The thermometer was broken, what should I do? Is it dangerous when a thermometer breaks? How to save home textiles from mercury

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Each of us has a medical thermometer at home, in other words, a thermometer. But it is so fragile, made of thin glass, and if there are also children in the apartment who could carelessly break it... We all know that a thermometer contains mercury. And a parent’s nightmare is coming home from work to see a broken thermometer on the floor and a small number of characteristic shiny balls-drops of metallic mercury. Is this mercury dangerous for humans, is it dangerous if it gets into internal environment apartments, is there a danger from the thermometer for children? These and other similar questions are often asked by concerned people. We will try to answer them in order.

Is a broken thermometer dangerous for human health if it happens in an apartment?

If the mercury was collected immediately, then no, it is not dangerous. If not immediately, but after some period of time, then it’s also not scary. 1 gram of metallic mercury is a small amount to cause an increase in vapor concentration to critical levels. Intensive ventilation - and the air is almost clean.

Danger exists in the following cases:

1. mercury got on upholstered furniture, carpets, parquet cracks, children's toys, clothes, and rolled under baseboards.

2. The mercury was not collected, but was spread on the soles of slippers or boots throughout the apartment by an inattentive or careless tenant or a child.

3. mercury got into digestive tract person (usually a child).

The worst case is the third. In such situation clinical picture poisoning manifests itself immediately: Vomiting, suffocation and other signs that are impossible not to notice. An ambulance must be called immediately.

In the first case, the danger is that the pile of the carpet and upholstered furniture very well absorbs small drops of mercury, which can be completely invisible in the structure of the fabric but, nevertheless, actively evaporate into the internal air of the room.

The same is true in the second case: mercury gets into the cracks of the parquet, into the pores of the linoleum throughout the apartment and evaporates evenly, filling the internal air with toxic fumes.

If mercury enters a child's digestive tract, symptoms will immediately visible - vomiting, blue skin, etc. It's impossible not to notice.

How dangerous is mercury in indoor air?

I don’t think it’s worth mentioning again about the dangers of mercury; it’s worth saying that, according to Russian sanitary standards(SanPiN) the permissible maximum concentration of mercury in the indoor air of a residential premises is 0.0003 mg/m3. This figure is calculated in such a way that a given concentration of mercury vapor in inhaled air does not have a detrimental effect on human health and does not cause chronic poisoning mercury. It should be noted that, according to doctors, in a healthy adult, signs of chronic mercury poisoning begin to occur when the given concentration of the maximum permissible concentration in the air of a living room is exceeded by 2-3 times. However, for children, 1.5 times the excess is sufficient.

It is worth considering that if the apartment you live in is not new, then there is a possibility that the thermometers in it have already been broken and the remaining vapors of the “old” mercury may, together with the “new” one, exceed the MPC level.

Is one enough broken thermometer to “poison” the air in the apartment?

No. According to our measurements, if a thermometer is broken in an apartment and mercury is not removed, then the concentration of vapors usually does not exceed the maximum permissible concentration. However, in half of the cases, mercury vapor was still detected (in concentrations 5-6 times lower than the MPC), even if all the visible part of the metallic mercury, according to residents, was collected. Several times we discovered significant excesses of mercury vapor concentrations in the indoor air of the apartment (2-4 times). However, in these cases, there was repeated release of mercury into the room from broken thermometers (2-3 times), most often on carpets and upholstered furniture.

How long will mercury remain in the apartment if it is not collected?

IN ideal conditions(good ventilation, large apartment volume) mercury in such an amount (less than 1 gram) will evaporate in several months without causing harm to human health.

What to do if the thermometer breaks?

Do not panic! Try to collect all the mercury without using a vacuum cleaner (!!!), treat the floor and objects on which mercury has fallen with a solution of potassium permanganate (concentration is at your discretion), or with a chlorine-containing preparation. (ideally, ferric chloride, but it is poorly suitable for indoor use). In the future, it is advisable to regularly wash the floor with a chlorine-containing preparation (several times) and intensive ventilation. For questions regarding the disposal of mercury (it cannot be poured down the drain or thrown out the window), it is better to contact the district SES. If there are any doubts about the correctness of the actions to remove mercury, the presence of residual mercury vapor in the room, or the search for mercury (if the place where the mercury got into is unknown), it is advisable to call specialists. Environmental specialists will carry out the necessary measurements and/or search for mercury residues.

Greetings, my dears! You seem to be in trouble - the thermometer in your apartment has broken, what should you do? The first question is how to collect mercury, and what the consequences may be. Calm down, I have collected all the most important things in one article. I will offer you a clear step-by-step algorithm actions, which you can even print just in case.

And you know, after wandering through the forums at one time, I became convinced that almost every person has broken a thermometer at least once in their life. I have read so many stories about broken thermometers! And I’ll share some today. Let them reassure you and confirm that you are not alone...

Well, let's get started - because now it is important for you to receive instructions for action as soon as possible...

What to do if a thermometer in an apartment breaks, what to do and what not to do? Where to call, who to contact? Calm down, now we will resolve all these issues.

I’ll say right away: if your city has a special service for neutralizing mercury, call them and don’t bother! Professionals will check the level of air pollution, use special instruments to find all the rolled balls and treat the surfaces with a special demercurization solution.

After that environmental Safety your home will be restored. This is especially true if you have not found mercury. Or mercury leaked onto a fleecy surface: on a sofa, on a carpet.

The backup option is to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations on the single number 112. They also deal with mercury neutralization, although not as willingly as private companies. The team may not come to you. The attendant will simply advise you on how to properly collect mercury from the floor.

And then the rescuers will come and take away the collected balls and everything that came into contact with them. Not immediately, but during the day, when there is time. In this case, you will have to process all surfaces yourself.

The third option is to act completely independently. That's why I'm writing this article, to help you. And if you decide to fight pollution alone, let's figure it out further.

Mercury is incredibly mobile liquid substance, which already at 18 degrees turns into steam. Therefore, when a thermometer breaks, mercury appears simultaneously on three “floors” of your living space:

in the air,
on furniture and on the floor,
in cracks below floor level.

And all these levels need to be cleared!!!

The main danger is mercury vapor. It is through the lungs that poison most easily penetrates the body. The skin also allows mercury to pass through well. But this poison is practically not absorbed through the stomach and intestines.

I have come across many stories about how someone’s child/nephew/acquaintance swallowed a ball of mercury as a child - and nothing, he is still alive to this day! For me, it’s still creepy, because this substance is not excreted from the body. Such stories are usually cited as proof that there is nothing dangerous about a broken thermometer. But you now know that this is not so. Mercury simply enters the body through a different route.

How to collect mercury if a thermometer breaks

And now, step by step, we will demercurize the house on our own.

Step 1. Make sure that mercury does not spread throughout the apartment. Close the door in the room where the thermometer broke. Open the window there. In other rooms, do not open the windows yet so that mercury vapor does not escape there. Place a wet rag around the mercury spill area.

Step 2. Protect yourself and your loved ones. Remove children from the room where the mercury has been spilled. It's best to send them for a walk. Take care of yourself at the same time. You will need:

gloves,
mask,
shoe covers.

Instead of a mask, a piece of gauze folded several times or a scarf will do. Moisten this bandage with water, so it protective properties will intensify. Shoe covers can be replaced with two ordinary plastic bags.

Step 3. Collect mercury. Arm yourself with a jar with a lid. Pour some water into it to prevent the mercury from evaporating.

Forget about a broom, rags and a vacuum cleaner. A broom will break large drops of mercury into microdroplets, which, like cockroaches, will crawl into all the cracks. A rag will do the same. And the vacuum cleaner will generally convert the swallowed mercury into steam and disperse it throughout the house...

The following will help you collect mercury at home:

Two sheets of paper - carefully, with the edge, squeeze small droplets into a larger one and send it to the jar.
Wet cotton wool, newspaper or napkin.
Brush.
A syringe or syringe - they are good at drawing mercury from the cracks.
Everything is sticky. Plasticine, tape, adhesive plaster, bread crumb are suitable here. The idea is to stick them on small balls of mercury and throw them away. You just need to glue it several times in the same place.

Well, how did it all work out? You are simply great! But it’s too early to relax.

Step 4. Treat the surface.

To neutralize the remaining mercury, you need to convert it into a non-volatile compound. I will list you several ways to treat surfaces, and you choose.

Potassium permanganate. You need to make a dark, almost opaque solution. Add a spoon per liter of solution table salt and a tablespoon of 9% vinegar or a pinch citric acid. Spray the solution and leave to dry for 6-8 hours. Then wash the surface with a soap-soda solution (a liter of water, 40 g of soda and 40 g of soap). Repeat this wash every day for several days, with the difference that you can wash off the potassium permanganate in just an hour.
"White". Prepare a strong solution: 8 liters of water, liter of “Whiteness”. Rinse the surface with this solution and leave for 15 minutes. Wash off with a solution of potassium permanganate (1 gram of powder per 8 liters of water). For the next few days, we simply wash the floors with any chlorine-containing solution. Domestos, for example.
Soap-soda solution: 50 g per 1 liter of water baking soda and 50 g laundry soap. This option is suitable if there is nothing at hand, but chlorine and potassium permanganate are still better.

I remember the story of one mother, a chemist. When her baby broke the thermometer, she used her knowledge and... covered the entire corridor with powdered sulfur. She knew that sulfur combines with mercury and neutralizes it.

So take note of this option as well. It might come in handy.

And we have very little left.

Step 5: Throw away anything that the mercury came into contact with.

Yes Yes. In this case, “everything” means EVERYTHING. Not just mercury balls in a jar of water, gloves, a brush, paper, a rag, a syringe and a syringe. But also:

The chlorine solution you used to clean the floor.
All clothes and shoes that have been exposed to mercury.
A vacuum cleaner, if you happen to use it to collect the remains of a broken thermometer.
A washing machine, if you accidentally washed clothes contaminated with mercury in it...

The list will have to be continued depending on the circumstances. It will include both carpet and upholstered furniture that cannot be treated. If they are very dear to you, call a special dry cleaner.

Perhaps many of you, reading this paragraph, twirled your finger at your temple... Well, it's up to you. I'll just tell you one story.

The husband of one of the women broke the thermometer and collected the mercury with a vacuum cleaner. When she mentioned that the vacuum cleaner was now hazardous to health, her husband brushed her off. But the wife was persistent and called specialists. They took measurements, and it turned out that mercury contamination in the carpet exceeded permissible level 700 times! After this, both the carpet and the vacuum cleaner were thrown away.

What to do with a broken thermometer

When everything is over, the house is clean and calm, the question arises, where to put the mercury and everything that came into contact with it? Where to throw away a broken thermometer? There are only two options here:

Call the Ministry of Emergency Situations
Transfer to specialists of the demercurization service.

That's all! Because the mercury from the garbage disposal will spread throughout the house. Moreover, 2 grams of mercury from one thermometer can poison 6,000 cubic meters of air. And in the sewer system, mercury balls are “soldered” to the pipes and long years can little by little “poison” the water and air in your home.

What if the glass is intact, the mercury did not leak out, and the thermometer simply broke inside? And in this case, it should be handed over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations or a special collection point.

The thermometer broke in the apartment - consequences

When a thermometer breaks in an apartment, the consequences may not appear immediately. This was the reason for the talk about the “safety” of broken mercury thermometers.

In one children's clinic, the floors were somehow re-done. When the boards were lifted, the space under the floor was literally strewn with mercury balls. So many thermometers have been broken in the office over the years! And no one knew about this for the time being.

So is it dangerous to ignore a broken thermometer?

Yes, it's dangerous. The symptoms of mercury poisoning are so non-specific that they may simply not be associated with the trouble that happened a few weeks ago. Insomnia, fatigue, headaches, nervousness, low blood pressure, poor appetite… That's not fatal. But the functioning of some systems in the body - endocrine and cardiovascular - may still be disrupted.

Tell me, do you want to feel bad because your body is fighting poison? And if a pregnant woman inhales mercury, it can affect the baby. So it's not worth the risk!

You may be wondering how long it takes for mercury to erode. It depends on how you ventilate it. It is most reasonable to open the windows after treatment and create a draft for several hours. But only after all measures have been completed. After this you can rest easy.

I'm proud of you, dears. You did it. And I, as always, cannot leave you without a reward. And as a bonus, I have prepared a small reminder for you. It can be printed and pasted. For example, on the lid of a first aid kit. Or on the inside of a cabinet door. In general, wherever you want, as long as she catches your eye in time...

Need to	It is forbidden
Open a window in a room and close the door	Create a draft
Put on: · latex gloves, · shoe covers or bags for feet.	· Touch mercury with bare hands, · step on the balls.
Leave the room every 15 minutes.	Stay for a long time in a room where mercury has leaked.
Collect mercury using: · 2 sheets of paper; · tape, adhesive tape; · plasticine or bread crumb; · syringe; · syringes.	· Sweep with a broom or brush; · wipe with a rag; · vacuuming.
Collect mercury in a jar of water and hand it over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations	· Throw mercury balls into the garbage disposal. · Pour water after collecting mercury down the drain. · take it to the trash.
Treat the mercury spill site with one of the following solutions: · Whiteness · Potassium permanganate Soap and soda solution	Wash floors as usual.
Hand over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations all items that have been in contact with mercury.	Wash items contaminated with mercury in a washing machine

And I say goodbye to you. Now you know what to do if a thermometer in your apartment breaks, how to collect mercury and where to put it. Be healthy! And check back, I have a lot of useful stuff here.

Until next time, Anastasia Smolinets

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 toxic substance and it can be hazardous to health.

Mercury thermometers are still used today, as this substance is an excellent conductor of heat. But they have 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 a broken thermometer.

Symptoms of mercury overdose

When a person is exposed long time let small exposure to 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 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. At the same time, a metallic taste appears 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:

Prepare water, add potassium permanganate there, if you don’t have it, then a small amount of soap and soda;
Take a fairly large container of water;
Prepare paper, a syringe, cotton swabs, a knitting needle, any adhesive tape, a small light source, or a flashlight;
Put on shoes that you can then throw away;
Make a gauze or cloth bandage to protect your respiratory system;
Protect your hands with gloves, preferably rubber medical ones;
Soak a piece of cloth in a potassium permanganate solution and place it on the floor near the door;
Open the window in the room, but front door keep closed;
Carefully remove the thermometer debris, trying not to make unnecessary movements;
Collect balls of mercury on a piece of paper and cotton wool, lower them into a jar of water;
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;
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;
If you suspect that mercury has gotten under the baseboard, you will have to break it to collect everything that could have gotten there;
The jar where you put the mercury should be well closed;
Wash the floor with a solution of potassium permanganate or soap and soda;
Take off your mask, gloves, outerwear, put them away plastic bag;
Call the Ministry of Emergency Situations number and ask how to get rid of everything that has been in contact with harmful substances;
Wash thoroughly in the shower, and don't forget to rinse your mouth. You can use any disinfectant solution. Also take two tablets 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 handed over to a sanitary organization; you should not wash them 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 these purposes. 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 beads 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 will not be afraid for the health of your household and your own.