What to do if the mercury thermometer is broken

1. Mercury, also known as mercury, is a liquid silvery-white metal that can evaporate at room temperature. After the thermometer is broken, the mercury will form many small liquid droplets when it falls on the ground, and if it is not collected in time, it will quickly volatilize into the air, and the mercury vapor is very toxic, and can enter the nervous system through the human respiratory tract, making people poisoned. If you accidentally touch the **, you can also enter the human body, endangering the health of the human body.

2. The clinical manifestations of mercury poisoning include headache, dizziness, fatigue and fever. Oral and gastrointestinal symptoms include redness, swelling and soreness of the gums, erosion and bleeding, loose teeth, pus in the gingival socket, foul smell in the oral cavity, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. **Erythematous maculopapular rash may appear on contact, with more distribution on the extremities and head and face.

A small number of patients may have renal impairment, and a few severe patients may have acute interstitial pneumonia such as cough, chest pain, dyspnea, and cyanosis.

3. There are mercury collection and treatment methods.

1) Use a moist cotton swab or tape paper to collect the mercury spilled on the ground, put it into a small bottle that can be sealed, such as a plastic bottle such as a beverage bottle, and add a small amount of water to the bottle, and write "waste mercury" and other identifying words on the bottle, and hand it over to the waste liquid management personnel of the unit or community neighborhood committee for disposal or send it to the environmental protection department for special treatment. The general public is reminded not to pour the collected mercury into the sewer to avoid polluting the underground water source. If mercury seeps into groundwater, people drink water that contains heavy metals, which can be harmful to human health.

2) For mercury that cannot be completely collected on the ground, some sulfur powder can be sprinkled to reduce the toxicity of mercury. Because sulfur powder can combine with mercury to form mercury sulfide compounds that are difficult to volatilize, it prevents mercury from volatilizing into the air and harming human health.

3) If there is no sulfur powder, it can also be covered with sand first, mercury is toxic, so that on the one hand, it can prevent mercury volatilization, and it can also prevent polluting the ground. Of course, due to the conditions at the time, you can cover it with a dry rag and wipe it off carefully, throw it away immediately, and then keep the room ventilated frequently.

Deal with it, it's best not to hurt anyone.

1. First of all, it is not a serious matter for the mercury thermometer to be broken, parents don't need to worry too much, I also broke one when I was a child, and my father, who is a doctor, didn't say anything, just let me not play with the mercury that flows out, because mercury is poisonous, we don't let the mercury come into direct contact**. Therefore, the first thing to pay attention to after breaking the mercury thermometer is not to touch the mercury with our hands or other parts of the body.

2. The mercury flowing out after the second mercury thermometer is broken, if the ventilation of the bad environment in our room is better, then directly open the window or door to ventilate, the mercury will be volatile, and there will be nothing to do after the volatilization is completed.

3. Some people say that mercury is toxic after volatilization, and this is there, but the amount of mercury in the mercury thermometer is very small, and such a small amount of volatilization has no effect on the human body.

4. Of course, if you are really not at ease, you can make a small dustpan with paper by yourself, sweep the scattered mercury once, and then go out and throw it in the trash.

5. Of course, some children accidentally break the mercury thermometer, we adults must not let the children touch the scattered mercury, because the children may put the hands that have come into contact with the mercury in their mouths, then the problem is bigger.

6. There are also children who are afraid of breaking the mercury thermometer, and they are afraid of making mistakes, so we also have to tell him that there is nothing, and the mercury thermometer is not a valuable product, just a few dollars a piece, when I was a child, I was afraid of breaking it, and when I grew up, I knew that the mercury thermometer was so cheap, so I was worried.

When a mercury thermometer is broken, it should be disposed of properly to prevent mercury vapor from entering the body through the respiratory tract.

The specific method is to spread a piece of cardboard paper on the ground, gently sweep the mercury spilled on the ground onto the paper with a small brush, and then put it into a bottle filled with water, then seal the bottle and label it, and hand it over to professionals or relevant departments for disposal, such as waste liquid management personnel of community neighborhood committees, environmental protection departments, etc.

In addition, according to Dalian**, the chemical reaction between sulfur and mercury will form mercuric sulfide solids, so sulfur powder can be used to remove mercury.

Regardless of which method is used, it is important to avoid exposure to mercury, and it is best to wear a mask and gloves when handling broken mercury thermometers. If the thermometer is broken indoors, try to ventilate the room for the next 1 to 2 weeks to reduce the concentration of mercury vapor in the indoor air.

Proper way to dispose of mercury:

1) Handlers should wear hats, masks, and gloves; If the mercury droplets are large, you can roll them into a tube with slightly stiff paper, or collect them with tin foil, tape paper, and moistened cotton swabs, and pack the mercury droplets in a sealed bottle; It is worth noting that mercury is insoluble in water, so the water seal cannot effectively prevent its volatilization, and the liquid level can be covered with glycerin or 5% sodium sulfide solution to prevent the evaporation of mercury vapor.

2) When the mercury drips in the crevices or is very fine, an appropriate amount of sulfur powder can be taken to cover, so that it can produce a chemical reaction to form sulfide mercury, and it is cleaned after 3-4 hours, and the sulfide mercury is solid and cannot evaporate, so it reduces the harm to the human body; Or spray with 20% ferric chloride (10% bleach solution), at this time the mercury flowing out forms an alloy of non-toxic mercury and iron, which is placed for 1 hour and then cleaned.

3) Clean up polluted garbage, including broken glass, in an airtight container and keep it properly.

4) Rinse mercury-contaminated floors with 5%-10% ferric chloride or 10% bleach solution.

5) If mercury droplets are scattered on bedding and clothing, mercury droplets should be found as soon as possible and disposed of according to the above methods, and the contaminated bedding and clothes should be fully exposed to the sun; If you accidentally come into contact with mercury, you can rinse it with water immediately.

6) The ceiling, walls, and air of the contaminated room are fumigated with heated iodine (grams per square meter or 1 gram per cubic meter), or dispersed on the ground with grams of iodine per cubic meter for 8-12 hours, and the doors and windows are sealed at the same time, and the indoor personnel withdraw.

7) After the end of treatment, it should be ventilated before entering to reduce the inhalation of residual mercury vapor by the human body. For **, the mercury shall be provided to the unit with disposal capacity for disposal.

First, quickly remove family members and pets from mercury-contaminated rooms, without touching spilled mercury. Mercury-contaminated clothing is to be left in the slow excavation room where the mercury is leaked; Never use a vacuum cleaner, broom, or rag to clean mercury.

Open windows for ventilation to reduce the concentration of mercury vapor in the room.

Clean up the mercury while keeping the room ventilated. It is important to protect yourself by wearing gloves and a mask to prevent inhalation or exposure to mercury.

1.Evacuate people around mercury splash areas and open windows to enhance natural ventilation. Temporarily turn off internal ventilation systems such as air conditioners to prevent mercury evaporation and spread.

2.Wear rubber gloves.

3.If there are sharp objects or glass shards, pick them up carefully, place all broken objects on a paper towel, fold the paper towel and put it in a plastic bag.

4.Locate visible mercury beads and collect them using cardboard to prevent them from rolling away. Larger pieces of mercury can be sucked up with a syringe, slowly injected into a plastic container, lid, and placed in a plastic bag.

5.In a dark room, use a flashlight close to the floor to look for glittering mercury beads to make sure the entire room is inspected.

6.Use adhesive tape to collect small mercury beads that are hard to see with the naked eye, and remember to put them in a plastic bag with the tape.

Expert tip: When collecting mercury, remove all jewelry from your hands and wrists, and replace them with old clothing so that you can discard them if they are contaminated with mercury. Mercury spilled on curtains, carpets, etc., is difficult to clean, so it is recommended to cut off the contaminated parts.

All items used in the mercury clean-up process, including gloves, masks, contaminated clothing, etc., are sealed in plastic bags and labelled along with sealed plastic bottles for proper disposal as instructed by local environmental authorities.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the room should be ventilated at least 24 after proper mercury treatment

The mercury needle (mercury thermometer), which is the most commonly used thermometer, is made of glass and contains a column of mercury that rises with body temperature. Mercury thermometers are widely used in the medical field and in ordinary households, and some pharmacies can buy mercury thermometers for inspection.

Although thermometers are common, mercury thermometers are fragile and contain mercury inside that can cause chronic damage to the human body in the morning, so use caution when using them. So what happens if the mercury thermometer breaks?

1. Get out of the room as soon as possible, after the mercury thermometer is broken, the mercury content in the air is 100 times that of the American gaseous mercury safety standard, so you should leave the room as soon as possible, turn off all the heating devices in the room, open the window and remove the trillion ventilation, you can rent an electric fan to accelerate the air flow, and ventilate for at least 24 hours.

2. In order to wear gloves in contact, if the hand touches, it is estimated that it can be washed off with soap and a lot of water, and the absorption of the person is very small, and then use a piece of paper to collect the mercury, and pay attention to check the entire room. If the room is dark, shine a flashlight close to the ground to see if there are any reflective beads.

3. When the mercury droplets are scattered in the crevices or very fine, sprinkle some on themSulfur powder(It is available in general pharmacies).The reaction of sulfur and mercury can produce mercury sulfide, which is not easily soluble in water, and the harm will be greatly reduced。And the color changes from yellow to brown, so that it can be recognized, collected, and be careful not to inhale the sulfur powder.

4. If mercury droplets are scattered on bedding and clothes, mercury droplets should be found as soon as possible and treated according to the above methods, and the contaminated bedding and clothes should be fully dried in the sun.

5. Finally, put the plastic bag containing the mercury beads, cleaning materials, and gloves into the garbage bag, and ask the environmental protection department how to dispose of them. Never pour the collected mercury into the sewer to avoid contaminating the groundwater source.

If you have any symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, memory loss, anuria, or hematuria, please go to your local hospital as soon as possible.

What to do if the mercury thermometer is brokenThe mercury thermometer is broken and needs to be handled correctly to eliminate potential safety hazards. Mercury is volatile and produces mercury vapor, so pay attention to ventilation.

Sulfur reacts chemically with mercury. Accidental ingestion can be done by drinking a large amount of protein-rich liquids (milk, soy milk) for initial detoxification, and then close to seeking medical attention.

1 2 First open doors and windows to strengthen ventilation and reduce the possibility of mercury vapor poisoning. Mercury is volatile. Then sprinkle some sulfur powder on top of the broken mercury thermometer.

2 2 Due to the low mercury content, potting soil or flour can be used to remove broken residues.

1 1**Contact Handling Method.

Quickly wipe clean with paper. Rinse with plenty of water. If you have a wound that comes into contact with mercury, it is recommended to seek medical attention nearby.

1 1 Accidental ingestion treatment method.

The heavy metal mercury can be used by referencing large amounts of milk or soy milk, egg whites (which contain a lot of protein) liquids.

Immediate medical attention after treatment.

It is best to mix with sulfur and remove it in anhydrous conditions. However, considering that your personal operation may not be thorough, it is still recommended to go to the hospital for cleaning.