When the thermometer breaks. What to do if the thermometer breaks

Almost every one of us has a mercury thermometer at home, which is used for its damage can be very dangerous: mercury is the only metal contained in a liquid state at room temperature, and inhaling its vapors can lead to poisoning. That is why you need to have a good idea of ​​what you should do if you crash. Below we will describe the actions that should be taken in such a situation.

So, what to do if a mercury thermometer breaks: step one.

To begin with, without panicking in any way, you need to limit access to All people not involved in cleaning should be taken outside (or to another room) and the door of the room in which the thermometer was broken should be tightly closed. Be attentive and careful, do not trample in dangerous places, so as not to later spread mercury balls on the sole of your shoes to other rooms.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks: step two.

Put on and collect the thermometer fragments and mercury balls. It is convenient to do this with a syringe without a needle, tape, adhesive tape or two sheets of paper. The last method is as follows: using sheets of paper, connect mercury balls to each other, and then roll them onto the paper. To remove balls of mercury from the crack, use a needle with a cotton swab soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate wrapped around it. An alternative is to use copper wire (mercury sticks to copper), but the copper content in the wire must be significant, and the surface of the wire must be cleaned of oxides.

The collected mercury and tools should be placed in a jar of water and closed tightly.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks: step three.

Mercury vapor evaporates in smaller quantities at low temperatures, so it is advisable to ventilate the room, unless, of course, it is plus thirty outside. Next, you need to treat the area where the thermometer broke with a solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 2 grams of potassium permanganate per liter of water, and then with a soap-soda solution at the rate of 50 grams of soda and soap per liter of water.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks: step four.

After the work has been done, you need to get rid of the jar of mercury. You should call the Ministry of Emergency Situations and find out where you need to take it, and until then put it away from heating objects, in a cool place where there is no access to sunlight.

As for you, increase the amount of fluid you consume in the near future, since mercury formations leave the body through the kidneys.

A few words about what not to do.

Avoid contact of mercury with skin.

Do not create a draft in a ventilated room.

You should not sweep mercury balls with a broom, as hard rods can crush the mercury balls, after which it will be difficult to collect them.

You cannot collect mercury using a vacuum cleaner, since the air blown by the device facilitates the evaporation of mercury vapor.

Do not wash shoes and clothing that have been in contact with mercury in washing machines. Ideally, it should be thrown away (clothes and shoes).

You cannot get rid of mercury using the sewer system, because if it settles in the sewer pipes, then removing it from there is almost impossible.

You should not throw a broken thermometer into the garbage chute, since the tiny fraction of mercury that evaporates there can contaminate a large area.

Don't let this information pass you by. When situations like this happen, you begin to reproach yourself for your negligence and inability to take action when necessary. If you know how to behave when a mercury thermometer breaks, “what to do” - the question that instantly arises in difficult moments will not confuse you.

If a thermometer with a mercury tip breaks in your home, you need to implement a clear algorithm of actions to neutralize the dangerous substance. The main thing is not to panic, because the situation, although unpleasant, is not catastrophic; this happens in every family.

It will not hurt anyone to read this article - you will be prepared for such a domestic emergency. And one more thing - have a conversation with your household, especially children, and explain that if one of them breaks the thermometer - you cannot hide it, you should immediately tell an adult or call the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

What is the danger of a broken thermometer?

Mercury, which is contained in the tip of a thermometer, is a substance hazardous to health. Dangerous are mercury vapors, which, in the case of a developed thermometer, enter the human respiratory system. Wrong actions, unfortunately, can lead to small balls of mercury remaining in the room for a long time and poisoning the air.

The danger of a broken mercury thermometer is that very mobile mercury balls can easily get stuck in the crack, roll into the far corner of the room, they will not be visible and will be extremely difficult to get out. It is these small balls that will then evaporate toxic poisonous fumes.

Mercury evaporates at a temperature of 18 C, poisonous fumes enter the body mainly through the lungs (80%). With large evaporation, when there is a large leak of metal, mercury vapor penetrates the body through the mucous membranes and through the pores of the skin, primarily affecting the central nervous system, kidneys, and gums.

Mercury is most dangerous for children and pregnant women:

• Changes in kidney and lung function may occur in children
• Pregnant women are at risk of intrauterine damage to the fetus due to chronic exposure to mercury.

So, the mercury thermometer has broken, what should you do?

If in a panic you have forgotten everything you read about in our article, dial the number of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (by phone 01 or 112, if you are calling from a mobile phone) or the sanitary service and strictly follow their instructions. If you are able to cope with the problem yourself, then to assemble a broken thermometer, you should do the following:

• Remove people and animals from the room where the “accident” occurred and close the door tightly.
• Prepare:
  • a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, as well as a soap-soda solution;
  • a jar (preferably three-liter) with a tight lid, which is filled 2/3 with cold water or potassium permanganate solution;
  • 2 sheets of paper;
  • syringe or medical bulb;
  • a piece of cotton wool or a brush;
  • knitting needle or awl;
  • tape or adhesive tape;
  • flashlight.
• Wear rubber slippers (but not fabric ones), which you don’t mind throwing away, or put plastic bags on your feet.
• Put a wet gauze bandage on your face (or adapt a piece of cloth) to protect your lungs, as well as rubber gloves on your hands (preferably medical, tight-fitting ones - it will be inconvenient to perform delicate manipulations in household gloves).
• Soak a rag in a strong solution of potassium permanganate and lay it on the threshold of the room where the thermometer broke.
• Close the door tightly behind you and open the window. At the same time, windows in other rooms must be closed.
• Pick up the thermometer and everything that is left of it, being careful not to scatter the mercury remaining in the tip, and place it in a jar of water.
• Carefully roll small balls of mercury into one large one (they will merge) using sheets of paper.
• Push large balls onto a sheet of paper using cotton wool and pour them into a jar of water.
• After the mercury balls visible to the eye have been collected, you should collect the small ones using tape by gluing it to the surface where the thermometer broke. After processing, the tape should be placed in a jar of water.
• Using a flashlight, examine all the cracks and places where balls of mercury could have rolled (they will glow with a metallic color). Mercury is removed from hard-to-reach places using a sharp thin object (knitting needle) or sucked into a bulb or syringe.
• Place a syringe or bulb with mercury in the jar as well.
• If mercury could roll under the baseboard, it should be dismantled and the mercury collected using the above methods.
• Close the jar with a lid.
• Wash the floor and surfaces where mercury was collected with a solution of potassium permanganate or a soap-soda solution (you can do the first, then the second);
• Remove clothing, gloves, mask, shoes or bags and place everything in a separate bag, tying it tightly. Next, proceed with the clothes as described below.
• Call the Ministry of Emergency Situations and find out where you can hand over the jar with dangerous contents, as well as all items that have been in contact or could have been in contact with mercury (gloves, a bulb, cotton wool, a floor rag, your clothes and shoes, etc.).
• Take a shower and rinse your mouth with soda solution.

Your actions must be careful, but at the same time, you cannot stretch out the most dangerous part of demercurization - the collection of mercury - for hours. For the next 7 days, try to exclude the presence of people and animals in this room, constantly ventilate it, eliminating drafts. Every day it is necessary to wash the floor and surfaces that have come into contact with mercury with a soap-soda solution or water with the addition of a chlorine-containing disinfectant.

What absolutely should not be done if you break a thermometer:

• A broken thermometer, collected mercury, materials you used to collect metal, or even if the thermometer broke and the mercury did not leak out - you should not throw it into the garbage chute, sewer, or trash container.
• If you followed the algorithm and put everything in a jar of potassium permanganate, this jar also cannot be thrown into the above places - mercury is not neutralized, this is only a temporary measure until disposal in a specialized organization.
• Do not use a broom, rag or vacuum cleaner to collect mercury.
• You cannot wash clothes in a washing machine and shoes that you wore while collecting mercury; they should be handed over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
• Until all sources of evaporation have been collected, it is impossible to create a draft in the apartment.

Popular questions and answers to them

What should I do if the mercury thermometer broke, but at the same time I was wearing expensive clothes that could come into contact with mercury, but I feel sorry for throwing them away?

If clothing has been in contact with mercury, it should be placed in a bag and hung outdoors to air. Naturally, not on the balcony, where you often go out, and you will breathe mercury vapor. It can be in the attic of a summer house, in a barn, etc. Clothes should be aired for about 3 months, and then washed several times in a soap-soda solution.

What to do if the thermometer breaks on the carpet, mercury balls fall on soft toys or on the bed?

Collecting mercury from carpet becomes much more difficult. Most likely, you will have to part with the carpet and toys and take them for disposal, and without delay, but immediately after cleaning. If things are dear to you and it’s a shame to throw them away, you should do the same as described above with clothes. After weathering, the carpet and toys should be dry cleaned. It’s worse if the thermometer breaks on a bed, on upholstered furniture, or on bed linen, then it should be aired out for 3 months; if the furniture was not covered with anything, then it’s better to take it out to the garage, barn, or country house for 3 months.

If mercury from a broken thermometer gets onto a hot heating radiator, can I clean the room myself using the above algorithm?

No, in this case you should immediately leave the room, close the door tightly and call the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Mercury already boils at 40 C, so in this case all the mercury that gets on the radiators will end up in the air.

Which categories of persons are prohibited from contacting mercury?

Children under 18 years of age, elderly people over 65 years of age, pregnant women and persons with pathologies of the nervous and urinary systems.

My child swallowed mercury from a broken thermometer. What to do?

You must go to an emergency room so that your child can be examined by a doctor. You cannot be poisoned by eating mercury, but the child must be examined (in addition to mercury, a piece of glass from a broken thermometer could get into the gastrointestinal tract).

Household members broke the thermometer and collected the mercury with a vacuum cleaner. What to do in this case?

This is a terrible mistake that results in the mercury being dispersed into tiny pellets and released into the air through the outlet of the vacuum cleaner's filter system. It is necessary to carry out demercurization according to the algorithm, and dispose of the vacuum cleaner or remove the filter, bag and remove the corrugated hose, which should be scrapped - you will have to say goodbye to these components. The vacuum cleaner should be left to air for several months outdoors.

The child broke the thermometer in the bathroom and carefully washed the mercury down the drain with a stream of water. Can mercury poison a room if left in the sewer?

Of course, such actions are unacceptable, but since mercury is heavier than water, it is washed off and goes with wastewater into the city sewer. If there are elbows in the sewer system of your apartment, mercury will easily settle there. Therefore, the knees should be disassembled and checked for the presence of mercury balls; if any are found, they should be poured into a jar of potassium permanganate, which should be disposed of.

Precautions when handling thermometers

• Buy an electronic or infrared thermometer: it is no less accurate, but absolutely safe.
• When taking children's temperatures, press firmly on the child's hand
• Don't give it to children
• Carefully record the readings on it, away from hard objects to avoid a sharp blow.
• Should be stored in a special plastic case.
• If it breaks, be sure to collect everything according to the recommendations and dispose of it properly.

Mercury thermometer- This is a useful device with which you can find out the exact temperature of a person’s body. It is indispensable during any cold; the patient will be able to obtain all the necessary information in a few minutes.

The main problem is that mercury is considered a dangerous liquid metal, which in certain situations can greatly harm a person. In the text of the article you will find precise answers to a number of common questions.

What should you do if the thermometer breaks? How to protect yourself and your loved ones?

A broken mercury thermometer is considered dangerous, as a certain amount of toxic fumes begins to enter the air.

Harmful vapors will actively penetrate the human body through the respiratory system. Start collecting mercury beads as early as possible. In this way, dangerous consequences can be avoided.

The metal will not begin to pollute the air in the room, and will not penetrate the body. The main problem is that small crystals will spill out of a broken thermometer onto the floor. They are difficult to notice during the cleaning process. Carefully check all cracks and hard-to-reach places.

If you cannot effectively collect mercury from your broken thermometer, then after a short period of time a number of unpleasant symptoms will appear and your overall health will deteriorate.

It is especially dangerous if a small child lives in the apartment. Everyone should learn special rules for handling thermometers. Do not give this device to small children; store it in hard-to-reach places.

The thermometer should always be in a plastic case that will protect the device case when dropped. Be very careful when knocking down the device.

Do not shake your hand near hard objects. Monitor your child’s behavior if it is the baby who is forced to measure the temperature. Be nearby and hold the child's hand.

In cases where the problem cannot be prevented, it is important to quickly take steps to correct the problem. You must know exactly what to do if your home mercury thermometer in your apartment breaks.

Effective first aid will help keep you and your loved ones safe. Pay attention! Evaporation occurs much more intensely if the room is hot. Turn off the air conditioner and heater.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning

There are two types of illness. The acute phase is characteristic when a very high concentration of mercury enters the body at one time. If a thermometer breaks at home, then within a couple of hours your health will worsen.

You will notice the following signs of the disease:

1. Deterioration in performance, problems with appetite.
2. Severe headache and dizziness.
3. Unpleasant sensations when swallowing saliva.
4. Metallic taste in the mouth.
5. Excessive salivation, bleeding in the mouth.
6. Nausea, frequent vomiting.
7. Unpleasant sensations in the abdominal area, loose stools.
8. A sharp and rapid increase in body temperature, the appearance of a cough.

In particularly difficult situations, loss of consciousness or even death may occur. When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor as quickly as possible.

If you were not able to immediately remove all the mercury from the thermometer, and some crystals remained on the floor, then after a few weeks you will show signs of chronic poisoning.

Much depends on the individual characteristics of the body. A small amount of mercury vapor from a thermometer may not bother adults at all, but will certainly affect the health of a small child.

Patients will experience increased fatigue, apathy and emotional problems. Many people complain of headaches and an unpleasant tremor.

If your mercury thermometer breaks, you need to take all necessary first aid methods as soon as possible. This metal has the unpleasant property of accumulating in the body.

How to properly throw away a thermometer

Many men and women are trying to find the exact answer to the question of what to do if a mercury thermometer breaks. This procedure is not very complicated, but it is important to do everything quickly and correctly.

The dropped thermometer may not have broken; carefully check the case for damage. In some cases, the problem will be visible even to the naked eye.

Not only small children, but also animals must leave the premises. A pet can easily spread small crystals throughout the apartment.

You need to close the door to the room and open the window for ventilation; there should be no draft! If kids break a thermometer in the apartment, then you need to carefully inspect their things. Crystals of dangerous liquid metal could remain on clothing.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks?

Before starting the cleaning process, it is advisable to put shoe covers on your feet, as well as a gauze bandage over your mouth. It is important to prepare a special solution of potassium permanganate, which will prevent further evaporation of mercury.

Pay attention! This liquid can leave stains on a light-colored surface; you need to very carefully collect the mercury from the broken thermometer.

To do this, prepare two pieces of paper and a brush. Try to collect large crystals in one place; this must be done with a brush. Place the balls on a piece of paper, and then pour the collected mercury into a jar.

A broken home thermometer could have small particles, what should you do in such cases?

Regular tape comes to the rescue. Glue it to the place where the largest number of balls were.

Repeat this procedure several times, everything must be done very carefully. Dip the used material into potassium permanganate.

After cleaning, shine a flashlight on the surface of the affected area. Mercury will definitely shine and glow if the thermometer has recently broken. At the very end, treat the area where the mercury thermometer was broken with potassium permanganate.

Particular attention should be paid to the problem in cases where a broken device has fallen into a hard-to-reach place. In such situations, it is important to carefully move the furniture away, and only then proceed with complete disinfection.

If you cannot remove the remaining mercury-containing thermometer shell yourself, you should call a specialist. The thermometer breaks very easily, remember this.

It will be much easier to fix the problem if the thermometer body has not been damaged. All you have to do is carefully pick up the broken device and then place it in the jar. This should be done slowly and without sudden movements. It is important to make sure that not a drop of mercury leaks out!

Prohibited tricks

You must know exactly what not to do if your thermometer breaks. A person must remove crystals carefully; dangerous liquid metal can affect your well-being.

It is important to understand not only how to properly collect mercury, but also where it will need to be thrown away. A regular trash container won't do. After the device breaks, collect all small particles of mercury, and then call the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Experts will tell you how to properly deal with leftover thermometers.

You must take the jar with particles of liquid metal to a special authority. Mercury disposal is a very complex process that should only be handled by professionals. You should definitely contact them if you break your thermometer at home.

Thus, environmental pollution can be effectively prevented. Also, you should not pour a contaminated solution of potassium permanganate into the toilet; the crystals will settle in the pipeline and will not reach the wastewater.

If the thermometer breaks, mercury may get on your clothes. These items cannot be washed in a washing machine. It is best to use dry cleaning services. If you ignore all safety rules, subsequent washes will also become dangerous.

What to do if the thermometer was suddenly broken?

In such cases, the main thing is not to panic; in critical situations, it is human nature to make thoughtless mistakes. You can always call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which will help you fix the problem.

In the most difficult situations, specialists will come to your home and remove the broken thermometer and every mercury crystal. If you did not call a special service for help, you will still have to take the jar with the harmful metal to a special institution.

There is even a special legal act, the text of which states that throwing a broken thermometer into a regular trash container entails administrative liability.

You may be fined! The size of the monetary penalty for large enterprises will be quite large. Do not pollute the environment and be respectful when disposing of the thermometer.

How to protect yourself

If a thermometer breaks in an apartment, it is important to detect the problem as early as possible. In some cases, the thermometer will fall unnoticed; only after some time will the person find the source of contamination.

If you have been in the same room with a source of pollution for a long time, then you need to take some preventive measures. Immediately wash shoes and stained furniture with potassium permanganate.

It is also necessary to rinse your mouth with a weak solution of this liquid and clean the oral cavity. A sorbent will be an effective assistant; several tablets of activated carbon are ideal. After a person has broken a thermometer and has been breathing vapor for a long time, he should drink a lot of liquid.

Metabolism will speed up, mercury will leave the body faster. Anyone who has removed the remains of crystals must undergo such preventive measures. Even after your mercury thermometer has broken (which happens quite often) and you have eliminated the source of contamination, the danger of illness remains.

If you experience the first symptoms of poisoning, you must immediately call an ambulance.

It is especially dangerous if young children or a pregnant woman have suffered from harmful fumes. Mercury will begin to penetrate the body as soon as you break the thermometer. Even before the doctors arrive, the patient must drink as much fluid as possible.

Let's sum it up

Mercury thermometers can be very dangerous in cases where a person has neglected all safety measures. This liquid metal can negatively affect human health and well-being, as well as cause the emergence of new diseases.

The first sign of vapor poisoning often appears within a few hours.

Many people break the thermometer and then carelessly collect small crystals. You can't do that! It is important not to make mistakes and disinfect the room correctly.

You must follow the exact algorithm of actions if your mercury thermometer breaks. Anyone can break a thermometer, but only a few are able to efficiently remove all particles of mercury. Don't panic and follow the instructions. Thus, it is possible to effectively prevent any negative consequences from dangerous vapors.

As a safe alternative, you can use electronic thermometers. They will not break and will be able to accurately show the temperature of a person’s body.

— Why is a broken thermometer dangerous?
— What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks?
— What not to do with a broken thermometer
— Actions after removing mercury

Mercury, with which temperature is measured, is element 80 of the periodic table and belongs to the first class of danger, representing a cumulative poison. This is a metal that is in a liquid state in the range from -39 to +357 degrees Celsius. That is, it is the only metal that at room temperature is not in solid, but in liquid aggregate form. At the same time, already from +18 degrees, mercury begins to evaporate, releasing extremely toxic fumes. And it is precisely this fact that makes a broken thermometer an extremely dangerous incident.

The amount of mercury in a regular thermometer is about two to five grams. If all the mercury evaporates in a room with an area of ​​18-20 square meters, then the concentration of mercury vapor in the room will be about 100 milligrams per cubic meter. And this is 300 thousand times more than the maximum permissible concentration for residential areas, since with standard indicators the level of mercury in residential premises should not exceed 0.0003 milligrams per cubic meter.

Of course, these are more theoretical calculations. Natural ventilation of rooms will never lead to such an excess, and a very high temperature is needed to evaporate all the mercury. But without proper action, a broken thermometer will lead to exceeding the maximum permissible concentration of mercury vapor by 50-100 times, which is also quite a lot and very dangerous.

It should also be noted that mercury tends to accumulate in the body. That is, without collecting it carefully, the consequences of inhaling mercury vapor may appear several weeks later, when you have already forgotten about the broken thermometer. In this case, diagnosing the causes of the malaise will be very difficult.

— What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks?

1) Open the windows to allow fresh air to enter and lower the temperature in the room (the warmer the apartment, the more active the metal evaporation occurs).

2) Restrict access of people and pets to the room where the device crashed.

3) Using a newspaper slightly soaked in water, wearing rubber gloves and a gauze bandage on your face, collect the mercury. The smallest balls can be collected with adhesive tape.

4) Place the collected mercury in a container with water and close tightly. Water is needed to prevent mercury from evaporating. Do not throw the container into the garbage disposal, toilet, or pour it out on the street!

5) On the website of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of your city (for Moscow), find out the phone number of the nearest sanitary and epidemiological station. Its specialists will tell you where to take the mercury. If you're not sure you've collected all the mercury, you can call a professional to inspect your home.

6) Using a brush or spray bottle, treat the spill area with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate (you should get a dark brown, almost opaque solution). Leave for about an hour, and then rinse with a soap-soda solution (dissolve 40 g of laundry soap and 50 g of baking soda in a liter of water).

7) Try not to enter the room during the day. The floor can then be washed with water.

8) After collecting mercury, rinse your mouth with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, take 2-3 tablets of activated carbon - this will reduce the effect of toxins on the body.

9) Ventilate the room three times a day for ten minutes for 10 days to completely get rid of mercury vapor.

— What not to do with a broken thermometer

You also need to remember the list of actions that should never be done in a situation where a thermometer in your house is broken:

1) Mercury balls cannot be collected with a broom or vacuum cleaner.
In such cases, the liquid metal only crushes, and the warm movement of the vacuum cleaner promotes its evaporation. The consequences of such cleaning will only worsen the current situation;

2) Collected mercury, even in a tightly closed glass jar with a solution of potassium permanganate, should not be thrown into a garbage chute or trash container.
There it will inevitably break over time, which will endanger other people (mercury from one thermometer can pollute up to six thousand cubic meters of air). Remains of a mercury thermometer and collected mercury are disposed of only according to the recommendations of Emergencies Ministry specialists;

3) It is strictly forbidden to wash items that have been in contact with mercury in a washing machine.
Even using disinfectant detergents. Disposal of mercury is a very complex process and such actions will not only not save clothes and things, but will also make further washing dangerous;

4) Do not flush mercury down the drain.
It will not reach the sewage station, but will settle in the “elbows” of the pipeline and will pollute the air with evaporation for a long time.

5) And most importantly: if the thermometer breaks, you should never panic.
In such a situation, she is your main enemy. If you are worried about what happened and cannot remember what to do, just dial the number of the Ministry of Emergency Situations 112. They will always provide you with qualified advice and tell you in detail what to do if the thermometer breaks. And in difficult cases, they will refer you to the appropriate services that will eliminate the consequences of what happened.

— Actions after removing mercury

1) Wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution (but it is better to simply dispose of gloves according to the recommendations given above);

2) Rinse your mouth and throat with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate;

3) Brush your teeth thoroughly;

4) Take 2-3 tablets of activated carbon;

5) Drink more diuretic liquid (tea, coffee, juice), since mercury formations are eliminated from the body through the kidneys.

After the mercury from the broken thermometer has been collected, it is necessary to treat the site of the mercury spill with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate and (or) bleach. This will oxidize the mercury and render it non-volatile.

Option 1: "Potassium permanganate".

1) The potassium permanganate solution should be dark brown, almost opaque. Per liter of solution you need to add 1 tbsp. l. salts and some acid (for example, 1 tablespoon of vinegar essence, or a pinch of citric acid, or a spoonful of rust remover).

2) Treat the contaminated surface (and all its crevices!) with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate using a brush, broom or spray bottle. Leave the applied solution for 6-8 hours, periodically wetting the treated surface with water as the solution dries. The solution may leave permanent stains on the floor or things.

3) Then wash off the reaction products with a soap-soda solution (40 g of soap and 50 g of soda per 1 liter of water). Repeat this procedure over the next few days, with the only difference being that leave the potassium permanganate solution for 1 hour rather than 6-8 hours. Daily wet cleaning of the premises and frequent ventilation are recommended.

Option 2: “Whiteness” + “Potassium permanganate”.

Complete chemical demercurization takes place in 2 stages.

Stage 1: in a plastic (not metal!) bucket, prepare a solution of chlorine-containing bleach “Belizna” at the rate of 1 liter of “Belizna” per 8 liters of water (2% solution). Using the resulting solution, using a sponge, brush or cloth, rinse the contaminated surface. Pay special attention to the cracks of parquet and baseboards. Leave the applied solution for 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water.

Stage 2: treat the surface with a 0.8% solution of potassium permanganate: 1 gram of potassium permanganate per 8 liters of water. In the future, it is advisable to regularly wash the floor with a chlorine-containing preparation and intensive ventilation. If the solution is contaminated with mercury upon first use, do not flush it down the sink or toilet, but discard it along with the collected mercury. The same applies to rags, sponges and other tools used during demercurization.

The material was prepared by Dilyara specifically for the site