Is it possible to stay at home when the thermometer crashed. A mercury thermometer crashed in an apartment: what to do and how to properly collect mercury

smashed mercury thermometer: what to do and how dangerous it is? Each person is required to know the algorithm for disposing of a broken thermometer and mercury from it. Such thermometers in Russia are still the most common, although they are slowly being replaced by electronic ones. This is due to the accuracy of the measurements.

Why is a broken thermometer dangerous?

Mercury, with which we measure temperature, is represented by the 80th element of the periodic table of Mendeleev. This is a metal high level toxicity. The thermometer contains about 2-3 gr. mercury. Her vapors belong to the first class of danger and are a cumulative poison. At a temperature of +18 degrees, the process of metal evaporation begins, releasing very toxic gases. If mercury begins to evaporate in a closed, unventilated room, for example, 20 square meters, then the concentration of mercury will be thousands of times higher than the permissible norm. That's why broken thermometer is very dangerous.

It should be noted that one of the properties of mercury is the possibility of accumulation in the human body. This means that even after thorough cleaning, the effects of fumes can show up after a few weeks. You will already forget about a broken thermometer, and it will be difficult for doctors to diagnose the cause of the ailment.

The thermometer crashed - how to collect mercury

1. To protect yourself from mercury vapor poisoning, put on things that you can then throw away, this is a must. Put on shoe covers on your feet, cover your skin with rubber gloves, and Airways wet gauze mask.
2. Ask everyone present to leave the premises, especially children, and do not forget to remove the animals.
3. Close the doors to neighboring rooms so that the vapors do not penetrate further. Put a wet rag under the door. If the weather is cool outside, open a window to ventilate, but so that there is no draft.
4. Roll the mercury with a wet cloth onto a piece of paper. Small drops can be collected with tape or medical pear.
5. Inspect the room: cracks in the floor, baseboards, furniture and under it. If the mercury balls rolled into the slot, try to get them out with a syringe. If they get on the bed, carpet or other soft things, they will not be able to clean themselves. Will have to be disposed of.


6. It is better to collect the poisonous substance in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Pour half of the total volume of potassium permanganate solution into it. This will prevent further evaporation. There you will need to put a broken thermometer.
7. When all the mercury has been collected, prepare another solution of potassium permanganate (10 grams of potassium permanganate per 5 liters of water). Soak a sponge or washcloth in the solution, and then wipe all surfaces. Treat the cracks with a spray gun.
8. Ventilate the room well without opening the doors to other rooms.
9. The surface area where the accident occurred should be washed several times with bleach. Mop the floor in the room again.
10. Remove clothes and all things that you were wearing. Put everything in a bag and tie tightly.
11. Take a cool shower. Rinse your mouth with saline several times.
12. The bag with things and mercury must be disposed of.
13. Treat the room with bleach for 2 weeks.

The thermometer broke - mercury did not leak out

If the thermometer housing has been broken:

1. Look carefully at the broken thermometer and make sure that the mercury has not leaked out. If you miss this moment, then you highly likely get poisoned by mercury vapor.
2. Take an airtight glass jar or regular jar. Carefully place the thermometer in the jar to avoid spilling the mercury.
3. Look on the Internet for the address where mercury is being disposed of in your city.
4. It is forbidden to throw away the thermometer in the trash with waste.

Where to throw away the thermometer

Disposal of items affected by mercury and mercury itself should not be carried out independently. This is a dangerous and complicated procedure. Disposal of a thermometer is a matter of personal responsibility of a person. Each city has a district center where such services are provided. We recommend that you call the Ministry of Emergency Situations or SES, they will do everything. Remember, the health of our children depends on the correct disposal of mercury thermometers!

What Not to Do

Never use a vacuum cleaner or broom to collect mercury. The air heated by the vacuum cleaner will instantly spread the vapors throughout the house. The broom can only crush balls of mercury. Small particles will remain in the apartment and will poison all residents. Then it will no longer be possible to do without expensive services of specialists.

It is strictly forbidden to throw the thermometer in the trash. It would seem that such a small dose of a substance cannot harm anyone. In fact, the contents of just one thermometer can pollute 5,000 square meters of clean air.

It is forbidden to bury a broken thermometer in the ground, since mercury vapor will still contaminate the environment. Yes, you can bury the thermometer far in the forest, but it can harm the animals.

The mercury thermometer must not be thrown into sewer pipes and pits. Vapors can get into someone's bathroom because of this. It is impossible to dispose of mercury from sewerage. For disinfection, pipes will have to be changed.

What to do if mercury gets on the skin

Wash skin with cold running water and soap. Then wipe the affected area with cotton wool moistened with a solution of potassium permanganate. Make sure that in the next day there is no allergy: redness, itching, tingling. In this case, contact the clinic. Drink plenty of water a day for the next week. This will help remove toxins from the body.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning

Mercury vapor poisoning is very dangerous. The fact is that the symptoms do not appear long enough after contact. If you broke a thermometer a couple of months ago, and now you notice the symptoms listed below, quickly see a doctor!

Nausea and vomiting;
bleeding gums, they swell;
increased salivation;
metallic taste in the mouth;
severe headaches;
strong pain in throat when swallowing;
loss of appetite;
general malaise;
weakness.

If mercury continues to accumulate in the body, more severe symptoms may appear: hypertension, inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, urinary disorders, tuberculosis, mental illness, numbness of the legs and arms, trembling of the eyelids and fingers. Particularly severe cases of intoxication lead to death.

Air analysis for mercury in an apartment or house

Many of the people who are faced with the liquidation of the thermometer with their own hands are interested in the question, is there mercury left in the house? Mercury vapor is colorless and odorless, so it is almost impossible to determine the presence of mercury without the use of special equipment.

If you have any doubts about whether you have completely removed mercury from your home, you need to do a chemical analysis of the air for mercury by calling specialists. In this case, it is better to conduct a comprehensive chemical analysis of the air.

Buy only electronic thermometers. They don't represent mortal danger and take readings quickly. Mercury thermometers have long been banned throughout the civilized world.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks? How to avoid unpleasant consequences? Read about it below.

If you handle the mercury thermometer carefully, keep it out of the reach of babies and protected from direct sun rays place, this device does not pose any danger. Modern thermometers are sold in special cases that will soften the blow even when dropped.

However, it should be remembered that if the integrity of the thermometer is violated, there is a danger to health. It contains liquid heavy metal- mercury, the fumes of which are highly toxic. This substance belongs to the first class of the most dangerous substances. That is why in many countries the release of mercury thermometers is completely prohibited. Just 1-2 grams of a substance can cause serious mercury poisoning.

Why mercury is dangerous: consequences for the body

If, however, the thermometer breaks, the movable mercury balls rather quickly clog into small cracks, roll into corners, where it is very difficult to get them. Mercury not collected immediately begins to evaporate. The evaporation process takes place at a temperature of 18 degrees Celsius. The poison enters human body usually through the respiratory tract, causing poisoning.

Many will say that if the thermometer were so dangerous, it would be completely excluded from sale. Certainly, acute poisoning may not occur, but prolonged inhalation of the vapors of a toxic substance can lead to unpleasant consequences.

There may be:

• deviations from the nervous system (CNS);
• kidney and liver problems;
• thyroid disease;
• respiratory failure, pneumonia;
• fetal injury during pregnancy.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning

If a thermometer breaks in an apartment, urgent care must be taken to remove all pieces of glass and particles of mercury. Contact with mercury itself is practically not dangerous, but if you inhale mercury vapor, you can inflict it on your body great harm. Depending on the concentration of the substance in the air, unpleasant symptoms which should be of concern.

These include:

• severe overwork at standard loads;
• drowsiness;
• lethargy;
• dizziness or headaches;
• tremor in the hands (trembling);
• increased sweating;
• low blood pressure;
• apathy, depression;
• insomnia.

If several of the above symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, as well as special services that will measure the concentration of hazardous substance vapors in your home with special devices. How to collect mercury from a broken thermometer? What items do you need to prepare and how do you protect yourself during this process? These questions are asked by everyone who has broken a thermometer at least once. How to properly remove a hazardous substance, a little lower.

First aid for mercury poisoning

If you broke a thermometer and suspect that poisoning has occurred poisonous substance must immediately contact medical institution. Treatment of intoxication caused by mercury vapor is carried out only in a hospital, so an ambulance should be called.

Before the arrival of the ambulance, you can slightly alleviate the condition of the poisoned person.

If he is conscious, proceed as follows:

1. Provide rest, complete bed rest.
2. Grant maximum access fresh air.
3. Carry out gastric lavage.
4. Induce vomiting.
5. Take activated charcoal based on the calculation of 1 tablet per 10 kg of weight;
6. Provide plenty of fluids.

If the poisoned person is unconscious, then it must be laid on its side and fresh air should be allowed into the room. The condition of the patient's tongue should be monitored to avoid its sinking.

What to do if a mercury thermometer is broken

If the thermometer crashed at home, you should immediately free the room from people and pets.

Need to prepare:

• saturated solution of manganese;
• soda-soap solution;
• a couple of sheets of thick paper;
• medical pear;
• piece of cotton wool, syringe;
• an awl or other similar object;
• adhesive tape or electrical tape;
• flashlight.

Before cleaning, it is necessary to put on shoe covers or simple bags on your feet, on your face medical or ordinary gauze bandage. Hands should be protected with gloves. Next, a rag is moistened in strong manganese and placed on the threshold of the room. The window should be open, but in other rooms they should be closed.

The thermometer is carefully lifted, trying not to spill the remaining mercury, and placed in a jar of potassium permanganate and water. With prepared sheets of paper, all the balls from the floor are driven into one large one, lifted with a piece of cotton wool and also placed in water. Further, over the entire surface, where small particles of mercury can be, they are carried out with the sticky side of the adhesive tape. The balls will stick to it; they must also be lowered into a jar of manganese solution along with adhesive tape. You can get balls from hard-to-reach places with a pear or a syringe.

After the balls are collected, the floor, all surfaces where they were, should be washed with a solution of manganese. Clothes, gloves, a mask, all things that could come into contact with the poison are put in a separate bag and tied well. What to do with a broken thermometer and other things? You need to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, find out where to hand over the jar and the package with dangerous contents. After all activities, you need to take a shower, rinse oral cavity soda solution.

Most of the evaporated mercury that enters the body is excreted through the kidneys. That is why after cleaning activities you should drink a lot clean water. The liquid will help remove most harmful substance.

If possible, try to exclude people and animals from staying in the room for about a week. It must be constantly ventilated, and the surfaces and floor should be thoroughly washed daily with a soap and soda solution with the addition of a chlorine-containing detergent.

How to Clean a Room After Cleaning Mercury

If the thermometer breaks, just removing the mercury is not enough. After the source of the hazardous substance has been removed and all things that have come into contact with it have been removed, you can proceed to the final stage of cleaning.

For this, special solutions are prepared, which, when interacting with mercury, react with it, forming other, absolutely harmless compounds. This process is called demercurization.

With these solutions, it is necessary to treat all surfaces that could come into contact with toxic metal. This is necessary so that even the smallest balls do not remain in the room. For processing, you can use a dark solution of potassium permanganate, but this will require gloves.

All poisoned surfaces are treated with this agent. If there are gaps on the floor of the room, then the solution must be poured into them. You can carry out the treatment with ordinary sponges or washcloths. It is very convenient to use the sprayer. If in home first aid kit there was no ordinary manganese, then you can resort to another means. Bleach (Whiteness) copes well with mercury.

As you can see, the demercurization process is quite simple. After its completion, the room is ventilated for several more hours. Doors to other rooms must be tightly closed.

What to do is strictly prohibited and dangerous

It is strictly forbidden to throw mercury or a broken thermometer into the garbage chute and waste container. The use of a manganese solution is only a temporary measure, if mercury was lowered into a jar with such a solution, it also cannot be disposed of in the usual way.

When collecting mercury, do not use a broom, vacuum cleaner or ordinary rag. It is forbidden to machine wash the clothes in which you were, removing mercury. Also, it is absolutely impossible to arrange a draft at home.

Disposal of things after contact with mercury

What should be done if the thermometer crashed on a fluffy carpet, favorite chair or sofa? It is almost impossible to remove metal balls from upholstered furniture, toys or carpet pile. In this case, the only correct solution would be to dispose of all these things.

If it is not possible to recycle items, they can be weathered. This should be done in rooms where people and animals do not have access or in the fresh air, for example, under a canopy away from home. How much mercury disappears if the thermometer crashed in the apartment? It will take several months to completely erode mercury vapor from things or a room. However, even this method does not guarantee final purification from toxic substances.

If the rescue service refused to accept your items for disposal, they must be rendered unusable so that no one could use them. Pack hermetically in a plastic bag, then take it to a landfill. Do not dispose of these items in containers near residential buildings. It is best if you find a landfill in a non-residential area.

However, it happens that your favorite clothes come into contact with mercury, which is a pity to throw away. What to do in this situation? Things can be folded into a plastic bag, and then hung out for airing. After a couple of weeks, the bag can be removed and the remnants of the hazardous substance can be weathered for about 3 more months. Then the clothes are washed in a soap and soda solution, then with ordinary powder. But guarantees complete cleansing this method, of course, does not.

When to Call the Professionals

You should know that the boiling point of such a dangerous substance as mercury is only 40 degrees. If its droplets hit a hot or hot surface, evaporation will occur instantly. If mercury gets on the heating radiator in winter period, you can't do it on your own.

Do not collect mercury yourself in rooms that cannot be ventilated. Also, do not resort to independent actions if the air temperature is very high. It is strictly forbidden to clean hazardous substances for people at risk:

• pregnant women, since toxic vapors penetrate the placenta, which can lead to various abnormalities in the development of the fetus;
• children under 18 years of age and people over 65 years of age;
• patients with a history of chronic acute diseases central nervous and urinary systems.

In all these cases, you must contact the emergency service and immediately leave the premises. Thus, mercury vapor poisoning can be avoided.

Prevention of mercury poisoning from a thermometer

Reducing the risk of poisoning with mercury vapor from a thermometer is easy.

1. Conventional mercury thermometers can be replaced with modern infrared or electronic ones. The measurement accuracy of these devices is quite high, but there is no risk of harming yourself and your household.
2. Mercury thermometers should not be given to children unsupervised.
3. If measurements are necessary, you need to tightly fix the baby's hand.
4. Knock down temperature indicators should be away from solid objects. If you accidentally hit a nearby table, the device will break from impact.
5. The thermometer can only be stored in the special cases with which it is sold.
6. If the device still crashes, you need to follow the recommendations above on how and with what to collect mercury from a thermometer.
7. It is also necessary to dispose of the thermometer in accordance with all the rules.

Now you know what to do if the thermometer crashes and is it dangerous. Carrying out the described measures will avoid accidental mercury vapor poisoning. Using the above instructions for collecting a hazardous substance will help you not to worry about the health of loved ones and relatives.

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

And you know, having wandered through the forums at one time, I was convinced that almost every person at least once in his life broke a thermometer. What stories about broken thermometers I have not read! And I will share some today. May they reassure you and confirm that you are not alone...

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

What to do if the thermometer in the apartment crashed, what to do and what not to do? Where to call, who to contact? Calm, now we will solve all these issues.

I will say right away: if your city has a special service for the disposal of mercury, call them and do not bother! Professionals will check the level of air pollution, using special devices they will find all the rolled balls and treat the surfaces with a special demercurization solution.

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

The backup option is a call to the Ministry of Emergency Situations on a single number 112. They are also engaged in the neutralization of mercury, however, not as willingly as private firms. The brigade may not come to you. The duty officer will simply advise you on how to properly collect mercury from the floor.

And then the rescuers will call in 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 handle all surfaces yourself.

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

Mercury is an incredibly mobile liquid substance that turns into vapor at 18 degrees. 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 slots below floor level.

And all these levels need to be cleared!!!

The main danger is mercury vapor. It is through the lungs that the poison most easily enters the body. Skin is also permeable to mercury. But through the stomach and intestines, this poison is practically not absorbed.

I came across a lot of stories about how someone's child / nephew / acquaintance swallowed a ball of mercury in childhood - and nothing, he is still alive! For me, it's still creepy, because this substance is not excreted from the body. Such stories are usually cited as evidence that there is nothing dangerous in a broken thermometer. But now you know that it is not. Just mercury enters the body in a different way.

How to collect mercury if the thermometer crashed

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

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

Step 2. Protect yourself and loved ones. Take the children out of the room where the mercury spilled. It's best to take 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 that 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 so that the mercury does not evaporate.

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

To collect mercury at home will help:

• Two sheets of paper - carefully drive small droplets into a large one with an edge and send it to a jar.
• Wet cotton, newspaper or napkin.
• Tassel.
• Syringe or syringe - they draw mercury well from the cracks.
• Everything is sticky. Plasticine, adhesive tape, adhesive plaster, bread crumb are suitable here. The point is to stick them on small balls of mercury and throw them away. Just need to glue several times in the same place.

Well, how did everything work out? You are just 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 process surfaces, and you choose.

1. Potassium permanganate. It is necessary 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 and soda solution (a liter of water, 40 g of soda and 40 g of soap). Repeat this washing every day for several days, with the difference that it will be possible to wash off the potassium permanganate in an hour.
2. "White". We prepare a strong solution: for 8 liters of water, a liter of "Whiteness". We wash 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, simply wash the floors with any chlorine solution. Domestos, for example.
3. Soap-soda solution: 1 liter of water 50 g 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-chemist. When her baby broke the thermometer, she took advantage of her knowledge and ... covered the entire corridor with sulfur powder. She knew that sulfur combines with mercury and neutralizes it.

So take note of this option. Suddenly come in handy.

And we have very little left.

Step 5. Throw away everything that came into contact with mercury.

Yes Yes. In this case, "all" means exactly ALL. Not only balls of mercury in a jar of water, gloves, a brush, paper, a rag, a syringe and a douche. But also:

• Chlorine solution with which you washed the floor.
• All clothing and footwear contaminated with mercury.
• Vacuum cleaner, if you managed to collect the remains of a broken thermometer with it.
• A washing machine if you accidentally wash mercury-contaminated clothing in it...

The list will have to be continued according to the circumstances. Both carpet and upholstered furniture that cannot be processed will fall into it. If they are very dear to you, call a special dry cleaner.

Perhaps many of you, reading this paragraph, twisted your finger at your temple ... Well, it's up to you. I will only tell one story.

The husband of one of the women broke the thermometer and collected the mercury with a vacuum cleaner. When she hinted that the vacuum cleaner was now dangerous to health, her husband waved her off. But the wife was stubborn and called the experts. They took measurements, and it turned out that the mercury contamination of the carpet exceeded allowable level 700 times! After that, both the carpet and the vacuum cleaner were thrown away.

What to do with a broken thermometer

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

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

And that's it! Because from the garbage chute, mercury will spread throughout the house. At the same time, 2 grams of mercury from one thermometer can poison 6,000 cubic meters of air. And in the sewer, mercury balls are "soldered" to pipes and for many years can gradually "etch" the water and air in your home.

And if the glass is intact, the mercury has not leaked out, and the thermometer just crashed inside? And in this case, it should be handed over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations or to a special reception point.

The thermometer in the apartment crashed consequences

When the thermometer crashed in the 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 polyclinic, the floors were somehow re-laid. When the boards were lifted, the space under the floor was literally littered with mercury balls. So many thermometers were slaughtered in the office over the years of admission! And no one knew about it 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 can simply not be associated with a trouble that happened a few weeks ago. Insomnia, fatigue, headaches, nervousness, low blood pressure, poor appetite… That's not fatal. But the work of some systems in the body - endocrine, and cardiovascular - can also be disrupted.

Tell me, do you want to feel bad about the fact that the 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 much mercury weathers. It depends on how you weather it. It is most reasonable to open the windows after processing and arrange a draft for several hours. But only after the completion of all measures. After that, you can be calm.

I'm proud of you dear ones. You did it. And I, as always, cannot leave you without a reward. And as a bonus, I prepared a little 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 it catches your eye in time ...

And I say goodbye to you. Now you know what to do if the thermometer crashed in the apartment, how to collect mercury and where to put it. Be healthy! And look again, I have a lot of useful things here.

See you soon, Anastasia Smolinets