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, inhaling its vapors is fraught with poisoning. That is why you need to have a good idea of ​​what should be done if it crashed. Below, the actions that should be taken in a similar situation will be described.

So, what to do if a mercury thermometer crashes: the first step.

To begin with, in no case panicking, you need to restrict access to all people who are not involved in cleaning should be taken outside (or to another room) and tightly close the door of the room in which the thermometer was broken. Be careful and careful, do not trample in dangerous places, so as not to later spread the balls of mercury on the soles of the shoes to other rooms.

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

Put on and collect fragments of a thermometer 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 the mercury balls to each other, and then roll them onto paper. To get the balls of mercury out of the slot, use a needle with a cotton swab dipped in a potassium permanganate solution wound around it. As an option - the use of 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 tightly closed.

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 place where the thermometer crashed 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 done, you need to get rid of the jar of mercury. You should call the Ministry of Emergencies 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 your fluid intake in the near future, as mercury formations leave the body through the kidneys.

A few words about what not to do.

Mercury should not be allowed to come into contact with the skin.

It is impossible to arrange a draft in a ventilated room.

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

You can not collect mercury using a vacuum cleaner, as the air blown out by the device facilitates the process of evaporation of mercury vapor.

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

You can not get rid of mercury with the help of sewers, because if it settles in sewer pipes, then extracting it from there is almost impossible.

You can not throw a broken thermometer into the garbage chute, since an insignificant fraction of mercury evaporated there can pollute a large area.

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

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

Reading this article will not hurt anyone - you will be ready for such a domestic emergency. And yet - have a conversation with your household, especially children, and explain if one of them breaks a thermometer - you can’t hide it, you should immediately tell adults or call the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

Why is a broken thermometer dangerous?

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, alas, can lead to the fact that small balls of mercury will be in the room for a long time and poison the air.

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

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

For children and pregnant women, mercury is most dangerous:

• changes in the functioning of the kidneys and lungs can be observed in children
• pregnant women are at risk of intrauterine damage to the fetus with chronic exposure to mercury.

So, the mercury thermometer crashed, what to do?

If in a panic you forgot everything you read 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 clearly follow their instructions. If you are able to deal with the problem yourself, then to collect a broken thermometer, you should do the following:

• Remove people and animals from the room where the "accident" happened, close the door tightly.
• Prepare:
  • a saturated solution of potassium permanganate, as well as a soap-soda solution;
  • a jar (preferably a three-liter one) with a tight lid, which is filled with cold water or a solution of potassium permanganate by 2/3;
  • 2 sheets of paper;
  • syringe or medical pear;
  • a piece of cotton wool or a brush;
  • knitting needle or awl;
  • adhesive tape or plaster or electrical tape;
  • torch.
• Put on rubber slippers (but not fabric ones), which you don’t mind throwing away or put plastic bags on your feet.
• Put on 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 - it will be inconvenient to perform delicate manipulations in household gloves).
• Wet 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 behind you and open the window. At the same time, windows in other rooms should be closed.
• Pick up the thermometer and everything that is left of it, trying not to scatter the mercury remaining in the tip, and place it in a jar of water.
• Gently drive small balls of mercury into one large one (they will merge) using sheets of paper.
• Drive large balls onto a sheet of paper with cotton wool and drain them into a jar of water.
• After the balls of mercury visible to the eye are collected, small ones should be collected with adhesive tape by gluing it to the surface where the thermometer crashed. After processing, the adhesive tape should be sent to a jar of water.
• Use a flashlight to examine all the cracks and places where mercury balls could roll (they will glow with a metallic color). From hard-to-reach places, mercury is taken out with a sharp thin object (knitting needle) or sucked into a pear or syringe.
• Also put a syringe or pear with mercury into a jar.
• If mercury could roll under the plinth, it should be dismantled and 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 and soda solution (you can first first, then second);
• Remove clothing, gloves, mask, shoes or bags and put everything in a separate bag, tightly tied. Then proceed with the clothes as described below.
• Call the Ministry of Emergency Situations and find out where you can hand over a jar with dangerous contents, as well as all items that have been in contact or could be in contact with mercury (gloves, a pear, cotton wool, a floor rag, your clothes and shoes, etc.).
• Take a shower, rinse your mouth with soda solution.

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

What absolutely can not be done if you broke a thermometer:

• A broken thermometer, collected mercury, materials that you used to collect metal, or even if the thermometer is broken and the mercury has not leaked out - you can not throw it into the garbage chute, sewer or garbage container.
• If you followed the algorithm and put everything into 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 it is disposed of in a specialized organization.
• Do not use a broom, a rag and a vacuum cleaner to collect mercury.
• You can not wash clothes in a washing machine and shoes in which you collected mercury, they should be handed over to the Ministry of Emergencies.
• Until all sources of evaporation are collected, it is impossible to create a draft in the apartment.

Popular questions and answers

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

If the clothing has been in contact with mercury, then it should be folded into a bag and hung out for airing in the open air. Naturally, not on the balcony, where you often go out and breathe mercury vapor. It is possible in the attic of the cottage, in the barn, etc. Clothes should be aired for about 3 months, and then washed several times in a soap and soda solution.

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

Collecting mercury from carpet is much more difficult. Most likely, you will have to part with the carpet and toys and take them for recycling, and not delay, but immediately after cleaning. If things are dear to you and it’s a pity to throw them away, you should do the same as described above with clothes. After weathering, the carpet and toys should be dry-cleaned. Worse, if the thermometer crashed on the bed, on upholstered furniture, if on bedding, then it should be weathered for 3 months, if the furniture was not covered with anything, then it is better to take it to the garage, shed, to the country for 3 months.

If mercury from a broken thermometer gets on a hot radiator, can I clean the room myself according to 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 boils already at 40 C, so in this case, all the mercury that has fallen on the radiators will fall into the air.

What categories of people are prohibited from contact with mercury?

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

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

You must go to an ambulance so that the child can be examined by a doctor. It is impossible to get poisoned by mercury eaten, but the child should be examined (in addition to mercury, a piece of glass from a broken thermometer could get into the gastrointestinal tract).

The household broke the thermometer and collected the mercury with a vacuum cleaner. How to proceed in this case?

This is a terrible mistake that causes the mercury to disperse into tiny balls and release them 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 discarded - you will have to say goodbye to these components. The vacuum cleaner should be weathered for several months outdoors.

The child broke the thermometer in the bathroom and thoroughly flushed the mercury down the drain with a jet of water. Mercury can poison the room, left in the sewer?

Of course, such actions are unacceptable, but since mercury is heavier than water, it is washed off and goes with sewage into the city sewer. If there are knees 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 must be drained into a jar of potassium permanganate, which must be handed over for recycling.

Precautions when handling thermometers

• Buy an electronic or infrared thermometer: it is no less accurate, but absolutely safe.
• When measuring the temperature of children, hold the child's hand tightly
• Do not give it to children
• Carefully knock down the readings on it, away from solid objects in order to avoid a sharp blow.
• Store in a special plastic case.
• In case it crashes, 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 get 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 be very harmful to a person. In the text of the article you will find exact 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 balls as early as possible. In this way, dangerous consequences can be avoided.

The metal will not start polluting the air in the room, nor will it penetrate the body. The main problem is that small crystals will pour 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 general health will worsen.

It is especially dangerous if a small child lives in the apartment. Everyone should learn the 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 body of the device during a fall. Be very careful when knocking down the device.

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

In cases where it has not been possible to prevent the problem, it is important to take corrective action quickly. You must know exactly what to do if a homemade mercury thermometer breaks in an apartment.

Effective first aid will help keep you and your loved ones safe. Note! Evaporation is much more intense 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 characterized when a very high concentration of mercury enters the body at a time. If a thermometer breaks at home, then after a couple of hours your health will worsen.

You will notice the following signs of the onset of the disease:

1. Deterioration of working capacity, problems with appetite.
2. Sharp headache and dizziness.
3. Discomfort when swallowing saliva.
4. Metallic taste in the mouth.
5. Profuse salivation, bleeding in the mouth.
6. Nausea, frequent vomiting.
7. Unpleasant sensations in the abdomen, 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 can occur. When the first symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor as soon 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 have signs of chronic poisoning.

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

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

If you have a broken mercury thermometer, then you need to take all the necessary first aid methods as soon as possible. This metal has an unpleasant property to accumulate in the body.

How to 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.

A dropped thermometer might not break, carefully check the case for damage. In some cases, the problem will be visible even to the naked eye.

The room should be left not only by small children, but also by animals. 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 the kids broke the thermometer in the apartment, then you need to carefully examine their things. There could be crystals of dangerous liquid metal left on the clothes.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks?

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

Note! This liquid can leave spots on a light surface, you need to very carefully collect mercury from a 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 I do in such cases?

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

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 with potassium permanganate the place where the mercury thermometer was broken.

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

If it is not possible to remove the remains of the mercury-containing thermometer shell on your own, you should call a specialist. The thermometer breaks very easily, keep that in mind.

It will be much easier to fix the problem if the thermometer housing has not been broken. It will be enough for you to gently lift the broken device, and then place it in a jar. This should be done slowly and without sudden movements. It is important to make sure not a drop of mercury leaks out!

Forbidden tricks

You must know exactly what not to do if your thermometer breaks. A person must carefully remove the crystals, 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 can won't work. After the device breaks, collect all the small particles of mercury, and then call the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Experts will tell you how to properly deal with the remains of the thermometer.

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

Thus, it is realistic to prevent environmental pollution. It is also impossible to drain the contaminated solution of potassium permanganate into the toilet, the crystals will settle in the pipeline and will not reach the wastewater.

After the thermometer breaks, mercury can get on your clothes. These items cannot be washed in the washing machine. It is best to use the services of dry cleaning. 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 common for a person to make rash mistakes. You can always dial the Ministry of Emergency Situations, which will help you fix the problem.

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

There is even a special legal act, the text of which states that throwing a broken thermometer into an ordinary garbage container entails administrative responsibility.

You may be fined! The size of the monetary penalty for large enterprises will be quite large. Do not pollute the environment and treat the thermometer with understanding.

How to protect yourself

If the thermometer in the apartment crashed, it is important to detect the problem as early as possible. In some cases, the thermometer will fall imperceptibly, only after a while the person will find the source of pollution.

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. Wash shoes and soiled furniture immediately with potassium permanganate.

It is also necessary to rinse your mouth with a weak solution of this liquid and clean your mouth. A sorbent will become an effective assistant; several activated charcoal tablets are ideal. After a person has broken a thermometer and has been breathing vapors for a long time, he should drink plenty of fluids.

The metabolism will speed up, mercury will quickly leave the body. Such preventive measures must be taken by everyone who removed the remnants of the crystals. 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 should immediately call an ambulance.

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

Summarize

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

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

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

You must follow the exact algorithm of actions if your thermometer with mercury breaks. Everyone can break a thermometer, but only a few are able to qualitatively remove all particles of mercury. Don't panic and follow the instructions. Thus, it is realistic to prevent any negative consequences from hazardous fumes.

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

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

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

The amount of mercury in a conventional thermometer is about two to five grams. If all 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 300,000 times more than the maximum allowable concentration for residential areas, since, according to 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 an excess of the MPC of mercury vapor by 50-100 times, which is also quite a lot and very dangerous.

It should be noted that mercury tends to accumulate in the body. That is, without collecting it carefully, the consequences of inhaling mercury fumes can appear after a few weeks, when you have already forgotten about the broken thermometer. In this case, the diagnosis of the causes of malaise will be very difficult.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks?

1) Open the windows for fresh air access and lowering the temperature in the room (the warmer it is in the apartment, the more actively the metal evaporates).

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

3) Collect mercury with a newspaper slightly soaked in water in rubber gloves and a gauze bandage on your face. 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 so that mercury does not evaporate. Do not throw the container into the garbage chute, toilet bowl and do not 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 experts will tell you where to take the mercury. If you are not sure that you have collected all the mercury, you can call specialists to examine your home.

6) Treat the spill area with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate using a brush or spray gun (you should get a dark brown, almost opaque solution). Leave for about an hour, and then rinse with a soap and soda solution (40 g of laundry soap and 50 g of baking soda dissolve 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 activated charcoal tablets - 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 finally get rid of mercury vapor.

What not to do with a broken thermometer

You also need to remember the list of actions that in no case should be done in a situation where a thermometer is broken in your house:

1) Mercury balls must not be collected with a broom or vacuum cleaner.
In such cases, the liquid metal is only crushed, and the warm movement of the vacuum cleaner contributes to its evaporation. The consequences of such cleaning will only aggravate the current situation;

2) The collected mercury, even in a tightly closed glass jar with a solution of potassium permanganate, must not be thrown into the garbage chute or into a garbage container.
There it will eventually break, which will endanger other people (mercury from one thermometer can pollute up to six thousand cubic meters of air). The remains of the mercury thermometer and the collected mercury are disposed of only on the recommendations of the Ministry of Emergency Situations;

3) It is strictly forbidden to wash things that have come into contact with mercury in a washing machine.
Even using disinfectant detergents. Disposal of mercury is a very complex process and such actions not only will 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 fumes for a long time.

5) And most importantly: with a broken thermometer, in no case should you panic.
In this 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 crashes. And in difficult cases, they will be sent to the appropriate services, which will eliminate the consequences of what happened.

— Actions after cleaning mercury

1) Wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and a soap and 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) Thoroughly brush your teeth;

4) Take 2-3 activated charcoal tablets;

5) Drink more diuretic fluids (tea, coffee, juice), as mercury formations are excreted from the body through the kidneys.

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

Option 1: Potassium permanganate.

1) The solution of potassium permanganate should be dark brown, almost opaque. Per liter of solution, add 1 tbsp. l. salt 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 cracks!) with an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate using a brush, brush or spray gun. Leave the applied solution for 6-8 hours, periodically, as the solution dries, wetting the treated surface with water. The solution may leave indelible stains on the floor or things.

3) Then wash off the reaction products with a soap-soda solution (for 1 liter of water - 40 g of soap and 50 g of soda). Repeat this procedure over the next few days, with the only difference being that the potassium permanganate solution is kept for 1 hour, and not 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.

1st stage: in a plastic (not metal!) bucket, prepare a solution of chlorine-containing bleach "Whiteness" at the rate of 1 liter of "Whiteness" per 8 liters of water (2% solution). With the resulting solution, using a sponge, brush or floor cloth, rinse the contaminated surface. Pay special attention to the cracks of parquet and skirting boards. Keep the applied solution for 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water.

2nd stage: 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 desirable to regularly wash the floor with a chlorine-containing preparation and intensive ventilation. If the solution becomes contaminated with mercury the first time you use it, do not flush it down the sink or toilet, but hand it in with the collected mercury. The same applies to rags, sponges and other tools used in demercurization.

The material was prepared by Dilyara specifically for the site