The thermometer at home crashed - what to do. Mercury hazard, what to do and what not to do if a thermometer crashes at home

Mercury is a very toxic substance, but it is with its help that you can get the most accurate information on measuring body temperature.

Everything would be fine, but the design of the temperature measuring device (thermometer) is very fragile, and it is very easy to break it when it falls or is used improperly.

Therefore, everyone should be aware of what to do if a thermometer crashes at home and what precautions should be taken to protect themselves and their loved ones from possible danger.

Hazardous properties of mercury

Often people misunderstand the danger posed by mercury, believing that this chemical element is toxic in itself and any contact with it can be fatal to the human body. In fact, this is a slightly wrong judgment: it is not mercury itself that is toxic, but only its ions formed as a result of the oxidation process.

A person who is well versed in the chemistry and properties of elements will reasonably notice that standard room temperature is not enough to start this process. And it will be right in the end, because at room temperature the heavy metal does not oxidize. However, mercury still carries a serious danger to the human body, since it has very toxic properties. For example, mercury vapors pose a mortal danger to humans, since when breathing, they can easily penetrate into the depths of the lungs and already start a toxic oxidative process there, emitting toxic ions. You also need to know that the evaporation process quickly passes not only in air but also in water.

The thermometer crashed at home - what can not be done

If the trouble nevertheless happened, and the thermometer crashed, you need to know how to behave so as not to aggravate the problem. So, a list of things that can never be done:

• aerate the room until all fragments of the broken thermometer are collected;

• throw away fragments of a broken thermometer into common containers or garbage chutes in multi-storey buildings. Mercury vapors can pollute about 6 thousand m3 of air that they will breathe, including you and your loved ones;

• do not use a broom or panicle during cleaning, as their twigs can only chop metal balls, and getting rid of them will be much more difficult;

• Never use a vacuum cleaner. Under the influence of temperature, mercury begins to evaporate faster, and the vacuum cleaner itself turns into a source of reinfection with vapors of this chemical substance (its particles will settle on the elements of the device and will be sprayed each time it is turned on). If mercury particles were already collected by a vacuum cleaner, then it is better to hand it along with the thermometer particles to a special organization, since no modern filter is able to delay the evaporation of this toxic substance;

• if particles of a broken thermometer get on a carpet or upholstered furniture, it is not necessary to get rid of it. You can call on specialists in demercurization, which will neutralize the toxic substance right in your home;

• it is impossible to wash things that have been exposed to mercury, it is better to immediately get rid of it. But before you do this, be sure to make it unusable so that no one expects it anymore, and treat it with potassium permanganate;

• it is forbidden to wash off the remains of a broken mercury thermometer into the sewer, as they will immediately infect the water.

Thermometer crashes at home - what to do: possible health effects

Such a heavy metal as mercury is able to instantly penetrate the human body and quickly spread through it: first of all, they pass into the lungs, after which, together with oxygen and blood, they penetrate the kidneys, heart, brain and stomach.

The problem is that you can get infected with this toxic metal very quickly, but getting rid of it is very difficult, this process can take a long time. Do not forget that any amount of this metal can cause irreparable harm to your body.

Experts distinguish 2 types of mercury intoxication:

• spicy;

• chronic

Acute intoxication

Fortunately, the first case is quite rare, since calling it requires getting too much mercury in a relatively short time. The biggest problem of this type of poisoning is that its first symptoms do not appear immediately, but only after 9-10 hours.

Symptoms of this type of poisoning are as follows:

• Strong headache;

• nausea alternating with vomiting;

• severely swelling and bleeding gums;

• cutting abdominal pain, diarrhea;

• very high temperature (up to 40 ° C);

• severe persistent cough and sore throat, developing into pulmonary edema.

A fatal outcome after acute mercury poisoning occurs a few days later.

Chronic intoxication

Much more common in medical practice are chronic poisoning by vapors of this chemical element. This phenomenon is called scientifically - mercurialism.

With this type of poisoning, the central nervous system is most often and severely affected, since mercury has a property that can destroy nerve cells.

Symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning are as follows:

• increased dizziness and headaches;

• increased trembling of the limbs;

• carelessness.

In the late stages of this type of poisoning, dementia and a subsequent fatal outcome are possible.

Thermometer crashes at home - what to do: how to properly collect mercury

If this unpleasant moment has already been served, let's figure out what to do in this case.

1. First you need to limit access to the scene, since mercury can easily be spread throughout the house on the soles of shoes or the paws of pets.

2. Then you need to open the windows in order to lower the temperature in the room (especially in winter), this will significantly reduce the level of evaporation of mercury. But avoid drafts so that metal balls do not scatter throughout the house.

3. You need to collect metal starting from the edges and moving to the center of the problem. So that not a single ball passes your attention, thoroughly illuminate the problem area.

4. Take a jar of water (it does not evaporate in it) or make a solution of potassium permanganate. The jar is necessarily with a lid. It will be useful to us:

• brush;

• paper;

• disposable syringe (rubber bulb);

• Scotch;

• a cloth;

• wet newspaper.

Also, when collecting metal, put on rubber gloves first so that mercury does not get on the skin. It is also advisable to cover the mouth and nose with a moist gauze bandage.

5. Using a brush, sweep a sheet of paper with balls. You can also moisten a small piece of cotton wool in potassium permanganate and collect the balls. The smallest can be eliminated using a syringe (just pull them in) or tape (stick).

6. If the balls hit the floor slots, use sand. To do this, sprinkle the problem area with sand and sweep it with a brush on a sheet of paper. Each of the things that you used must be folded into a jar of water or taken out in the cold.

7. In the end, do not forget to do wet cleaning in the room. First, use a wet newspaper and wipe the problem areas, and then do the re-treatment, but with a rag soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. This will prevent the metal from oxidizing and evaporation will be avoided.

If such an unpleasant incident has already happened, the main thing is not to panic, and, following the instructions, thoroughly clean the problem area.

Watch the video: Top 10 Worst Liquid Nitrogen Accidents (July 2024).