A temperature measuring device can serve for a very long time, but it has a serious drawback: even if the protective layer is slightly damaged, mercury spills out, and it is a very poisonous substance. If a thermometer crashed in an apartment building, the residents of all apartments are at risk. Therefore, it is unacceptable to simply take it and throw it into the garbage chute or toilet bowl.
It must always be remembered that the danger is not the metal itself, but its vapors. If the mercury balls are not removed, there will be constant inhalation of toxic fumes, and this will ultimately lead to severe poisoning. Such poisoning can even lead to death.
With various damage to the thermometer, mercury either flows out or not. Regardless of the outcome, the damaged thermometer and glass fragments must be folded into a glass jar, filled with cold water and sealed. The can is still packed in a sealed plastic bag. All this is handed over for disposal at the Ministry of Emergencies.
What if the mercury leaks out?
The first thing to do in this case is to get everyone out of the room where the thermometer crashed. Not only people should leave the room, but also animals so that they do not spread mercury balls throughout the apartment. Next, you need to close the door to the room and open all the windows wide open. Drafts should not be allowed, as they will scatter mercury balls throughout the room and can get into places where it will be difficult to find them (cracks, baseboards). In this case, the balls are broken into smaller ones, which only aggravates the situation. You need to moisten a rag with soda solution or potassium permanganate and spread it on the threshold in front of the door. To prevent mercury from getting on upholstered furniture or indoor flowers, you need to cover them with plastic.
To clean up the remains of a broken thermometer, you must wear rubber gloves, shoe covers, and a medical mask on your face. If there is no mask in the first-aid kit, then a gauze moistened with water, folded in four layers, should be applied to the face. It is advisable to wear synthetic clothes, because clothes made from natural fabrics (for example, cotton) absorb mercury vapors more strongly.
Disposal of means by which mercury removal was carried out
If mercury gets on the carpet, bend the corners to prevent the balls from rolling onto the floor. Many people use a vacuum cleaner to remove mercury from the carpet. This cannot be done, because the motor of the vacuum cleaner heats up during operation, thereby accelerating the evaporation process. Mercury also settles on the motor, thus forming a thin film. Therefore, after collecting the mercury, the vacuum cleaner can no longer be used; it must be handed over for disposal.
If the mercury gets on the pile rug, then it must be wrapped in polyethylene, taken out into the yard and hung on the crossbar. This allows the mercury to drain from the rug. But it must not be allowed to fall into the ground, therefore, it is necessary to lay polyethylene under the crossbar. As soon as the balls roll down from the carpet, the carpet should be knocked out for at least half an hour.
Do not collect mercury from the floor with paper or a broom. To do this, you need to take a newspaper or napkin, moisten them in vegetable oil (olive or sunflower). Mercury balls adhere well to such surfaces. You can also use tape or adhesive tape. must be sent in a sealed plastic bag. If mercury balls get under the skirting boards or under the parquet, they will have to be removed. If the floor is made of wooden planks, it is dismantled and cleaned under it.
Many people believe that chlorinated iron or copper sulfate can be used to remove mercury from the floor, but this opinion is incorrect. Chlorinated iron does attract mercury beads to itself, but it is very toxic. Copper sulfate dissolves mercury, thereby "smearing" it. Cleaning in this case becomes more difficult.
After removing the mercury balls, the place where they were must be urgently treated with some kind of absorbent. The easiest treatment is to crush activated charcoal tablets and sprinkle them on the contaminated surface. Fifteen minutes later, the charcoal is poured into a vessel with water.
The hardest part is removing mercury from metal surfaces. Mercury balls on such a surface are rubbed, rather than rolled, and in such a state, the evaporation of mercury occurs much faster. To remove it from a metal surface, you need to use a copper plate. With this plate, you need to collect the metal and throw it into cold water.
The place where there was mercury must be treated with a 5% hydrochloric acid solution. Subsequently, this place must be treated with a five percent soda solution for five days.
Vapors of mercury in the room where the thermometer crashed will reach a concentration fifty times higher than the norm in an hour. If by this time no measures have yet been taken, it is no longer possible to take measures on your own at home. It is necessary to close the premises and call the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
After removing the visible mercury in the room, wet cleaning should be done. For this cleaning, you must use bleach or potassium permanganate. Cleaning is done twice. After eliminating all the consequences, it is necessary to contact the sanitary and epidemiological station so that its employees measure the content of mercury vapor in the air in the room. The room needs to be ventilated for several more weeks.
If a nuisance happens in the kitchen, then all products that were not in the refrigerator are disposed of. All dishes must be thoroughly washed, and then all used rags, sponges and towels must be disposed of.
Safety regulations
If mercury comes into contact with the skin, it should be collected with tape or adhesive tape. After that, the affected area must be washed with water and laundry soap and sprinkled with lime. Lime can cause minor burns to the skin, but it will keep mercury out of the body. If, nevertheless, symptoms of poisoning (vomiting and indigestion) appear, it is necessary to urgently seek medical help. When cleaning a room from mercury, you need to take breaks every twenty minutes and drink as much liquid as possible. After cleaning, you must thoroughly brush your teeth, rinse your mouth with potassium permanganate and take a few tablets of activated carbon.
The things that were used to clean up the mercury must be disposed of. It is unacceptable to use them in the future or just throw them away.
If the mercury has not leaked out
If the thermometer has broken, but the thermometer body is not damaged and the mercury has not leaked out, then the following should be done:
- Carefully inspect the thermometer to make sure that no mercury leaks have actually occurred.
- Put on gloves, place the damaged thermometer in a glass jar and close it hermetically.
- Find out the addresses of the services directly involved in the disposal of broken thermometers, and hand over the thermometer for disposal in the nearest one.
Throwing the thermometer into the trash container is strictly prohibited. Such a violation, if found, is punishable by a fine. Persons living in apartment buildings who, in the event of an incident, did not report it to the housing office or the sanitary and epidemiological station, are brought to responsibility.
This substance gives off dangerous vapors. Long-term inhalation can cause death. Parents of small children should be especially careful. The main problem is that, when poured, the mercury forms shiny balls of various sizes. They attract the attention of babies, which is very dangerous for their health. If mercury enters the body, it is difficult to remove it. In addition, it spreads rapidly and affects all organs. First, the poisonous substance enters the lungs, then into the blood. In a short time, all systems are poisoned. The kidneys and liver fail first, then the cardiovascular system and, ultimately, the brain.
Mercury is hazardous to human health
Mercury poisoning can be acute or chronic. The first option is very rare, since for this you need to inhale a lot of poisonous vapors. Poisoning symptoms appear within eight hours. These include the taste of metal in the mouth, general weakness, shortness of breath. Over time, headaches are noted, gums bleed. Possible diarrhea, shortness of breath, high body temperature. If no action is taken, the person will die in a few days.
Chronic poisoning begins with a long stay in a room where there is mercury. In this case, the central nervous system suffers, the person feels weakness and nausea. Other symptoms include absent-minded attention, rapid fatigue, drowsiness, trembling limbs. If you ignore the warning signs, dementia is possible after a few weeks, and then death.
The thermometer contains mercury, which is under the glass. With any impact, it is easily damaged, as a result of which the mercury substance appears on the surface. It is not dangerous in itself, but its fumes can cause serious poisoning.
Any device needs to be changed periodically, which raises the question of where to hand over the mercury thermometer for disposal. This is done by special institutions that subject it to the necessary processing.
It is important to dispose of the appliance correctly.
The thermometer contains two grams of mercury, which is very hazardous to health. If you breathe it in vapors for several weeks, serious consequences are possible, up to death. Many people believe that the problem can be solved very simply - it is enough to bury a mercury thermometer. But this is unacceptable.
What to do with a broken thermometer
Most often, the problem of how to dispose of a mercury thermometer arises when the device suddenly crashed. To avoid negative consequences, you need to know some rules.
The main disadvantage of mercury devices is their fragility. Any exposure to mercury can be on the surface, which is hazardous to health. Therefore, it is very important to properly dispose of it. If you need to get rid of your appliance, you can't just put it in the trash can. Otherwise, it can harm the environment.
If the thermometer is intact, but you can no longer use it, you need to figure out where to dispose of the mercury thermometer. Such things are accepted by hospitals, pharmacies and specialized companies, where mercury undergoes special processing. In large cities, there are private companies that have a permit for the disposal of mercury. But if there are no reception points, it is very difficult.
If the thermometer is broken, action must be taken immediately.
What to do if a thermometer breaks?
First of all, you should call the Ministry of Emergencies. Rescuers will arrive quickly and take all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of people. But in some cases, the situation has to be solved independently. If there is no company nearby for the reception of mercury products, you need to find an empty bottle, pour a manganese solution into it, lower the thermometer there and close the lid. Then it can be taken to a specialized company or buried where there are no people and animals. But this is only possible in extreme cases. As a rule, in any city there are pharmacies or clinics where you can take a broken thermometer.
Mercury vapor is very dangerous, especially for children. The influence of toxins is not felt immediately, only after a few hours there is a feeling of thirst and dry mouth, an increase in body temperature. Therefore, if you break the thermometer, the mercury must be disposed of urgently.
First you need to open all the windows and close the front doors. Then carefully collect all the glass, be sure to wear gloves. A medical pear or a napkin dipped in vegetable oil is ideal for mercury. Dip the damaged object, glass and mercury into the bottle and close the lid tightly. In the future, all the contents must be taken to the Ministry of Emergency Situations - they know exactly how to dispose of mercury.
Proper cleaning will protect you from the consequences
The place where the thermometer crashed should be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate or chlorine, after which everything should be washed with soapy or soda water. It is advisable to carry out all actions with the help of old things, since they will have to be thrown away immediately after cleaning.
How to remove mercury from soft surfaces
If the thermometer has been broken on fluffy surfaces, disposal causes a lot of problems. It is impossible to completely remove the toxic liquid from such materials, so you need to get rid of them. A broom cannot be used for cleaning - mercury is instantly absorbed into hard rods, which causes toxins to evaporate into the air.
The room where the thermometer was broken must be urgently left, while opening the vents and windows. The sun's rays remove toxic substances. It is better to live in another place for a few days. Knowing how to collect and where to hand over mercury from a broken thermometer, you can avoid mortal danger for yourself and your loved ones.
What not to do
When disposing of a thermometer, you need to follow simple guidelines:
- It is forbidden to throw a mercury device into the trash can. Many people believe that such a meager dose of mercury is not capable of causing harm, but this is not the case. The content of one thermometer pollutes more than five thousand cubic meters of air.
- cannot be sent down the drain. Toxic fumes can remain on their surfaces and, if evaporated, enter the bathroom. In addition, in this case, it is impossible to destroy the mercury.
- It is unacceptable to bury the product in the ground - mercury vapors will contaminate the environment. You can leave the thermometer in the forest, but this will harm the animals. Therefore, the thermometer is allowed to be thrown away only in specially designated places and institutions.
- Do not vacuum up the mercury. If this could not be avoided, it is advisable to throw the device away or thoroughly clean the garbage bag on the street, putting its contents in a sealed bag.
The container with mercury must be transferred to the Ministry of Emergency Situations or a specialized company that deals with the disposal of mercury. The vacuum cleaner should be disassembled and ventilated daily for a month. It is advisable to replace the hose and other accessories, on which a poisonous substance could remain, with new ones.
Everyone should know how to dispose of a mercury thermometer. Mercury is very dangerous to humans, touching it is fraught with serious consequences, especially for children. There are thermometers with it in almost every home.
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It is best to constantly be aware of the potential danger and avoid the possibility of damage to the thermometer and spreading of mercury. But sometimes trouble still happens, and a number of questions immediately arise: where to dispose of the mercury, where to throw the fragments of the thermometer, and so on. You need to know the answers in advance.
Broken thermometer
Mercury is a highly toxic substance. Getting into the air from the closed space of the thermometer, at room temperature it immediately begins to evaporate. Inhalation of these vapors is extremely dangerous and has serious consequences. If inhaled or swallowed for a long time (which can be expected from a small child), failure to take urgent action can be fatal.
During inhalation, mercury vapor enters the lungs and then into the bloodstream, further affecting those internal organs into which this blood enters. Mercury compounds are very difficult to remove from the body, therefore, all measures must be taken to prevent these compounds from entering it.
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The first impulse may be the desire to throw the mercury thermometer into the trash, but you need to know that this should never be done! In the garbage, the thermometer will most likely crack, the mercury will leak out, and it is very likely that, before it evaporates, it will have time to cause irreparable harm to a person or animal. You may also think about how to independently dispose of the mercury thermometer: bury it or break it and throw it into the sewer. All these actions, perhaps, will protect the former owner from danger, but will not protect the rest.
Used thermometer
A thermometer that has served its life needs disposal. In this case, the used thermometer, which aroused suspicion, must first be carefully wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a glass jar with a solution of soda or potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate). Then the jar must be tightly closed with a nylon lid. A thermometer isolated in this way is recommended to be taken to a pharmacy, where it is taken and placed in a special container. You can always find out where to take your thermometer and where the nearest pharmacy is located at the Help Center. Alternatively, the thermometer can be taken to a special demercurization center if its location in the city is known.
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As soon as the fact of a broken thermometer is established, it is urgent to take safety measures:
- Take all people and animals out of the room, while it is advisable to remove the children from the apartment.
- In the room where the thermometer crashed, if possible, open the windows and close the doors to the room.
- The gap under the door must be tightly plugged with a cloth soaked in a solution of soda or potassium permanganate. The rest of the doors must also be closed to avoid drafts.
- Call the EMERCOM team, entrust the mercury disposal procedure to professionals.
Mercury after a broken thermometer
If for some reason it is impossible to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, as well as keeping the windows open for a long time (so that the mercury completely evaporates and erodes), it is necessary to put a broken thermometer in a jar, as indicated above, collect droplets of mercury in it and close it tightly with a nylon lid. You can collect mercury on a piece of thick paper or with a syringe or pear. It is imperative to use gloves and a gauze bandage, try to hold your breath as much as possible and not bring your hands and face close, as mercury vapor settles on the skin. The fragments of the thermometer are collected on sticky tape or gently with a rag. All this (including the rag) cannot be thrown away and must also be disposed of. The mercury collected in the container must be handed over to the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations or to the demercurization center.
In some exceptional cases, when it is impossible to hand over fragments of a thermometer with mercury elements somewhere (for example, in areas remote from regional centers), it is necessary to temporarily preserve everything collected. A tightly closed glass container, which for reliability can be additionally placed in an iron container (for example, in a metal can with a lid), must be buried. It is necessary to choose such a burial place so that you can easily find it and get to the buried one yourself, but at the same time, random people or animals should not do this.
As soon as possible, the specified content must be handed over for recycling or transferred to the employees of the Ministry of Emergencies. You should not leave such "treasures" in the ground or throw away somewhere - you need to protect all living things and nature as a whole.
Mercury thermometers do not have an expiration date, but there is a risk of damage to the glass body. They contain mercury, the poisonous vapors of which can cause irreparable damage to health.
About 20% of medical waste is a hazard to the environment. They are divided into 5 classes, mercury thermometers belong to the 1st. This means that they absolutely must not be thrown away with regular waste. Demercurization centers are responsible for the disposal of mercury, which have special equipment and qualified personnel. Individuals and organizations wishing to dispose of waste containing mercury can apply to such an organization.
What is Mercury Disposal?
The toxic metal tends to accumulate in living organisms and the environment, causing poisoning and disease even at low concentrations. On an industrial scale, mercury is disposed of in a technically complex way, and is also recycled using metal to make lamps. Utilization of mercury in Moscow is carried out by licensed enterprises. If the lamp or thermometer is broken, you need to call the Ministry of Emergencies. For family safety, it is better to replace mercury-containing devices with electronic ones. In addition, a large selection of accurate and safe thermometers and lamps are now on sale.
If the thermometer breaks
Mercury leaked out:
- take children and animals out of the room;
- do not vacuum or sweep, as the molecules will only scatter;
- the danger is posed by poisonous vapors, so you cannot arrange a draft, otherwise you will have to disinfect the entire apartment;
- if the outside temperature is higher than + 18 ° C, you must not open the windows, otherwise mercury molecules will react with oxygen, increasing harmful fumes;
- you cannot collect the contents with your bare hands, mercury accumulates in balls, they are collected with an oiled napkin, which is immediately immersed in a jar of water;
- to collect fragments, you can use a wide adhesive tape - the smallest glass and balls will stick to its surface;
- it is very difficult to collect mercury from soft and fleecy surfaces, so these things will have to be thrown away;
- everything collected should be lowered into a glass jar with a solution of potassium permanganate and the lid should be tightly closed;
- the collected contents should never be poured out or thrown away;
- rinse the floor with disinfectants (potassium permanganate, bleach, soap and soda solution), they envelop the remaining mercury molecules and neutralize their harmful effects;
- work only with mittens.
Mercury did not leak out:
- the device must not be thrown away with household waste or buried in the ground;
- the thermometer is placed in a glass container with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- disposal of mercury from the thermometer without damage is carried out by specialized enterprises, the device must be taken only there;
- where to carry the collected mercury in the capital, you can see on the website of the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology of Moscow.
- It is forbidden to send mercury down the drain;
- Items used to collect mercury must be thrown out of the apartment;
- Mercury should not be kept near heating devices or near heat;
- There should be no drafts in the room, since toxic fumes are very volatile;
- Rinse the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose, brush your teeth - during the cleaning process, the metal could settle on them.
- Disposal of thermometers should be carried out strictly according to the rules and only by specialists;
- The device contains about 2 g of toxic metal, but even this small amount is enough for serious poisoning.
- If possible, it is better to immediately call the specialists of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
- The mercury disposal service for demercurization uses products that guarantee a complete clean-up of contaminants. The substance enters into an oxidation reaction and the hazardous metal is neutralized.
How to store a mercury thermometer
At home, thermometers are stored in places inaccessible to children, excluding the fall or damage to the glass case.
There are separate conditions for broken thermometers:
- All wastes of the 1st class, according to the rules, are placed in a cylindrical galvanized container and covered with a cover;
- When the waste is collected, the container is marked with a sticker;
- Waste containing mercury should be stored in a dedicated room with hard floors and access to it should be limited.
Mercury disposal procedure
- Substances of the first hazard class are extremely hazardous waste, only licensed enterprises are allowed to process them;
- In a special installation (demercurizer), mercury is disposed of from thermometers and mercury lamps;
- The glass is crushed, mercury vapors rise, after which they are precipitated with subsequent condensation (a sorbent is used);
- The thermocryogenic method is also used for disposal - a high temperature is set at 170 ° C, hazardous vapors are condensed in a vacuum, then frozen out with liquid nitrogen. The thawed mercury is then collected in a receiver;
- For lamps, a separation method is used - in a counter-current system with vibration and under air pressure, the lamp is divided into components (broken glass, aluminum parts, phosphor), each component is sent to a separate receiver.
Lamps and thermometers containing mercury are hazardous to the environment and human health. Mercury vapors and the substance itself tend to accumulate in living organisms, cause damage to the nervous system and organs, and cause poisoning and cancer.
According to the current legislation, a special disposal procedure is provided for and it is prohibited to store such waste for more than 1 year without a permit in basements and warehouses. Proper handling of mercury waste involves only demercurization.
Licenses for this type of activity are issued by the State Service for Atomic, Technological and Environmental Supervision.
The question of where to dispose of a mercury thermometer worries citizens in cases where the thermometer has broken or is simply no longer needed.
If the product is damaged
If the thermometer burst, crashed, cracked, then there is only one answer to the above question - you need to call the Ministry of Emergencies. The specialists of this service are obliged to organize the whole range of measures to solve this problem, namely:
- eliminate drops of mercury;
- secure the room;
- pick up the damaged thermometer.
- burn them.
Sometimes people are not sufficiently informed about where to put a broken mercury thermometer and often just throw it in the trash bin or bury it in the soil. This is unacceptable, because mercury causes irreparable harm to the environment and human health.
Solving the problem of recycling
Today in many cities there are private companies, for which the disposal of hazardous waste is the main field of activity. These include the Agency "Mercury Safety". With the participation of this company, solving the problem has reached a new level. More and more people prefer to hand over a mercury thermometer to the company's specialists, instead of just throwing it in the trash or out the window.
In some domestic megalopolises, such an innovation as the Eco-mobile has appeared. People can dial a telephone number and call a mobile collection point for environmentally hazardous waste.
Another option for resolving the issue for residents of large cities is an ecoterminal. Special blue vending machines for the disposal of thermometers and other products with a high level of danger are placed near shopping centers, hypermarkets, gas stations, and other visited places.
Alternative drop-off locations
In large and medium-sized cities, the disposal of mercury thermometers can be carried out at stationary demercurization points. However, this option is not suitable for residents of small towns, villages, villages, etc. In this case, it is worth contacting the SES or the district administration. If the employees of these institutions do not show initiative, you need to insist on your own or make an appointment with the head of the district, other officials, call the hotline.
Many citizens, thinking about where to take thermometers with mercury, turn to pharmacies. According to the order of the Ministry of Health, pharmacists are obliged to accept thermometers that are defective, as well as broken and spoiled ones. Unfortunately, not all pharmacies have this procedure.
Folk method
There is an opinion among the people that the disposal of mercury from a thermometer can be carried out in the following way: carefully collect the spilled mercury (you need to do this with rubber gloves), pour it into a jar and fill it with a manganese or soap-soda solution so that the heavy metal does not emit vapor. In fact, only specialists should deal with such a serious incident. Therefore, it is better to find out where to hand over a broken thermometer, in a particular locality, so as not to make even more problems.
I am glad that today there are more and more environmental companies, where you can take a mercury thermometer. One of the most profitable options is cooperation with the Mercury Safety Agency. This company solves the problem as quickly as possible, providing services at minimal rates.
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