What to do if a mercury thermometer at home is broken. What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks? You should start collecting mercury with the largest drops

You probably didn't realize it, but mercury was used back in ancient Egypt, bottles of mercury served as an amulet. Moreover, they even tried to cure with this metal. When a person had a volvulus, he was given a certain amount of this substance to restore order to his stomach. 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 it was a toxic substance and could be hazardous to health.

Mercury thermometers are still used today, as this substance is an excellent conductor of heat. But they have the unpleasant property of breaking. And many people, if a thermometer breaks, don’t know what to do. Some believe that an apocalypse has occurred and it is necessary to urgently call all kinds of services to eliminate the devastating consequences.

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

You should know how to collect mercury if a thermometer breaks at home and eliminate this unpleasant consequence. In addition, you should introduce your household to what to do if the thermometer breaks. Children must understand that it is impossible to hide the fact that they broke a thermometer, as this is fraught unpleasant consequences. They are obliged to report this immediately, and if adults are not around, it is advisable to call the rescue service.

What can a broken thermometer do?

At the very end of the device for measuring body temperature there are mercury balls, which do not pose a danger to our body until they begin to release steam. And if mercury vapor penetrates the lungs, a person can become seriously ill. The mercury balls are too small, they can easily roll into the crack and hide from view.

If the mercury balls are not removed, then a person can become poisoned only by inhaling the air in this room. After some time, the balls will begin to evaporate and will poison the lungs. And considering 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, defeat occurs central nervous system, the kidneys begin to fail, the gums are destroyed. As a result, this leads to other dangerous changes in the body.

A dangerous dose when a person dies is 2.5 mg. But don't worry, the thermometer is too small to apply great harm body. However, failure to act when it is damaged can really have huge consequences. 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 will have to leave the apartment, but you shouldn’t leave it all like that. You just need to know how to collect mercury from broken thermometer.

Symptoms of mercury overdose

When a person is exposed long time Even if exposed to little mercury, he develops chronic diseases. Many diseases of the central nervous system occur, accompanied by insomnia, nervous disorders, depression. At the same time, hands often tremble and pneumonia develops. The kidneys, liver, and heart also malfunction.

Children and pregnant women should never be in such a room, they are the most vulnerable and can suffer the most. Pregnant women risk the health of their unborn child. Among women childbearing age the menstrual cycle is disrupted.

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

Coloring the mucous membranes of your mouth red will help you understand that you have mercury poisoning. This creates a metallic taste in the mouth. With severe intoxication, nausea, vomiting, and severe, unbearable pain in the stomach occur. Body temperature can rise to 39 degrees.

Children react to poisoning by having bloody diarrhea. Their urine becomes cloudy. The gums become swollen and blood flows from them.

A person severely poisoned by mercury feels strong fear, his whole body trembles, convulses. He has a severe headache and has difficulty swallowing. When the body is affected big amount mercury, then fatal outcome immediate.

How to collect mercury from a broken thermometer

If a mercury thermometer breaks, some people find it difficult to remember what to do. If you find it difficult, then call 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 all household members to leave and take their pets with them.

After this, measures can be taken to remove the harmful substance. For example, if a thermometer breaks at home, what should you do:

1. Prepare water, add potassium permanganate there, if you don’t have it, then a small amount of soap and soda;
2. Take a fairly large container of water;
3. Prepare paper, a syringe, cotton swabs, a knitting needle, any adhesive tape, a small light source, or a flashlight;
4. Put on shoes that you can then throw away;
5. Make a gauze or cloth bandage to protect your respiratory system;
6. Protect your hands with gloves, preferably rubber medical ones;
7. Soak a piece of cloth in a potassium permanganate solution and place it on the floor near the door;
8. Open the window in the room, but front door keep closed;
9. Carefully remove the thermometer debris, 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. Place duct tape on the floor to catch any small particles that may accidentally remain. The duct tape should then be placed in a jar of water;
12. Using a bright light from a lighting source, inspect the entire surface of the floor, all the cracks. If there are metal balls left there, you will see them immediately, as they reflect metal. Try to pull them out with a knitting needle if they have rolled into the gap and draw them into the syringe;
13. If you suspect that mercury has gotten under the baseboard, you will have to break it to collect everything that could have gotten there;
14. The jar where you put the mercury should be well closed;
15. Wash the floor with a solution of potassium permanganate or soap and soda;
16. Take off your mask, gloves, outerwear, put them away plastic bag;
17. Call the Ministry of Emergency Situations number and ask how to get rid of everything that has been in contact with harmful substances;
18. Wash thoroughly in the shower, and don't forget to rinse your mouth. You can use any disinfectant solution. Also take two tablets of activated carbon to avoid poisoning the body. Mercury will be excreted from the body after some time through urine and therefore it is worth helping it. Taking diuretics will help relieve this harmful substance for a short time.

All actions to collect mercury from a broken thermometer must be quick. This shouldn't take you several days. It is better not to live for some time in the room where the thermometer broke. Rinsing floor surfaces with water is mandatory; make a solution with the addition of disinfectants. It is acceptable to use bleach. Open a window from time to time to clear the air. Avoid drafts.

If you suspect that not all mercury balls have been removed, call the sanitary service so that they can come and check the room with special instruments.

Undesirable actions when disposing of mercury

Under no circumstances should you throw a broken thermometer into a trash can or garbage chute. Even if the mercury has not leaked from the thermometer, it should still be disposed of in a special place.

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

Do not try to remove fallen mercury with conventional means cleaning for the house. Neither a broom nor a vacuum cleaner is suitable in this case.

The clothes and slippers you wore during your self-disposal of mercury should also be taken to the sanitary organization, do not wash it yourself.

Drafts after mercury disposal in the room are unacceptable.

What you should definitely know

If you hate recycling your clothes because they're expensive, you can air them outside. Try to hang clothes away from people; you can use an attic or barn for this purpose. Clothes must be left outdoors for at least 3 months, and then they must be washed several times, adding soap and soda to the water.

When mercury balls end up on the carpet, removing them yourself becomes more difficult. The carpet will most likely have to be disposed of. But if you are unable to part with something dear to you, you can place the carpet in the open air for several days. After this, take 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. Maintain furniture in a country house or garage, where it will be weathered. After 3 months you can take her back home.

When a thermometer breaks at home and mercury balls get into the heating device, then the matter becomes much more complicated. The mercury will definitely boil and its vapors will poison the air in the room. You cannot try to get rid of the consequences on your own. In this situation, the only thing that will save you is closing the door tightly and calling the rescue service.

Women expecting the birth of a child, children and the elderly should under no circumstances 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 can examine it and eliminate the danger. Under such circumstances, the child is unlikely to be poisoned, but fragments of the thermometer, which can also accidentally get inside along with mercury balls, can damage the LCD.

If you find out that one of your household members has removed 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 and the bag are discarded, the remaining parts can be aired out and then reused.

Some people may unknowingly flush mercury beads down the drain. In this case, you should check your knees to see if they are stuck there. If this does not happen, then most likely there is no need to be afraid, since wastewater it has already been washed away. But if you find balls in your knees, then put them in a jar with a solution of potassium permanganate and hand them over to a sanitary organization.

How to handle a mercury thermometer

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

When you try to remove the readings, shake it in a free space where nothing is in the way.
Keep the thermometer in a hard case.

To relieve yourself of severe anxiety, you should purchase electronic thermometer. At least you won’t be afraid for the health of your household and your own.

Why is mercury dangerous?

At room temperature, mercury releases toxic fumes that enter the body through the respiratory tract.

If no measures are taken after the thermometer breaks, liquid metal will poison the air and gradually accumulate in the body. The problem is aggravated by the fact that mercury crumbles into small drops that are easy to miss in floor crevices, carpet pile, and behind baseboards.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning may not be noticeable for a long time.

Health problems may appear within a couple of months after direct contact with mercury. Main symptoms: weakness, general malaise, loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, headaches and sore throat, increased salivation, nausea and vomiting. As you can see, they can easily be attributed to stress, fatigue from work, or simple poisoning.

But if mercury continues to accumulate, more serious problems: trembling of fingers, eyelids, then arms and legs, predisposition to mental illness, tuberculosis, atherosclerotic phenomena, damage to the liver and gallbladder, hypertension.

How to collect mercury

If a thermometer breaks, first of all, take children and animals out of the room and close the door so that mercury vapor does not escape into neighboring rooms. To prevent anyone from transferring droplets of mercury on their shoes, lay a rag soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate before entering.

Potassium permanganate solution Add 2 grams of potassium permanganate to 1 liter of water and mix.

If it's cold outside, open the window. This will help slow down evaporation. One thing: under no circumstances should you allow a draft, which could cause mercury to fly throughout the room.

Put shoe covers or plastic bags on your feet and rubber gloves on your hands. Respiratory tract also needs protection. For example, a disposable mask with gauze soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Take glass jar with a lid (or any other sealed container), pour water or a solution of potassium permanganate into it and fold the fragments of the thermometer.

Take two sheets of paper and cotton wool soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Start collecting drops of mercury from the corners of the room towards the center. Using a cotton swab, push the drops onto the paper and whisk them into the jar. Instead of cotton wool, you can use regular tape: stick it on the floor where there is mercury and tear it off.

To collect all the mercury without any residue and get to the smallest drops in the cracks, use a syringe, a medical bulb with a fine tip, or a paint brush.

Close the jar of mercury tightly with a lid and place it in a cool place, preferably on the balcony. Do not throw it down the garbage disposal or pour its contents into the toilet.

How to treat a room and protect yourself

To ensure that not a trace of mercury remains in the room, treat the area where it was spilled. First - a solution of potassium permanganate: 20 grams of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. Apply it with a rag or using a spray bottle. After an hour, wipe the same area with soap and water. soda solution.

You will have to treat with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution 2-3 times a day for several days.

Soap and soda solution Grate a bar of soap and pour hot water and stir until the soap shavings are completely dissolved. Instead of regular soap You can use liquid. Pour the mixture with 10 liters of water. Add 100 grams baking soda. Stir.

Since you yourself have been in an unsafe room for a long time, you need to do the following:

1. Wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution.
2. Rinse your mouth very weak solution potassium permanganate.
3. Brush your teeth thoroughly.
4. Take 2-3 tablets of activated carbon.
5. Drink more fluids (tea, juice, coffee).

What not to do

1. Do not sweep mercury with a broom. Hard rods will only grind drops of mercury into fine dust and spread throughout the room.
2. Do not vacuum up mercury. During blowing, warm air causes mercury to evaporate even more intensely. In addition, its particles will remain on the engine parts and will spread throughout the apartment during cleaning.
3. Do not throw the thermometer down the garbage disposal. Mercury will pollute the air throughout the house.
4. Do not flush mercury down the toilet. It will settle in the sewer pipes, and it will be very difficult to remove it from there.
5. Clothing that has been exposed to mercury should be thrown away. When washing, small metal particles will settle in the washing machine.
6. There is no need to rinse rags and other available materials in the sink. We have already talked about sewer pipes. Just collect everything in a thick plastic bag and tie it tightly. You can't take it to the trash.

Where to return a broken thermometer

Neither the broken thermometer itself, nor the items with which you collected mercury, can be simply thrown into the trash. They need to be sent to a facility that can recycle mercury.

Call 112 to the Ministry of Emergency Situations and report that your thermometer has broken. They will write down your address, tell you what needs to be done, or come to your home if you are not sure that you were able to completely clean the premises. It's free.

True, EMERCOM employees are often busy with other matters and are not always able to promptly help with a broken thermometer. In this case, you can call a paid demercurization service in your city.

If you managed to remove mercury without outside help, call the nearest sanitary and epidemiological station. Experts will tell you the address where you can donate mercury.

Every home has a thermometer for measuring temperature - infrared, electronic or the usual mercury. If the first two do not carry potential danger, then mercury can create a problem - what to do if a thermometer breaks at home and the contents spill.

Design, advantages and disadvantages of a mercury thermometer

The design of a traditional thermometer is based on the properties of mercury to expand as the temperature rises. The metal is soldered into a capillary tube, the air from which is pumped out.

The tube is mounted on a graduated scale with a range of one degree. Minimum indicator is 32 °C, maximum - 42°.

Mercury only moves up. Such a device, unlike a room or street thermometer, records body temperature, stopping the mercury column at a certain point. For installation entry level vigorous shaking is required.

Despite the advent of modern electronic and infrared thermometers, their mercury predecessor remains popular. Its advantages:

• accuracy of readings;
• lack of response to changes in ambient temperature;
• possibility of disinfection in a special solution;
• affordability.

The disadvantage is the long period of time required to establish the temperature (5–10 minutes). The main disadvantage is the fragility of the glass tube and the possibility of mercury leaking if, for example, a mother accidentally breaks the thermometer while preparing to measure the child’s temperature.

How to use it correctly

The thermometer should be stored at home in a protective case. Other simple rules:

• When shaking, do not squeeze the device with your fingers;
• do not measure the temperature with a mercury thermometer for more than 10 minutes, so as not to forget about the manipulation or fall asleep;
• After each use, wipe the device with a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide;
• Keep the thermometer out of the reach of children.

This will reduce the risk of damage to the device.

What is the danger of mercury

If a mercury thermometer breaks, you should understand the degree of danger that has arisen. Mercury itself is not toxic. Even if accidentally swallowed, it will not cause harm to the body, since it will be excreted in feces without being absorbed into the intestines. Mercury vapor is dangerous because it easily penetrates into the lungs when inhaled. With the bloodstream they enter the heart, kidneys, stomach, brain and are able to cause pathologies:

• gastrointestinal disorder ( gastrointestinal tract) With cutting pains, diarrhea;
• stomatitis;
• debilitating headaches;
• rapid pulse;
• neuroses;
• attacks of nausea and vomiting;
• swelling and bleeding gums;
• dermatitis;
• kidney dysfunction.

The body weakens, anemia develops, convulsions appear, and the temperature rises. A painful, prolonged cough begins with a sore throat. This condition is dangerous as it causes pulmonary edema. Severe mercury poisoning can be fatal.

Pre-cleaning

Having discovered that a mercury household thermometer has been accidentally broken, children and pets are first removed from the apartment. Adults not involved in collecting spilled mercury also leave the room. Remember: this metal is extremely dangerous for pregnant women.

The room in which the broken thermometer was found is ventilated, but without drafts: the windows are opened when behind closed doors.

To prevent mercury vapor from causing negative impact, before starting demercurization (neutralization of mercury), wear protective equipment personal protection. Clothes chosen are synthetic, with long sleeves and trousers. Boots or sneakers covered with shoe covers are put on your feet.

Step-by-step instructions (Fig. 1): 1. Cover your nose and mouth with a damp cloth; 2.Open the window and ventilate the room with the doors closed; 3. Put rubber gloves on your hands.

The bronchi and lungs protect against mercury poisoning a respirator or cotton-gauze bandage, moistened with soda solution or just water. Before removing a broken thermometer, protect your hands with rubber gloves and your eyes with goggles. Prepare a flashlight or portable lamp.

Self-collection of mercury

It is important to know what to do if a mercury thermometer is broken at home, since the safety of people in the room depends on it.

Mercury leaked from a thermometer is most dangerous when its vapors are inhaled, so a container with cold water is prepared for collection.

Usually, if a thermometer breaks, the mercury scatters in the form of balls. You cannot lift them with your hands (and it is impossible to do this). The sequence of actions is as follows.

If metal balls have rolled under the plinth with a deep gap underneath, and it is not possible to remove them from there, the plinth is removed and thoroughly processed.

You cannot deal with a broken thermometer continuously. They work for 10–15 minutes, then go into another room or onto the balcony.

In a situation where a child breaks a thermometer and mercury gets on clothes, toys, and other objects, a decision is quickly made. If things are not valuable, they are wrapped in cellophane and taken to the garbage chute. If an item is needed, carefully remove all mercury balls from it using adhesive tape or a syringe and take it to the Fresh air for ventilation.

The final stage of cleaning

Everything that will be collected after a broken thermometer, including glass fragments, is carefully poured into a container of water. They are also placed there cotton buds, tape or adhesive tape and other items used in collecting mercury.

What to do next if the thermometer at home is broken. All surfaces with possible mercury residues are sprinkled with powdered magnesium sulfate purchased at the pharmacy. When interacting with mercury, an insoluble salt is formed that does not emit toxic fumes.

After 5-6 hours, the particles of the substance are carefully collected with a damp rag, poured into the same container with water. Close hermetically and place in a cool place out of reach of children. The container is not thrown away, but, according to the rules, is handed over to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Used large items - brushes, gloves, shoe covers - are placed in plastic bags, sealed tightly and taken out to the trash container.

To treat surfaces damaged by spilled mercury if a thermometer is broken, you can make a saturated solution of potassium permanganate at home. They pour it into him vinegar essence- a teaspoon per liter of liquid, and add salt - a tablespoon. In such situations, potassium permanganate, diluted to a brown color in a liter of water with the addition of soda (a tablespoon) and grated soap (1.5 tablespoons), is a good disinfectant in such situations.

First, all surfaces are wiped with wet newspaper, then moistened several times with the prepared solution, preventing complete drying. This treatment lasts about eight hours.

After disinfection, traces of solutions are washed off clean water and do a thorough wet cleaning with the usual cleaning compounds. Repeat it daily for a week.

To prepare a disinfectant solution, substances with chlorine are used - White, chloramine. Use ferric chloride with caution, making a 20% solution. Chloride of lime is diluted in water in a ratio of 1:5.

On household level in residential buildings this method is rarely used. Used in educational, preschool, and medical institutions.

Attention!

The room in which the thermometer containing mercury was broken and then disinfected is used only after daily ventilation.

Actions after cleaning

Having finished cleaning, take off protective clothing and, placing it in a plastic bag, throw it into the garbage chute. Or they are treated with bleach solutions, then hung in fresh air until the odors disappear.

Rinse your mouth with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and brush your teeth. For prevention they take Activated carbon(4-5 tablets). Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day.

Call 01 to inform the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the incident and ask them to pick up the container with toxic contaminants.

Step-by-step instructions (Fig. 2): 4. Place the mercury in a jar of water and close the lid. 5. Treat the areas where there was mercury with potassium permanganate with the addition of vinegar and salt. Chlorine-containing solutions are also used. 6. Call 01 and inform the Ministry of Emergency Situations about the incident.

What not to do

When working with a broken thermometer, it is prohibited:

• create drafts in the room until traces of mercury are eliminated;
• throw the remains of the broken thermometer into the garbage chute or pour out collected mercury into the toilet;
• use a broom or a rough broom when collecting, since under their influence the balls will disintegrate and it will be more difficult to find them;
• use a vacuum cleaner, since the mercury will receive additional heat and begin to evaporate more intensely, and the vacuum cleaner itself will become contaminated with particles that will settle on its elements and emit vapors each time it is turned on;
• use a magnet, since mercury reacts poorly to attraction;
• wash items damaged by mercury;
• touch mercury beads with unprotected hands.

If upholstered furniture or long-pile carpet is contaminated with mercury droplets, you will need to call workers who specialize in demercurization.

Who can help

If after completion of work there is no confidence in complete cleaning premises, invite workers from the sanitary and epidemiological service, who will use special instruments to determine the concentration in the air harmful fumes and carry out complex processing.

If, when mercury contamination is detected, it is not possible to cope with the problem on your own, call the Ministry of Emergency Situations for the coordinates of specialized centers for demercurization of houses.

Analyzing whether it is dangerous to accidentally break a mercury thermometer, we can confidently say that such a situation requires immediate action to prevent poisoning from toxic fumes.