Mercury vapor from a broken thermometer. Is mercury from a thermometer dangerous and its effect on the human body? What to do in case of mercury poisoning when a child swallowed mercury? What should not be done if a mercury thermometer breaks? How to recognize acute and chronic

At room temperature, mercury emits toxic fumes, which through Airways enter the body.

If no action is taken after the thermometer has broken, the liquid metal will poison the air and gradually accumulate in the body. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that mercury crumbles into small drops that are easy to miss in the cracks of the floor, the pile of the carpet, behind the baseboards.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning can be invisible for a long time.

Health problems can appear a couple of months after direct contact with mercury. The main symptoms are weakness, general malaise, loss of appetite, metallic taste in the mouth, headaches and sore throats, increased salivation, nausea and vomiting. As you can see, they can easily be attributed to stress, work fatigue, or the commonplace.

But if mercury continues to accumulate, more serious problems appear: trembling of the fingers, eyelids, then hands and feet, predisposition to mental illness, tuberculosis, atherosclerotic phenomena, liver and gallbladder damage, and hypertension.

How to collect mercury

If the thermometer breaks, first of all, take children and animals out of the room and close the door so that mercury vapor does not go into neighboring rooms. To prevent anyone from transferring droplets of mercury on shoes, lay a rag soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate in front of the entrance.

Potassium permanganate solution

Add 2 grams of potassium permanganate to 1 liter of water and mix.

If it's cold outside, open a window. This will help slow evaporation. One thing: in no case should a draft be allowed, due to which mercury can scatter throughout the room.

Put on shoe covers or plastic bags on your feet, and rubber gloves on your hands. The airways also need protection. For example, a disposable mask with gauze soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Take a glass jar with a lid (or any other sealed container), pour water or potassium permanganate solution into it and fold the thermometer fragments.

Take two sheets of paper and cotton wool soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. Start collecting drops of mercury from the corners of the room towards the center. With a cotton swab, push the drops onto the paper and brush them into a jar. Instead of cotton wool, you can use ordinary adhesive tape: stick it on the floor where there is mercury and tear it off.

To collect all the mercury without residue and get to the smallest droplets in the cracks, use a syringe, a medical bulb with a thin tip, or a paint brush.

Close the jar of mercury tightly with a lid and put it in a cool place, preferably on the balcony. Do not throw it in the garbage chute or pour its contents into the toilet.

How to treat the room and protect yourself

To ensure that there is no trace of mercury in the room, treat the place where it spilled. First - a solution of potassium permanganate: 20 grams of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. Apply it with a cloth or with a spray bottle. After an hour, wipe the same place with soap and soda solution.

It will have to be treated with potassium permanganate and a soap-soda solution 2-3 times a day for several days.

Soap and soda solution

Grate a bar of soap on a grater, pour hot water over it and stir until the soap chips are completely dissolved. You can use liquid soap instead of regular soap. Pour the mixture with 10 liters of water. Add 100 grams of baking soda. Stir.

Since you yourself have been in an unsafe room for a long time, you need to do the following:

1. Wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soapy soda solution.
2. Rinse your mouth with a very weak solution of potassium permanganate.
3. Brush your teeth thoroughly.
4. Take 2-3 tablets of activated charcoal.
5. Drink more fluids (tea, juice, coffee).

What Not to Do

1. Do not sweep mercury with a broom. Rigid rods will only grind drops of mercury into fine dust and spread throughout the room.
2. Do not vacuum up mercury. During blowing, due to warm air, mercury begins to evaporate even more intensively. In addition, its particles will remain on engine parts and will spread throughout the apartment during cleaning.
3. Do not throw the thermometer in the garbage chute. Mercury will pollute the air throughout the house.
4. Don't flush mercury down the toilet. It will settle in the sewer pipes, and it will be very difficult to remove it from there.
5. Clothing contaminated with mercury should be discarded. When washing, small particles of metal will settle into.
6. No need to wash rags and other improvised materials in the sink. We have already talked about sewer pipes. Just collect everything in a tight plastic bag and tie it tightly. You can't take it to the trash can.

Where to take a broken thermometer

Neither the broken thermometer itself, nor the items with which you collected mercury, can be simply thrown into the trash. We need to send them to a facility that can recycle mercury.

Call 112 to the Ministry of Emergency Situations and report that your thermometer has broken. They will write down your address, tell you what to do, or come to your house if you are not sure that you were able to completely clean the room. It's free.

True, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations are often loaded with other things and cannot always quickly help with a broken thermometer. In this case, you can call a paid demercurization service in your city.

If you managed to clean up the mercury without help, call the nearest sanitary and epidemiological station. Specialists will tell you the address where you can donate mercury.

Urgently leave the apartment by calling the rescue service and inform the neighbors about the infection at home - an example of how not to behave if the apartment crashed mercury thermometer. The line between truth and fiction about the dangers of mercury for humans is thin, but in order not to panic once again, you need to learn a number of rules.

First steps

It is best to close the room where the thermometer crashed and limit the access of children and animals there. The first step is to collect to the maximum all the drops of mercury that have spilled. It is most convenient to do this in rubber gloves with a pear or adhesive tape (for example, adhesive tape).

Drops of mercury must be collected in a container filled with water, and then tightly closed. In the future, it is handed over to special departments for the disposal of mercury. The place where mercury was spilled should be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or a chlorine-containing liquid, and the room should be ventilated.

Truth and myths

Mercury from broken thermometer able to infect an apartment for many years? A mercury thermometer contains one to two grams of mercury. This is enough to get mild poisoning if you do not collect mercury drops.

“If all the particles are collected, then there is no danger. If there are any suspicions that it has rolled somewhere behind the plinth, under the laminate, into some other gap, then it is better to call specialists to take measurements and then directly carry out the demercurization of the premises, ”said the specialist of the Sibrtut company Andrey Pechenkin.

Among the symptoms of acute poisoning are general weakness, lack of appetite, headache, pain when swallowing, metallic taste in the mouth, salivation, swelling and bleeding of the gums, nausea and vomiting. If there are no such manifestations, there is nothing to worry about. Moreover, mercury from a thermometer is not enough for such poisoning.

Should clothing containing mercury be recycled? It is necessary to collect mercury drops in rubber gloves so as not to contact the hazardous metal once again. As for clothes, they remain safe if there is no possibility that they may contain particles of mercury. For your own peace of mind, after collecting the remnants of the thermometer, they can be washed with any chlorine-containing liquid. This is more than enough. Dangerous and fast: which thermometer to choose

If mercury got on a pet, then this is not a tenant? Getting mercury on the fur of an animal is not a sentence for a pet. If the mercury ball is tangled in the wool, it just needs to be cut off, and if the mercury has rolled over the pet, it must be washed with a chlorine-containing liquid.

In the room where the thermometer crashed, you can’t go for 10 days?“One good ventilation, provided that all mercury particles have been collected, is enough. If poisoning has not occurred within a day, then most likely there is no danger to health, ”Pechenkin said.

Do you need to notify your neighbors about the contamination of the living quarters? There is no need to report a broken mercury thermometer to neighbors. “Mercury, it is around us, is contained not only in a broken thermometer. But there is a certain norm, if there is no excess, then everything is fine, ”commented the specialist.

The most reliable way to make sure that the house is safe is to call specialists. In Novosibirsk, you can contact the department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (Kolyvanskaya, 4. Tel.: 218 68 00). The team will arrive with the equipment, measure the air free of charge and, in case of deviations, carry out demercurization.

The toxic properties of mercury, including metal, have been known to people for a long time. It was used in the manufacture of gold, mirrors and felt for hats (which is why the poisoning was called the "old hatter's disease"). Its compounds were also used as a poison. It is important to know how mercury poisoning occurs and how to properly provide it to the victim.

Today, the danger of mercury poisoning continues to hang over people. Sources of toxic metal abound, such as mercury thermometers.

The mercury (Hydrargyrum) that fills this device is an unusual metal and an unusual liquid "in one bottle". Like a metal, it surprises a person with a liquid state under normal conditions. Among liquids, it is considered the heaviest substance.

The human body normally contains 13 mg of mercury. Doctors are still arguing about her role. Some believe that it does not carry any function, others say that it is involved in the process of realizing the information recorded in DNA. And it is extremely undesirable to remove it completely from the human body. At the same time, the excess of mercury invested by nature is fraught with serious consequences.

Mercury is dangerous in almost all of its forms. How it will affect a person depends on its type and method of entry into the body. For example, swallowing metallic mercury is not very dangerous, it will simply be excreted in the feces. But if a person swallowed 10 mg of mercury salt, it would lead to death! Metal poisoning manifests itself if 0.4 mg of mercury in terms of a “pure” substance enters the body.

Metal happens:

1. By inhaling its vapors.
2. When mercury vapor is absorbed through the skin (transdermally).
3. With oral ingestion of metal salts.

For a person, the bad thing is that mercury accumulates in the body, and the accumulation process can take years. And only after a few years the poisoning makes itself felt.

The toxic effect of this metal and its compounds is manifested in relation to all human organs and systems. First of all, organs suffer:

• through which mercury enters (lungs, skin, intestines);
• through which it is excreted (kidneys).

It affects the main filter of the human body - the liver, as well as the control nervous system.

In these organs and systems, as well as in bone marrow, mercury in the form of salts can accumulate. When the metal enters in small parts, the first place is the damage to the nervous system.

Methylmercury (an organometallic cation) enters the human body both with food and through the skin. It staunchly binds to the hemoglobin of erythrocytes, causing oxygen starvation of organs, including the brain.

Metal vapors penetrate through the respiratory tract, are absorbed through the skin, and are oxidized. They combine with proteins, they are carried with blood to all organs.

Signs of poisoning with this metal depend on its form, amount and rate of entry of the toxin into the body. Penetrating into the human body, mercury vapor causes poisoning in 3 ways.

Types of poisoning

Consider the most frequent species mercury poisoning.

fast growing

fast growing, acute poisoning manifested by disturbances in various systems.

Gastrointestinal injury:

• hypersalivation (excessive flow of saliva);
• stomatitis and gingivitis with bleeding of the oral mucosa;
• signs intestinal poisoning(vomiting, nausea and muco-bloody diarrhea);
• abdominal pain.

Respiratory system disorders:

• dyspnea;
• cough;
• chest pain;

• bronchial catarrh and pneumonia.

Symptoms of general intoxication:

• chills;
• weakness
• temperature rise to febrile figures (38-40 ° C).

Quite a lot of mercury can be found in the urine, because it is excreted by the kidneys.

Without help, a person dies in a few days.

slow, chronic

Stage I - signs of CNS damage:

• state of indifference
• lethargy;
• lability of the central nervous system;
• cephalgia;
• vestibulopathy;
• fatigue;
• drowsiness.

During emotional stress, the limbs and lips tremble, less often the whole body. This phenomenon is called mercury tremor, it develops with a long period of poison intake in the patient's body.

Stage III - cognitive disorders:

• memory impairment;
• attention;
• ability to concentrate.

For a doctor diagnostic features this type of poisoning serve:

• violation of sensitivity (decrease in tactile, taste and olfactory sensations);
• increased urge to urinate;
• hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

Some patients have:

• tachycardia (increased heart rate);
• enlargement of the thyroid gland.

micromercurialism

Stage I - changes in the perception of aromas.

• lethargy;
• fatigue;
• reduced performance.

Stage III - cognitive disorders:

• memory worsens;
• Attention.

Stage IV - fine tremor.

In women, the menstrual cycle may be disrupted.

Consequences of mercury poisoning

This metal is extremely toxic, any mercury poisoning leads to damage to internal organs. With age, this can indirectly cause cancer, in the case of the liver - cirrhosis, in the case of the kidneys - serious nephropathies.

Methylruty poisoning is extremely dangerous. It ends with atrophy of the brain tissues and, as a result, memory impairment, the work of analyzers (visual, auditory, skin), coordinating disorders. In severe cases, stupor develops, the patient falls into a coma.

Acute, rapidly developing mercury poisoning (any kind) can be fatal. Chronic intoxication is fraught with loss of teeth and the development of chronic damage to the renal tubules, interstitium and glomeruli of the kidneys.

If mercury is absorbed through the skin, it leads to inflammation skin(dermatitis). In young children, contact with inorganic mercury can cause CNS disease with severe skin lesions (acrodynia).

Doctors associate mercury salts with the development of:

• hypertrichosis (increased hairiness);
• photosensitivity (increased sensitivity to sunlight);
• the appearance of rashes all over the body.

Tremor and cognitive disorders in micromercurialism reduce the quality of life of people, make it difficult to self-service and lead to disability.

Mercury poisoning of women during gestation (carrying a child) threatens the fetus with a developmental disorder.

First aid for mercury vapor poisoning

Helping a person with such poisoning at home is problematic. If signs of acute poisoning appear, the victim should be sent to the hospital as soon as possible.

If mercury has come into contact with the skin in any form, it must be removed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The skin is thoroughly washed with this solution and blotted. Be sure to see a doctor.

If mercury is accidentally swallowed, it is recommended to wash the stomach: drink at least a liter of a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, then rinse your mouth thoroughly with potassium permanganate. Reception of enterosorbents is ineffective. The traditional antidote for intoxication with mercury salts is egg white, but it is better to consult a doctor.

If mercury fumes are inhaled, you need to unbutton the collar of your clothes, go to an open window or go outside.

One of the common reasons household poisoning mercury - the destruction of a mercury thermometer. The best way out is to invite a special SES team to clean up mercury (demercurization). The procedure is carried out according to GOST 17.4.1.02-83 using sulfur powder. Sulfur reacts with mercury to form a solid, sulfide, which is easy to remove.

Calling SES is not always possible, and sulfur powder is unlikely to be in your first aid kit. Therefore, for home demercurization use:

1. Iron sulfate 30 mg per 1 liter of water (sold in garden stores).
2. Potassium permanganate 20 mg m per 1 liter of water.
3. A solution of baking soda 1000 mg per 1 liter of water.

Sometimes they make an acetic-manganese or soap-soda mixture. For cleaning, a rag and a prepared solution are not enough. You will need old clothes that you don’t mind throwing away, rubber gloves, shoe covers to protect your shoes, a respirator or a gauze bandage.

You need to start by removing people and animals from the premises until the end of the cleaning (you can offer to take a walk, send them to visit relatives). Then the one who will clean up puts on the prepared suit and gets to work:

1. Closes the door of the room where the thermometer has broken so that the vapors do not penetrate into neighboring rooms (if this is not a bathroom).
2. Open windows wide to allow mercury vapor to escape from the room.
3. Turns on the lighting to the maximum (mercury shines when exposed to light and becomes noticeable).
4. Put the mercury in a jar with a tight screw cap or other airtight container.
5. After removing visible metal particles, the place where the thermometer crashed is repeatedly washed with a solution of ferric chloride, soda with soap or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

You can collect mercury with a medical syringe (enema), a syringe without a needle, sponges with a solution of potassium permanganate. A syringe, syringe or pipette is preferable.

Sometimes it is advised to collect mercury on a sheet of paper or remove it from the cracks with a wire, cover it with sawdust so that it does not roll out, and sweep it with a brush. But this metal rolls into balls and "scatters" through the cracks with every awkward movement. Therefore, it is better to use a pipette with a sharp nose or a syringe (an object capable of "sucking" the ball).

And there are 4 simple rules that should not be neglected:

1. A day later, cleaning must be repeated.
2. The room should be thoroughly ventilated for at least a week.
3. You should not sleep in the room where the thermometer crashed for 3-4 days.
4. Clothes that were cleaned and consumables (rags, syringes, etc.) must be transferred to the SES for disposal.

If you doubt the quality of cleaning, you can check demercurization using analyzers sold in specialized stores. But at home, usually no one conducts such a check. The concentration of mercury in the thermometer is not so high as to cause poisoning after thorough cleaning.

What not to do if the thermometer crashed

Try to remember 4 prohibitions that will help you properly conduct home demercurization:

1. Don't sweep mercury. Hard twigs of a broom or brushes will break the balls into small particles that will roll around the room. They will be difficult to remove.
2. Do not remove balls with a vacuum cleaner. Getting on the heating element of the vacuum cleaner, the metal forms an amalgam on the windings, rotor and other parts of the device. When heated, mercury will evaporate more intensively.
3. Do not throw mercury balls in the trash. Also, you can not throw it into the garbage chute, garbage cans in the yard and into the sewer. It is disposed of by SES.
4. Do not attempt to wash used clothing. Do not use in the future an item that has been exposed to mercury and in which you have cleaned. These items are disposed of along with cleaning supplies.

Safety rules when using a mercury thermometer

1. Do not wash the thermometer with hot water.
2. Store the thermometer in a hard case.
3. Before use, check the integrity of the case.
4. When shaking the thermometer, make sure not to hit it against hard objects.
5. Keep the thermometer where children cannot reach it.

This thermometer contains 10-30 mg of mercury. With the destruction of the capillary with mercury, this metal enters the air and begins to evaporate. Mercury vapor is harmful to the human body.

How dangerous is breaking a thermometer? If all the mercury evaporates at once, and you breathe in all of its vapors, you will die. But, as proven by scientists, this is unrealistic.

If you leave mercury in the room where the person is long time, and it will slowly evaporate, there is a risk of developing chronic intoxication. The risk is higher if an old Soviet-style thermometer crashed. It contained about 50 mg of mercury.

If most of the mercury was removed mechanically, you need to intensively ventilate the room for several days and there will be no poisoning. If you still have concerns, you can call the "101" service. The duty brigade will give advice by phone. At low risk, which creates a single broken thermometer, a special group will not leave. But you will receive qualified advice.

How to get rid of mercury indoors

You can safely get rid of mercury at home only by removing it mechanically (with a syringe, douche). Simply washing the floor with manganese or another solution will not neutralize mercury. Wash the floor with cold solutions to remove it and immerse it in water. Mercury does not evaporate in water.

Why You Can't Neutralize Mercury at Home

Mercury reacts with ferrous sulfate and potassium permanganate in the presence of sulfuric acid. This metal does not react with all other recommended substances (with the exception of ferric chloride):

In chemistry reference books, you can find substances with which mercury reacts, for example, ferric chloride. As a result of this reaction, sublimate is obtained. The substance is solid, easily removed, easily soluble in water, but very poisonous!

Therefore, you need to work exclusively in rubber gloves. After removing the sublimate, chemists advise treating the floor with sodium thiosulfate to convert the remaining mercury sulfide into sodium salt and hydrogen chloride. But collecting mercury with a syringe will be easier and faster.

Mercury spills are often advised to fill up with hygroscopic substances (the same salt or baking soda). But mercury is not water, it is not absorbed into sorbents. Salt or soda only envelop the balls. The ability to envelop very small mercury specks is used when washing the floor with soda and soap or manganese with vinegar.

How to prevent mercury poisoning from a thermometer

Today, there are many options for medical thermometers that do not contain mercury. These are electronic thermometers, and non-contact infrared thermometers. Use one of the safer types of thermometers, especially when taking children's temperatures.