessary to arrange wet cleaning. It is worth tearing off the windows, so the harmful vapors will quickly disappear.
• Hand over a jar of mercury and bags with things and rags to the sanitary and epidemiological station or the local department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
• After eliminating the consequences, it is necessary to drink as much liquid as possible: it can be tea, freshly squeezed juices, but clean water is best. You should also eat more vegetables and fruits.

Non-standard situations

• In cases where the thermometer is broken in the apartment, and you don’t know what to do, you need to urgently call the local rescue service. A brigade should arrive, which will evacuate people and process the premises in accordance with all the rules. In especially extreme cases, the duration of work on demercurization can take a whole month. Actions are considered completed after the analysis of air in residential premises for the content of mercury vapor.
• There are cases when the thermometer crashed, and the child swallowed a ball of mercury. The kid will not be poisoned, but it is necessary to examine him, since he could have eaten a piece of glass from the pipe along with the metal. We need to take him to the doctor immediately. If the child washed away the remains of the thermometer with the contents into the sewer, then it is necessary to inspect the plumbing. If mercury is found, it must be collected in a glass jar and handed over to the SES.
• If a mercury thermometer in an apartment breaks, and the metal gets on a hot radiator, you can’t act on your own. It will begin to evaporate into the air, and the vapors will cause severe poisoning. Therefore, you should urgently leave the room, closing the door behind you, and call the rescuers. The higher the temperature in a given room, the sooner it should be left. If possible, it is advisable to turn off the heating.
• How to remove mercury if it got on expensive clothes or upholstered furniture and children's toys? Things that come into contact with mercury balls are best disposed of. But if it is a pity to part with your favorite dress, then you should remember that it will have to be aired for several months. It is better to take furniture out for the time of airing to a place where it will not be used (for example, in winter - to the country house). And toys are still better to hand over to the rescue service.
• If the thermometer has broken and there is a possibility of poisoning, you need to try to neutralize it. Potassium iodide is the best remedy for removing metal from the body. In the absence of prolonged intoxication, it is necessary to go out into the fresh air, rinse the eyes, mucous membranes of the nose and mouth with a weak disinfectant solution. Plentiful drinking is desirable. For more severe poisoning, seek medical attention.

Each person must know what to do, and if the thermometer is broken, behave confidently. The ability to act in extreme circumstances will allow you to quickly and effectively cope with an alarming situation without serious consequences.

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