Than neutralize mercury at home?

Almost every house has a mercury thermometer, which must be handled very carefully, because it contains a particularly dangerous mercury metal.

If it crashed, how to neutralize mercury at home? We'll talk about this and many other things in our article.

Than neutralize mercury in the case when the thermometer broke

The first thing you need to do is calm down and stop panicking in order to gather your thoughts and start acting promptly.

And the second is to remember the main three rules:

1. Do not collect dangerous balls with a rag. Because metal has the property of decaying into smaller particles, which will be even more difficult to collect.
2. You can not use the vacuum cleaner. This is extremely dangerous! Increased lesion. Together with the circulating air flow, the pairs will return to the room. The device will have to be thrown out, as the remaining substance settles on the internal parts, creating a film, the poisons of which will evaporate each time it is turned on, and the mercury droplets - fall on all surfaces in the room. Moreover, even in a landfill, such a technique will exude a dangerous substance.
3. Do not use a broom. The bars will crush the balls, turning them into a mercury powder. This dust penetrates into the smallest cracks and has a toxic effect for many years.

In order to correctly neutralize mercury inyou should not forget these basic rules. It is very toxic, has the main property - to evaporate indoors. Couples are the strongest poisons.

Before we proceed to the question of how to neutralize mercury from a broken thermometer by our own forces, let's talk about how dangerous this metal is.

What is the threat?

Mercury is a liquid metal that can evaporate. Its smallest particles can penetrate into all the cracks, under the skirting boards, into the pile of the carpet. Under the influence of room temperature they turn into vapors, which poison the air.

Through inhalation these poisons penetrate into all internalorgans and accumulate there. Are manifested in the form of dermatitis, stomatitis. Characteristic metallic taste and excessive salivation. Subsequently, the nervous system is affected, which leads to the emergence of various serious diseases. Therefore, it is extremely important to know what to neutralize mercury.

There are also complex forms of poisoning thatcharacterized by the appearance of nausea, accompanied by vomiting. There may be pneumonia, abdominal pain, diarrhea. In the case of severe intoxication, even death occurs.

We learned how dangerous this metal is. We proceed directly to the question, than to neutralize mercury.

First steps

We will consider the basic rules and give examples, than neutralize mercury from the thermometer at home. The following requirements must be fulfilled:

1. We deduce people and animals from the affected premises, so that children do not touch dangerous balls, and pets do not swallow them.
2. It is necessary to close other rooms to prevent further penetration of fumes, and this room in particular.
3. It is necessary to open the windows so that it is well ventilated, but drafts must not be allowed.
4. On the threshold of the infected room, lay a cloth soaked in a manganese solution.
5. Secure yourself, put on a gauze bandage, shoe covers, if there are none, ordinary polyethylene bags will come off, rubber gloves on your hands.
6. First, fragments of a thermometer are collected, then mercury itself.
7. When collecting, you can not step on the ill-fated drops, otherwise you will have to throw out your shoes.
8. Collect them necessary from the edges to the center.

These are the first actions to be performed. Of course, you can resort to the help of specialists. EMERCOM staff will measure the level of mercury in the room and make a full cleaning. This service is paid and expensive.

We will understand what to neutralize mercury from a thermometer at home from different surfaces

First you need to prepare a container (jar) with a solution of potassium permanganate. To collect silver balls, you need a directional artificial light source: a flashlight or a lamp.

With a soft artistic brush, gently roll the balls onto a sheet of paper and pour it into a prepared container with rose water.

A broken thermometer, the mercury from which has not flowed out, must be completely lowered into the prepared container and taken to the Emergency Situations Department for further destruction.

What else can neutralize mercury? We will need:

• Pear douching.
• Syringe.
• Any little tassel.

So, proceed to the collection of mercury.

If the balls scattered on the wooden floor

Here you need to pay special attention. They could roll under a plinth, in a crack between floorboards. To remove the particles, you need to fill the sand there and then gently sweep with a brush. You can use a wand with cotton wound soaked in sunflower oil, and after collecting the balls, do not shake them off, but remove everything completely into the solution.

To extract dangerous balls from hard to reach places, you need to know what neutralizes mercury from a thermometer. You need a regular thin-tip syringe or a syringe with a needle.

We remove the silver particles from the carpet

Scotch tape or adhesive tape will help us in this. You can use a magnet. It is better to take out the carpet for airing in the open air for a period of at least a month, if there is no such possibility, it should be washed in a soda soap solution.

Well removes metal copper wire, to which the balls easily stick.

If mercury gets on the bed

In this case, you still have to callEMERCOM staff to measure the level of contamination with toxic fumes that could be absorbed into the mattress. But before it is necessary to independently remove the dangerous balls with the help of two sheets of paper or with hands in rubber gloves.

In the toilet you can not flush mercury. If it still got there, it is necessary to drain the water in the sink and remove the metal with a magnet, protected hands or enema.

To clean the furniture, you need to work the surface with a cloth moistened with a strong manganese solution, but you must be careful not to spoil it.

We considered mechanical cleaning methods, followed by airing the contaminated room. And now we proceed to discuss the third stage.

Chemical demercurization

We figured out how to neutralize mercury at home, and now let's talk about the next step.

After the balls are removed, there is no guarantee thatmercury dust will not remain. It is also necessary to get rid of it. To do this, you will need any chlorine-containing liquid, tile treatment agent or plain whiteness.

On a ten-liter bucket diluted literChlorinated substance. Be sure to protect your skin with gloves. Slightly wring out a rag, carefully wash the infected surface. You can even fill this fluid gap for additional disinfection. Need to handle and walls.

Then you need to wash the walls and the floor with soap.solution. Per liter of hot water will need 70 grams of baking soda and the same amount of ground laundry soap. Gloves need to handle the entire surface.

The fourth step - again cleansing with fresh air

Airing should take several hours, while no one should be allowed into the room as before.

The final step is the disposal of things in contact with the hazardous metal.

Rags, syringes, needles, paper, a can of mercury, gloves, and even contaminated shoes and clothing must be destroyed. They must be taken to a special organization for disposal.

For two weeks you need to thoroughly air the room for several hours daily. To calm the conscience, you can call the Ministry of Emergency Situations to monitor the measurement of air.

Safety precautions

We learned how to neutralize mercury, let's talk a bit about safety.

This is a difficult process that can takeseveral hours. Therefore, every fifteen minutes is to take a break, leaving for fresh air. You need to drink plenty of fluids, as the metal is excreted from the body with the help of the kidneys.

What you should pay attention to:

1. Do not wash clothes that have come into contact with mercury in a washing machine.
2. It is strictly forbidden to throw away silver.the balls in the toilet, they fall on the walls of pipes and will continue the poisonous evaporation and poisoning of the inhabitants of the whole multi-storey building. The same applies to the garbage disposal.
3. When handling contaminated premises, do not turn on the air conditioner; particles will settle on the filters.
4. Do not throw mercury balls into the furnace, with smoke, toxic substances are released into the atmosphere.

To avoid this problem, it is necessary to keep a thermometer in a secluded place inaccessible to children. And it is better to use the electronic version.

Final steps

After all stages of cleaning the room from mercury, the following steps should be performed:

1. Using a weak solution of potassium permanganate, rinse the throat and brush your teeth.
2. Drink plenty of any liquid.
3. Take a few tablets of activated charcoal.
4. Do not forget to ventilate the room and handle the walls and floor with the above means.
5. If liquid metal gets on the skin surface, the affected area should be treated with lime mortar. It may leave a small burn, but this is a minor damage to health, compared to poisoning.

Following these simple guidelines will help to avoid negative consequences.

Remember, a broken thermometer carries a great danger!

A tiny ball can evaporate for about a year. The speed of this process will directly depend on the following factors:

1. Room air temperature.
2. From the amount of poured mercury.
3. The area of ​​the room in which the accident occurred.

Even a small amount of this metal can cause serious health problems. After all, it can accumulate inside our body, which causes chronic poisoning.

Signs are not immediately apparent. They appear later, this is an irritable condition, problems with sleep and the nervous system.

And finally, how to neutralize mercury, if it got inside

There are some good recommendations:

1. The first thing to do is to induce vomiting in a poisoned person.
2. Wash the stomach with a solution of activated carbon or protein from the eggs.
3. Then drink a glass of milk.
4. And wait for the ambulance.

If a person is poisoned in pairs, it must be taken out before the doctors arrive.

Knowing these simple recommendations, now you will not experience panic and fear if a similar situation happens. The main thing is to calm down and follow the above instructions.