Mercury: threats real and imaginary. Toxic metal in everyday life: why mercury is dangerous

Mercury is an extremely toxic material. And this metal itself, and all its compounds belong to the 1st, the highest, hazard class. Organic mercury compounds are especially dangerous. It is curious that by itself, metallic mercury has practically no harmful effects on the body - its vapors are the most dangerous. However, do not rush to rejoice: mercury is the only metal that begins to evaporate already at room temperature - + 18 ° C! Moreover, mercury vapor can be detected only with the help of special devices, since they are colorless and do not have any smell.

For a living organism, there are no safe doses of vapors of this insidious metal. That is why it is so dangerous to ignore a thermometer or a fluorescent lamp broken at home: the smallest droplets of mercury can crumble into tiny droplet balls and roll into cracks and other hard-to-reach places, from where they begin to evaporate and poison all living things around.

Mercury, which enters the human body, is excreted very slowly, and is distributed to all organs. When inhaled, it accumulates primarily in the lungs, and then in the blood, liver, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract and brain.

Depending on the amount of mercury that has entered the body and the duration of its exposure, acute and chronic mercury poisoning are distinguished.

Acute mercury poisoning relatively rare - they occur when a large dose of mercury is received in a short period of time. But even acute poisoning begins to appear only a few hours after the onset of poisoning (from 8 to 24). A person feels a metallic taste in the mouth, nausea, lack of appetite. Headache, vomiting, pain when swallowing, gums swell and bleed. There are severe pains in the abdomen, often diarrhea, cough, shortness of breath, pneumonia may develop; the temperature rises to 38-40°C. After a few days, death occurs.

More common chronic mercury poisoning(they are called mercurialism), which occur, for example, when you stay in a room with a high concentration of mercury vapor for a long time or during prolonged contact with substances containing mercury. They are manifested mainly by damage to the central nervous system: patients feel weakness, fatigue, they often have headaches and dizziness, attention worsens, "mercury tremor" develops - trembling of hands, fingers, legs, lips, mental abnormalities develop - irritability, apathy , poor self-control. In the advanced stages of chronic mercury poisoning, these disorders become irreversible and lead to dementia and death.

Chronic mercury poisoning in the past befell those who dealt with compounds of this metal by the nature of their activities, because until recently people did not realize that mercury was a terrible poison. Moreover, mercury and its compounds were part of a number of drugs!

Remember the mad hatter from L. Carroll's fairy tale "Alice in Wonderland"? This is not just the author's fantasy, but a play on the English expression "crazy as a hatter". Even then, signs of a disease were noticed, which was called the "disease of the old hatter." It had all the signs of chronic mercury poisoning, up to dementia. But the fact is that in the 18-19 centuries, hatters used mercury compounds to produce felt.

Another historical fact of mercury poisoning, which has already been discovered in our time, is associated with the name of Ivan the Terrible. After examining the remains of the king, scientists found in them the highest concentration of mercury - 13 g per 1 ton, while usually in humans the content of mercury in tissues does not exceed 5 mg per ton. The difference is 2600 times! The conclusion is chronic mercury poisoning. Its cause could be the long-term use of mercury ointments, which Ivan the Terrible used for joint pain. Chronic mercury poisoning may be the key to the riddle of the unbridled nature of the Russian tyrant tsar: as you already know, with this disease, the nervous system becomes unstable, which can manifest itself, among other things, in excessive suspiciousness, suspicion, hallucinations and - outbursts of unbridled anger, in in a fit of which Ivan the Terrible once killed his son.

There is only one conclusion from what has been said: do not joke with mercury! If a thermometer or fluorescent lamp breaks in your home, urgently take the precautions that are supposed to prevent mercury poisoning.

Mercury is the only metal that is in a liquid state at room temperature. Mercury freezes at minus 39°C and boils at 357°C. It is 13.6 times heavier than water. It tends to break up into tiny droplets and spread. In nature, mercury is found in the reddish mineral cinnabar. Cinnabar is part of many rocks, but mostly rocks of volcanic origin.

Mercury has the property evaporates easily. To obtain pure metal from ore, it is necessary to heat this ore to a temperature of about 482 ° C. Vapors collect and condense, and mercury is obtained.

Mercury is a substance of hazard class I (according to GOST 17.4.1.02-83), thiol poison (an extremely dangerous chemical).

The maximum permissible concentration of mercury in the atmospheric air is 0.0003 mg/m3 (in accordance with the "Sanitary and Epidemiological Requirements for Atmospheric Air").

Only vapors and soluble mercury compounds are poisonous. At a temperature of 18°C, intensive evaporation of mercury into the atmosphere begins, inhalation of such air contributes to its accumulation in the body, from where it is no longer excreted (like other heavy metals). However, in order to accumulate a significant proportion of mercury in the body, it is necessary to regularly stay indoors for several months or years with a significant excess of the MPC of this metal in the air.

The concentration of mercury vapor that can lead to severe chronic diseases ranges from 0.001 to 0.005 mg/m3. At higher concentrations, mercury is absorbed by intact skin. Acute poisoning can occur at 0.13 - 0.80 mg/m3. Fatal intoxication develops when 2.5 g of mercury vapor is inhaled.

Harm

Symptoms of mercury poisoning

Mercury is dangerous not only for humans, but also for plants, animals and fish. The penetration of mercury into the body most often occurs precisely by inhalation of its odorless vapors.

Mercury poisoning

Mercury and its compounds are dangerous highly toxic substances that can accumulate in the human body and not be excreted for a long time, causing irreparable harm health. As a result, a person is affected:

• Nervous system
• Liver
• kidneys
• Gastrointestinal tract

Mercury remains in the body for a year.

Mercury salt poisoning

Acute mercury poisoning manifests itself several hours after the onset of poisoning. Intoxication occurs mainly through the respiratory tract, about 80% of inhaled mercury vapor is retained in the body. Salts and oxygen contained in the blood contribute to the absorption of mercury, its oxidation and the formation of mercury salts.

Symptoms of acute poisoning with mercury salts:

• general weakness
• lack of appetite
• headache
• pain when swallowing
• metallic taste in mouth
• salivation
• swelling and bleeding of the gums
• nausea and vomiting
• severe abdominal pain
• mucous diarrhea (sometimes with blood)

In addition, mercury poisoning is characterized by a decline in cardiac activity, the pulse becomes rare and weak, fainting is possible. Often there is pneumonia, chest pain, cough and shortness of breath, often severe chills. Body temperature rises to 38-40 °C. A significant amount of mercury is found in the urine of the victim. In severe cases, the victim dies within a few days.

Symptoms of mercury vapor poisoning

With prolonged exposure to even relatively low concentrations of mercury - on the order of hundredths and thousandths of mg / m3, the nervous system is damaged. The main symptoms of poisoning:

• Headache
• Hyperexcitability
• Irritability
• Decreased performance
• Fast fatiguability
• sleep disorder
• Memory impairment
• Apathy

Symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning

In chronic poisoning with mercury and its compounds, the following symptoms appear:

• Metallic taste in the mouth
• Loose gums
• Strong salivation
• mild excitability
• Weakening of memory

Since mercury belongs to AHOV (emergency chemically hazardous toxic substances), the household, in order to be taken away for recycling, will also have to pay the relevant organizations.

Mercury is a dangerous environmental pollutant, and releases into water are especially dangerous.

Benefit

Scope of mercury

Mercury and its compounds are used in engineering, the chemical industry, and medicine.

It is added in the manufacture of medicines and disinfectants.

Mercury quickly and evenly reacts to temperature changes, so it is used in thermometers and thermometers.

Mercury is also used in paints, dentistry, chlorine, caustic soda, and electrical equipment.

Organic mercury compounds are used as pesticides and seed treatments.

The thermometer crashed - how to collect mercury

Symptoms of mercury poisoning (when it enters through the esophagus) are immediately visible - cyanosis of the face, shortness of breath, etc. The first thing to do in such a situation is to dial the ambulance number and cause the patient to vomit.

In order to clean rooms and objects from contamination with metallic mercury and sources of mercury vapor, it is necessary to carry out demercurization. Currently, several companies produce kits (with instructions) for the neutralization of household mercury pollution.

In everyday life, demercurization is widely used with sulfur. For example, if a mercury-containing thermometer breaks, windows should be opened to allow fresh air to enter and lower the temperature in the room (the warmer it is in the apartment, the more actively the metal evaporates). Then carefully and carefully collect all the fragments of the thermometer and mercury balls (not with bare hands, if possible in a respirator). All contaminated items should be put in a glass jar with a sealed lid, or in plastic bags and taken out of the room.

Cover traces of mercury with sulfur powder (S). At room temperature, sulfur easily reacts chemically with mercury, forming a poisonous but non-volatile HgS compound, which is dangerous only if it enters the esophagus.

Treat the floor and objects that have been exposed to mercury with a solution of potassium permanganate or a chlorine-containing preparation. You should wash gloves, shoes with potassium permanganate and a soap-soda solution, rinse your mouth and throat with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, brush your teeth thoroughly, take 2-3 tablets of activated charcoal. In the future, it is desirable to regularly wash the floor with a chlorine-containing preparation and intensive ventilation.

If a thermometer was broken in the apartment and visible balls of mercury were removed, then the concentration of vapors usually does not exceed the MPC, and in conditions of good ventilation, the mercury residues will evaporate in a few months without causing significant harm to the health of residents.

Mercury should not be poured into the sewer, thrown away with household waste. For questions about the disposal of mercury, you need to contact the district SES, where they are required to accept it. If this is not possible, then you need to collect mercury in a plastic bag, cover it with bleach (or chlorine-containing preparations), wrap it in several plastic bags and bury it deeper. Then mercury will be reliably isolated.

In particular. Today we have water with mercury. And we'll talk about mercury and its harm. As well as unusual harm, which usually people do not think about, but which leads to serious problems that are worth starting to solve.

Mercury, probably everyone knows, is the cause of poisoning; it is an extremely dangerous substance. However, metallic mercury is not as dangerous as mercury compounds. Therefore, mercury in water is worse, because microorganisms turn it into a soluble organic compound that penetrates skin and cell membranes more easily than metallic mercury.

Where does most of the mercury in water come from?

1. As a result of the activities of chemical industries
2. As a result of burning coal.
3. From the seeds of agricultural plants

Coal contains mercury (ancient plants accumulated for some purpose). Also, coal receives mercury from underground along the fault lines of the earth's crust (due to the activity of the Earth's mantle). When coal is burned, mercury flies out, settles and is washed off by rain into the water. This means that the maximum mercury is around the thermal power plant, where coal is the main fuel.

By the way, for reference: energy-saving fluorescent lamps contain up to tens of milligrams of mercury. So don't break them indoors.

Another route of mercury exposure is from seed seeds, which are treated with mercury to protect against pests. Highly toxic substances (mercury (I) chloride (calomel), mercury (II) chloride (sublimate), merthiolate, etc.) are also used as pesticides. Of course, then: rain - water - man.

For reference: MPC for mercury in the air is 0.005 mg/m³; MPC of mercury in water is 0.0005 mg/l.

The harm of mercury to humans

Mercury actively corrodes mucous membranes. Vivid symptoms of poisoning -

• severe inflammation of the respiratory tract (when inhaling vapors),
• headache
• general weakness
• metallic taste in the mouth
• abdominal pain
• diarrhea
• temperature
• vomiting blood (when eaten),
• hyperexcitability (in all cases).

If, for example, someone ate a thermometer on a dare, then

1. call an ambulance
2. Rinse the stomach
3. Give milk to drink (however, as with any other poisoning).

Milk envelops the stomach with a film, mercury is more difficult to absorb through it. Activated carbon will not help here, it does not interact with metals. Although, if there is nothing else at hand, then you can use it.

Of course, metallic mercury is not very toxic, and a person will not die instantly. But it hurts 🙂

By the way, if you got at least 50 milliliters of mercury somewhere, and you have a hood, you can conduct an interesting experiment - throw a nut on the surface of mercury. She will swim.

Mercury vapor poisoning will be - but not strong. And if you never plan to encounter mercury again in your life, you can take a chance.

Why "never in my life"? Because mercury has a cumulative (i.e. cumulative) effect. It is very poorly excreted from the body. And so it accumulates. Time after time, with each contact, more and more mercury ... And then - bam! Poisoning.

So, in England in the 19th century, hats were made using mercury. And the hat makers gradually went crazy, constantly breathing mercury vapours. Hence the expression - "The Mad Hatter" from Alice.

The effect is very similar to the accumulation of radiation in the body. Yes, and the effect is similar - both a carcinogenic and a mutagenic effect, and an effect on germ cells ... But let's get back to the topic.

Mechanism of action of mercury

Mercury easily passes through cell membranes, and "sticks" to proteins that contain sulfur. For the time being, it doesn't show up at all. So mercury can accumulate in the kidneys, liver, brain. But when a critical amount of proteins with mercury is formed, cells are unable to perform their functions, enzymes work much worse. As a result - a violation of the conduction of nerve impulses, dementia, trembling fingers, impaired coordination.

Mercury with exactly the same success can be deposited in human germ cells. The mechanism of transmission of genetic information is disrupted (since proteins do not work correctly). The result is genetic deformities.

By the way, the basis for the treatment of mercury poisoning is its ability to interact with sulfur-containing proteins. Therefore, preparations for the removal of mercury also contain sulfur, mercury clings to it and is excreted from the body (since these preparations are made quickly excreted).

Therefore, in case of mercury poisoning and the absence of an ambulance in the near future, “protein water” is used - two beaten egg whites per liter of water. The victim should drink this water. After that, an egg yolk is given. Naturally, everything is raw.

“But the concentration of mercury in water, etc. very small! you say. “You can ignore her!”

That's right, in a normal situation, even with a cumulative effect on it, you can score. But only if you do not take into account the unusual harm of mercury, which we talked about at the beginning of the article.

Unusual harm of mercury

Data about the unusual harm of mercury taken from the book Wolfdietrich Eichler "Poisons in your food".

First, let's deal with the terms. Methylmercury is a fungicide (kills fungus), a powerful poison. Methylmercury is also a product of the processing of all other forms of mercury by microorganisms.

A food chain is a series of species of plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms that are connected with each other by relationships: food - consumer. The organisms of the next link eat the organisms of the previous link, and thus the chain transfer of energy and matter is carried out, which underlies the cycle of substances in nature.

Fact: about 90% of the energy is lost from link to link, which is dissipated in the form of heat. And substances are concentrated in approximately the same way.

Example from Sweden, 1940, mass dressing of grain with methylmercury. Mercury concentration is minimal. However, after 10 years, the extinction of granivorous birds (pigeons, pheasants, domestic chickens, gray partridges and buntings) became noticeable.

What happened? Mercury was CONCENTRATED in birds. One grain does not kill a bird. But the bird eats a lot of grain... Mercury is also transmitted through germ cells...

But this is only the beginning.

The second link in the terrestrial food chain contaminated with mercury is birds of prey and owls (whose food is granivorous): kestrel, hawk, peregrine falcon, eagle owl. These species also partly died or stopped breeding. For example, the kestrel in some parts of Sweden has almost completely died out, and the number of peregrine falcons and hawks has very noticeably decreased.

What happened? If a granivorous pigeon can eat poisonous grain all its life and only feel a little worse (the consequences will affect the descendants), then it is enough for a kestrel or a hawk to eat a hundred poisoned pigeons to get a lethal or near-lethal dose of mercury. Pigeons CONCENTRATE mercury in themselves. And predators concentrated it even more.

Of course, some birds did not care about the authorities. Anxiety manifested itself only when a lot of mercury was found in chicken eggs. That is, a person began to integrate into the food chain. And it's really annoying.

To a greater extent, the accumulation of mercury along the food chain is noticeable in the sea. Mercury is accumulated by planktonic organisms (for example, algae), which feed on crustaceans. The crustaceans are eaten by fish. The end links of food chains are often gulls, great grebes, ospreys, white-tailed eagles. Well, people, as without it.

In the same way, for one plankton, mercury is not enough even to slow down the rotation of the cytoplasm. But the millions of algae that the crustaceans have eaten make the crustaceans slightly sausage. Well, the fish that has eaten these crustaceans gets a solid dose - and MUCH WORSE runs away from the predator.

That is, animals etched with mercury (fish, birds, frogs, etc.) are easier prey for a predator. Therefore, predatory fish such as perch, pike will most often feed on mercury-poisoned victims (since they are easier to catch, their coordination is impaired). And then - ax-head to people.

An example in the form of a picture: the dots are the amount of mercury. The more mercury, the slower the fish. The easier it is for birds to get them. And die.

Therefore, it is much more dangerous when mercury enters the human body with food.

One of the most massive poisonings according to the scheme was in Japan in the early 50s. On the island of Kyushu in the city of Minamata, a chemical plant operated, pouring waste into the sea. Thousands of Japanese poisoned themselves and died using shellfish and fish caught in the bay as food. Now this disease is called “Minamata disease”. The worst thing is that it affects the gene apparatus and is inherited.

In 1967, high levels of mercury in fish led to a ban on industrial fishing in forty Swedish lakes. For the same reason, fishing has been banned in some lakes in North America.

What to do? Is it so bad?

Mercury is harmful, and the ways it enters a person are unusual.

But there is hope: you have learned about it, and you can tell others. And there, you see, the public consciousness will change, after which the pollution will decrease ...

Why is mercury dangerous for humans? Every home has a thermometer with this substance. You need to handle it carefully so as not to break it.

Mercury is poisonous in any form. How does an overdose happen? What danger does poison pose to human health?

What is mercury

Mercury is a liquid metal. Able to become solid and turn into gas. When it hits a flat surface, it takes the form of many balls, quickly spreading over the plane. It begins to evaporate at temperatures above eighteen degrees.

In nature, it is formed during volcanic eruptions, oxidation of cinnabar, and is released from aqueous solutions.

Mercury is classified as a substance of the first hazard class. The metal itself and its compounds are highly toxic to humans. Once in the body, cause serious violations of the organs.

What does mercury look and smell like?

Mercury has a white-silver color, is a liquid, although it is a metal. Capable of evaporation in room conditions. What does mercury smell like? The gas has neither color nor smell, which is dangerous for living organisms. When inhaled, no unpleasant sensations are present. There may be a metallic taste in the mouth.

You can get poisoned in many ways. It is not recommended to swim in industrial reservoirs; when working with the substance, safety rules must be observed. At home, it is recommended that you carefully consider the use of mercury thermometers and energy-saving light bulbs.

How can you get poisoned by mercury from a thermometer?

Mercury in a thermometer is used due to its ability to respond to temperature - when it rises, it expands, when it decreases, it narrows. If the thermometer is broken, then the mercury will flow out, scatter into many small balls. Many people do not realize how harmful it is for them and those around them. Is it possible to get poisoned by mercury from a thermometer?

The balls need to be collected as quickly as possible so that they do not start to evaporate. There is no smell of mercury, so you need to act carefully, without postponing cleaning for several days. How to get poisoned by a compound at home? There are three ways of intoxication.

Able:

• Ingestion. Often occurs in young children who try to taste mercury from a broken thermometer.
• Contact with mucous membranes, skin. Poisoning develops gradually, the liver suffers first.
• Inhalation of vapours. The most serious and dangerous way, because a person simply does not smell the gas.

After the thermometer has crashed, it is necessary to collect all the balls, wrap them up and call a specialized service. It is necessary to collect the particles of the compound carefully, without missing a single one. Otherwise, the resulting mercury vapor will poison the people around.

When ingested, mercury interacts with selenium. The result is damage to an enzyme capable of producing a specific protein necessary for normal human life.

What happens if you inhale mercury? Vapors of the element that enter the body negatively affect the nervous system, disrupt all vital processes.

Symptoms and signs of mercury poisoning

How is mercury poisoning from a thermometer manifested? What is recommended to pay attention to in time to provide assistance to the injured person?

With prolonged exposure to a substance, it accumulates in the body, it is not excreted on its own.

Signs:

1. Constant headaches, drugs in this case are powerless;
2. The presence of a taste of metal in the oral cavity;
3. Deterioration of the general condition, apathy, drowsiness, lethargy;
4. Trembling of limbs;
5. Increase in body temperature;
6. Pain in the abdomen;
7. The appearance of ulcerative formations in the stomach;
8. internal bleeding;
9. Inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract;
10. swelling of the lungs;
11. The appearance of seizures;
12. Loss of consciousness, falling into a coma.

The symptoms of mercury poisoning are similar to those of heavy metal poisoning. The doctor will be able to make an accurate diagnosis after conducting the necessary examinations.

Chronic poisoning is characterized by the gradual development of symptoms. A person observes hair and teeth loss, many diseases become chronic due to weakened immunity.

Methods and methods of treatment of intoxication

If you find the described signs of poisoning, you need to urgently call a doctor. Prior to his arrival, the victim must be given first aid to alleviate his condition. How to help with poisoning at home?

What to do:

• The victim is taken out of the dangerous room, they are not allowed to breathe the substance further;
• Rinse the eyes and all mucous membranes with cool water, allow the mouth to be rinsed with a solution of manganese;
• Clothing that has been exposed to mercury is immediately folded into polyethylene;
• only valid with a probe;
• The victim is given plenty of milk to drink.

After the arrival of the doctor, the poisoned person is sent to a medical facility. Treatment of poisoning takes a long time and includes various procedures. The course is determined individually for each patient. First of all, an antidote of mercury is introduced - Unitiol. Depending on the severity of the poisoning, a specific scheme for the administration of the substance is selected.

In the course of treatment, drugs are used aimed at restoring the functioning of internal organs after poisoning. Be sure to use anti-allergic agents, various vitamin complexes, drugs to strengthen the immune system.

The average duration of treatment is thirty to forty days. In mild forms of poisoning, it is allowed to be treated at home.

Lethal dose for humans

Is it possible to die from mercury? A similar phenomenon is not excluded, although in most cases the prognosis is favorable. Depending on the type of mercury, the lethal dose of the substance will vary.

Dose:

1. The amount of mercury in inorganic substances is from 10 to 40 mg/kg of body weight for adults and children;
2. The presence of liquid metal in organic compounds, the dosage will be from 10 to 60 mg/kg;
3. The lethal dosage of mercury vapor is 2.5 g;
4. When ingested through the oral cavity, from 0.1 to 3 g of the substance is dangerous.

The lethal dosage is different for each person. However, vapor poisoning is considered more serious and severe for all people, the risk of death is significantly increased.

Prevention

It is easy to avoid poisoning in everyday life. Prevention will help to protect yourself from unpleasant consequences.

Measures:

• The thermometer is not left in places accessible to children;
• A child should use the device only under the supervision of adults;
• If the thermometer crashes, it is required to clean the room as soon as possible.

What to do if the thermometer shattered into pieces, and mercury scattered on the floor? In such a case, take actions that can protect the people around you.

Actions:

1. Urgently open the windows in the room, but do not allow drafts - small balls will simply blow away;
2. They put on unnecessary clothes, gloves on their hands, a wet bandage on their face;
3. In a liter of water, 2 grams of potassium permanganate are diluted;
4. Soap solution is prepared;
5. Mercury balls are collected with paper or tape, you can not use a vacuum cleaner;
6. Wash the floor with soapy water;
7. Mercury balls are put in a container with potassium permanganate;
8. Clothes, shoes, gloves are placed in plastic bags, tied tightly and handed over to the emergency service along with mercury;
9. After they take a shower, wash out all the mucous membranes, take activated charcoal - a tablet per kilogram of weight.

Poisoning with mercury metal in everyday life is possible. Care must be taken when using a thermometer. In emergency situations, it is imperative to call specialists to avoid negative health consequences.

Video: the danger of mercury to humans

You probably didn’t guess, but mercury was used in ancient Egypt, vials of mercury served as an amulet. Moreover, they even tried to cure with this metal. When a person had a volvulus of the intestine, he was given a certain amount of this substance in order to restore order in the internal organs. Subsequently, this metal served medicine for a long time, mercury could be found in many medicinal products. But this happened until people realized that this is a toxic substance and it can be hazardous to health.

Mercury thermometers are still used today, as this substance is an excellent conductor of heat. But they have an unpleasant feature of breaking. And many people, if the thermometer crashed, do not know what to do. Some believe that the apocalypse has happened and it is urgent to call all kinds of services in order to eliminate the devastating consequences.

But do not panic if you accidentally break a mercury thermometer, you just need to know the information on what to do and how dangerous it is. This has happened in every home and will continue to happen. Moreover, in medical institutions, thermometers are broken all the time. Although the situation seems unpleasant, there is a way out of it. There is a clear action plan to address the consequences.

You must know how to collect mercury if a thermometer breaks at home and eliminate this unpleasant consequence. In addition, you should acquaint your household with what to do if the thermometer breaks. Children should understand that it is impossible to hide the fact that they broke the thermometer, as this is fraught with unpleasant consequences. They are obliged to tell about it immediately, and if there are no adults nearby, it is advisable to call the rescue service.

What can a broken thermometer lead to?

At the very end of the device for measuring body temperature, there are mercury balls that are not dangerous to our body until they start to emit steam. And if mercury vapor enters the lungs, then a person can become seriously ill. Mercury balls are too small, they can easily roll into the gap, hide from the eyes.

If the balls of mercury are not removed, then a person can be poisoned only by inhaling the air in this room. After a while, the balls will begin to evaporate and will poison the lungs. And given that evaporation occurs at 18 degrees, you can imagine how quickly this process occurs.

In large quantities, this substance penetrates through the lungs, skin pores or mucous membranes. After some time, the central nervous system is damaged, the kidneys begin to fail, the gums collapse. As a result, this leads to other dangerous changes in the body.

A dangerous dose when a person dies is 2.5 mg. But do not worry, the thermometer is too small to cause great harm to the body. However, doing nothing when it gets damaged can really have huge repercussions. The mercury ball is very small, it weighs only two grams.

But even one gram will create a concentration in the room above any norm and vapor poisoning occurs immediately. However, this does not mean that you have to leave the apartment, but you should not leave it all like that. You just need to know how to collect mercury from a broken thermometer.

Mercury overdose symptoms

When a person is exposed to mercury for a long time, even if it is small, he develops chronic diseases. There are many diseases of the central nervous system, accompanied by insomnia, nervous disorders, depression. At the same time, hands often tremble, pneumonia develops. Kidneys, liver, heart are also malfunctioning.

In no case should children and pregnant women be in such a room, they are the most vulnerable and can suffer the most. Pregnant women risk the health of their unborn child. In women of childbearing age, the menstrual cycle is disrupted.

Prolonged poisoning with mercury vapor will have irreversible consequences. A person will most likely have huge problems with memory, his performance will decrease significantly, since it will be difficult for him to concentrate. Hypertension, psychosis, tuberculosis can affect him.

To understand that you have had mercury poisoning, staining of the mucous membranes of the mouth in red will help you. The taste of metal appears in the mouth. With severe intoxication, nausea, vomiting, severe, unbearable pain in the stomach occurs. Body temperature can rise to 39 degrees.

Children react to poisoning with the appearance of diarrhea with blood. Their urine becomes cloudy. The gums swell and bleed.

A person who has been severely poisoned by mercury feels intense fear, his whole body trembles, convulses. He has a severe headache, it is difficult for him to swallow. When the body is affected by a large amount of mercury, then death is immediate.

How to collect mercury from a broken thermometer

If a mercury thermometer breaks, it can be difficult for some people to remember what to do. If you find it difficult, then call the special services, you should know their numbers in advance. They are always ready to provide their assistance in this case and describe in detail how to collect mercury from a thermometer. Then you need to ask everyone in the household to leave and take your pets with you.

After that, you can take measures to remove the harmful substance. For example, if a thermometer crashed at home, what to do:

1. Prepare water, add potassium permanganate there, if not, then a small amount of soap and soda;
2. Take a container of water of a fairly large size;
3. Prepare paper, a syringe, cotton swabs, a knitting needle, any adhesive tape, a small light source, you can use a flashlight;
4. Put on shoes that you can then throw away;
5. Make a gauze or cloth bandage to protect the respiratory organs;
6. Protect your hands with gloves, preferably rubber medical;
7. Wet a piece of cloth in a potassium permanganate solution, put it on the floor near the door;
8. Open the window in the room, but keep the front door closed;
9. Carefully remove the fragments of the thermometer, trying not to make unnecessary movements;
10. Collect balls of mercury on a piece of paper and cotton wool, lower them into a jar of water;
11. Apply duct tape to the floor to collect any small particles that may be accidentally left behind. Then the adhesive tape should be placed in a jar of water;
12. Using bright light from a light source, inspect the entire surface of the floor, all the cracks. If there are metal balls left, then you will see them immediately, as they shine with metal. Try to pull them out with a knitting needle if they rolled into the slot and take them into the syringe;
13. If you suspect that mercury has got under the baseboard, then it will have to be broken in order to collect everything that could have got there;
14. The jar where you put the mercury should be well closed;
15. Wash the floor with a solution of potassium permanganate or with soap and soda;
16. Take off your mask, gloves, outerwear, put it in a plastic bag;
17. Call the number of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and ask how to get rid of everything that has come into contact with harmful substances;
18. Wash thoroughly in the shower, do not forget to rinse your mouth. You can use any disinfectant solution. Also take two tablets of activated charcoal to avoid poisoning the body. Mercury will be excreted from the body after some time with urine and therefore it is worth helping him. The use of diuretics will help to remove this harmful substance in a short time.

All actions to collect mercury from a broken thermometer must be quick. This should not take you several days. It is better not to live for some time in the room where the thermometer broke. Washing floor surfaces with water is mandatory, make a solution with the addition of disinfectants. We can use chlorine. Open the window from time to time to clear the air. Avoid drafts.

If you suspect that you have not removed all the mercury balls, call the sanitation service to come and check the room with special devices.

Undesirable actions in the disposal of mercury

In no case should a broken thermometer be thrown into a trash can or garbage chute. Even if mercury has not leaked out of the thermometer, it should still be disposed of in a special place.

Keep the jar in which you put the fragments of the thermometer and mercury balls with you until a specialized organization picks it up. She must destroy such things.

Do not attempt to clean up mercury dropouts with normal household cleaning products. Neither a broom nor a vacuum cleaner is suitable in this case.

Clothes and slippers that you were wearing during your self-disposal of mercury should also be handed over to a sanitary organization; you should not wash them yourself.

Drafts after disposal of mercury in the room are unacceptable.

What you must know

If you feel sorry for throwing away clothes for recycling because they are expensive, you can air them out on the street. Try to hang clothes away from people, you can use an attic or a barn for this purpose. Clothing should be outdoors for at least 3 months, and then it must be washed several times, adding soap and soda to the water.

When the balls of mercury are on the carpet, their removal becomes more difficult. The carpet will most likely have to be recycled. But if you are unable to part with something dear to you, then you can place the carpet outdoors for a few days. After that, give the carpet to the dry cleaner.

Sometimes mercury gets on other things - furniture. In this case, it is better to remove it for a while. Support furniture in a country house or garage where it will weather. After 3 months you can take her back home.

When the thermometer broke at home and the mercury balls got into the heater, the matter here becomes much more complicated. Mercury will definitely boil and its vapors will poison the air in the room. You can not try to get rid of the consequences yourself. In this situation, only a tight closing of the door and a call to the rescue service will save.

Women who are expecting the birth of a child, children and the elderly should in no case be in the room where the thermometer has broken.

It often happens that a child swallows mercury balls. It is necessary to call the ambulance number so that they examine it and eliminate the danger. Under such a combination of circumstances, the child is unlikely to be poisoned, but fragments of a thermometer, which can also accidentally get inside along with mercury balls, can damage the LCD.

If you find out that one of your household has removed the mercury balls with a vacuum cleaner, then get rid of this device. Otherwise, mercury will spread indoors through the filters of the vacuum cleaner and poison the human body. The hose from the vacuum cleaner, the bag is scrapped, the rest of the parts can be weathered and then reused.

Some people unknowingly wash mercury balls down the drain. In this case, you should check the knees to see if they are stuck there. If this did not happen, then they are most likely not worth it, since the sewage has already washed it away. But if you find balls in your knees, then put them in a jar of potassium permanganate solution and hand them over to a sanitary organization.

How to handle a mercury thermometer

You should always remember what consequences a broken thermometer can lead to and handle it carefully.
Never keep it in a place where small children can reach it.
When measuring temperature, it should be tightly pressed against the body.

When you try to remove the reading, then shake it in a free space where nothing interferes.
Keep the thermometer in a hard case.

To save yourself from severe anxiety, you should purchase an electronic thermometer. At least you will not be afraid for the health of your household and your own.