The electronic thermometer is broken, what should I do? Self-demercurization (elimination of mercury pollution). What not to do if a mercury thermometer breaks

The main thing: spilled mercury must be collected quickly and thoroughly!

1. Before collecting mercury:

Wear rubber gloves: the substance should not come into contact with bare skin;

To protect feet from contamination - plastic bags or shoe covers;

To protect the respiratory system - a cotton-gauze bandage soaked in a soda solution or moistened with water.

2. Open the window in the room where the thermometer broke.
Close the door to prevent contaminated air from entering other rooms.

3. Limit the location of contamination. Mercury sticks to surfaces and can easily be spread on the soles of your feet to other areas of the room.

4. As carefully as possible, collect the mercury and all broken parts of the thermometer in glass jar With cold water. Place the used collection tool in the same jar and close it tightly with a screw-on lid. Water is needed to prevent mercury from evaporating. Keep the jar away from heating devices. It is advisable to place it in a cool place, for example on a balcony during the cold season.

Droplets of mercury can be collected using a syringe, a rubber bulb, a brush in a paper envelope, an adhesive plaster, tape, plasticine, wet filter paper or newspaper;

Carefully collect mercury from all crevices. To do this, you can use a syringe, copper wire or a plate, sheets of staniol (tin foil), on the surface of which droplets spread;

If you suspect that mercury has gotten behind the baseboard or under the parquet floorboards, be sure to remove them and check them;

To avoid missing a single ball of mercury, you can use a flashlight or lamp.

5.If the collection of mercury takes longer, then take a break every 15 minutes and go out into the fresh air.

6. It is very difficult to collect mercury if the thermometer breaks on a sofa or carpet or other porous or fleecy surface. In this case, you will have to call professionals for demercurization (mercury removal). This is the simplest and most reasonable way.

7. Sanitize the area of ​​mercury contamination:

It is necessary to treat the mercury spill site with a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate or bleach (in common parlance - bleach). This will oxidize the mercury and render it non-volatile.

Cleaning with bleach is preferable to using potassium permanganate, since chlorine is more chemically active and will therefore react more effectively with mercury.

Demercurization option No. 1: Cleaning a contaminated area using bleach

Demercurization with bleach takes place in 2 stages.

1st stage : In a plastic (not metal!) container, prepare a solution of chlorine-containing bleach “Belizna” at the rate of 1 liter of “Belizna” per 5 liters of water (17% solution). Wash the contaminated surface with the resulting solution using a sponge or brush. Special attention Pay attention to the cracks of parquet and baseboards.

Leave the applied solution for 15 minutes, then rinse off clean water.

2nd stage : It is best to re-wash the floor with a chlorine-containing solution several times over the next 2-3 weeks. Don't forget about ventilating the room. However, it should be remembered that at low temperatures (when the room is constantly “frozen out” through a wide open window), the evaporation of mercury drops sharply, i.e. it evaporates more slowly from the room. That's why ideal option- keep the window slightly open for a long time.

Demercurization option No. 2: Cleaning a contaminated area usingpotassium permanganate:

a)An aqueous solution of potassium permanganate should be dark brown, almost opaque. A pharmaceutical bottle of potassium permanganate (2 grams) must be dissolved in 1 liter of water. Per liter of solution you need to add 1 tbsp. l. salts and some acid (for example - 1 tbsp. vinegar essence, or a pinch of citric acid).

b) Treat the contaminated surface (and all its crevices!) with the resulting solution using a brush,

c)brush or spray bottle.

Leave the applied solution for 1-2 hours, periodically wetting the treated surface with water as the solution dries.

The solution may leave permanent stains on the floor or things!

d)Then wash off the reaction products with soap and soda solution.

Repeat this procedure over the next few days, with the only difference being that you keep the potassium permanganate solution for less time, rather than 1-2 hours. Daily wet cleaning of the room and frequent ventilation are recommended.

Methods for preparing a detergent solution:

- 50 grams of soda, 40 grams of grated soap per liter of hot water

- 50 grams washing powder for 1 liter of hot water;

- the solution temperature must be at least 70º C.

8. After cleaning the mercury:

Wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution (but it is better to simply dispose of gloves according to the recommendations given above);

Rinse your mouth and throat with a faint pink solution of potassium permanganate;

Brush your teeth thoroughly;

Take 2-3 tablets of activated carbon;

Drink more diuretic liquid (tea, coffee, juice), as mercury formations are eliminated from the body through the kidneys.

What not to do:

1. Do not throw a broken thermometer into the garbage chute. Two grams of mercury evaporated there can pollute 6,000 cubic meters of air in your home.

2. You cannot sweep mercury with a broom: hard rods will only crush the poisonous balls into fine mercury dust.

3. Do not collect mercury using a vacuum cleaner: the air blown by the vacuum cleaner facilitates the evaporation of the liquid metal. In addition, the vacuum cleaner will have to be thrown away immediately after this.

4. Do not create a draft before you have collected the mercury, otherwise the shiny balls will scatter throughout the room.

5. Cannot be washed in washing machine clothing and shoes that have been in contact with mercury. If possible, it is better to throw away these clothes, rendering them unusable so that no one uses them.

6. Do not flush mercury down the drain. It tends to settle in sewer pipes. By the way, extracting mercury from the sewer is incredibly difficult. Collected mercury should be handed over to specialized enterprises who are engaged in the disposal of mercury-containing waste:

1. LLC "UralTradeGroup-Oil", tel. 212-27-25

(office - Monastyrskaya str., 19, office 1)

The waste collection point is located: Highway Cosmonauts, 320b, building 6

Opening hours: from 10:00 to 16:00, Saturday and Sunday - closed

- demercurization - carrying out work to eliminate mercury contamination. Cost - 1000 rub./sq.m;

- detection of hidden mercury charges - price is negotiable;

- measurements of mercury vapor content in the air - 500 rub.

- acceptance for disposal of mercury-containing waste - medical thermometer 55 rub./pc.

- to eliminate small mercury pollution, they implement demercurization kits and provide advice on how to collect mercury.

2. Ecological Perspective LLC, tel. operational duty officer

8 908 27 64 455 (24 hours a day)

Waste collection point address: st. Reshetnikovsky Descent, 1

Working conditions:

Work with individuals on on a commercial basis by prior call (application);

It is possible to travel to the applicant’s place of residence to accept waste for disposal and carry out work on demercurization of the premises. The issue of payment is decided individually in each case.

3. ASF "Pangeo", dispatcher's phone number 261-13-90

Address: Uinskaya st., 42a

Opening hours: applications accepted from 09:00 to 22:00

Working conditions:

Applications are accepted for measuring the concentration of mercury vapor in premises and for carrying out work on demercurization of premises. During work, all collected mercury-containing waste is disposed of;

work with individuals on a commercial basis upon prior application

Background information

Demercurization is the removal of mercury, cleaning the premises of mercury and eliminating mercury contamination.

At correct carrying out demercurization (elimination of mercury pollution), the excess of MPC (maximum permissible concentration) in the room is reduced from 20-30 MPC to 2-4 MPC(with a broken thermometer). However, two to three times the maximum permissible concentration of mercury vapor in the air can remain indoors for 1-3 months even with good ventilation.
Such excess of norms during the specified time will not be dangerous to health.

Maximum permissible levels of contamination with metallic mercury and its vapors:

MPC in populated areas (average daily) - 0.0003 mg/m³

MPC in residential premises (average daily) - 0.0003 mg/m³

MPC of air in work area(max. one-time) - 0.01 mg/m³

Maximum concentration of air in the working area (average shift) - 0.005 mg/m³

MPC of wastewater (for inorganic compounds in terms of divalent mercury) - 0.005 mg/ml

Mercury is dangerous, or rather - its vapors are dangerous. Mercury usually enters the body in two ways: through the mouth or through inhalation toxic fumes. Having broken a thermometer, rarely does anyone swallow mercury (the exception is small child. But in this case, you need to induce vomiting and urgently call an ambulance.)
But inhalation of toxic mercury vapor- a common phenomenon, because many do not immediately take the correct measures to eliminate mercury contamination after a broken thermometer.

The result is very bad - mercury poisoning, which can occur for a long time without any obvious symptoms. Initially, irritability, nausea, and weight loss occur. But many attribute this to fatigue, work, the city. However, poisoning is slowly but surely creeping up on the holy of holies of our body - central nervous system and kidneys.

Symptoms of chronic poisoning mercury exposure occurs when living or working for several months, and sometimes several years, in premises where the air contains mercury vapor in quantities slightly exceeding the norm (penetration of mercury vapor from neighboring rooms, broken even a very long time ago mercury thermometer, if the mercury was NOT carefully removed, etc.).

First of all, the central nervous system is affected. Depending on the degree of poisoning, gender, age, immunity, etc., the first signs may be different:

Increased fatigue

Drowsiness,

General weakness

Headaches,

dizziness,

Emotional instability (self-doubt, shyness, general depression, irritability),

Weakening of memory, attention, mental performance.

Gradually, a fine trembling, intensifying with excitement, develops, first in the fingers, then in the eyelids, lips, and in severe cases, in the legs and the whole body.

Also happens:

Decreased skin sensitivity, taste and sense of smell,

Increased sweating

Frequent urge to urinate,

Sometimes there is some enlargement of the thyroid gland, changes in cardiac activity, and a decrease in blood pressure.

Chronic poisoning causes a predisposition to mental illness, tuberculosis, atherosclerotic phenomena, liver and gallbladder damage, and hypertension.

In women, in addition to the above:

The menstrual cycle is disrupted

The percentage of miscarriages and premature births, mastopathy,

Pregnancy is more difficult

Born children are often not viable, mentally underdeveloped or very weak.

The effects of chronic poisoning may appear several years after cessation of contact with mercury.

If a thermometer breaks, the most important thing is to carefully remove the mercury.

But first of all, it is necessary to remove all people from the room where the thermometer broke. Open the window for fresh air; close the door tightly to isolate the contaminated room from other rooms. Wear a gauze bandage or respirator, rubber gloves.

If crashed mercury thermometer, then you should not wipe the spilled mercury with a rag (this will only lead to further fragmentation of the mercury), and you should not use a vacuum cleaner for cleaning. To collect mercury balls, you can use a rubber bulb, adhesive tape (or adhesive tape).

Mercury droplets are removed from the periphery of the contaminated area to its center. Large drops are collected with a rubber bulb, small drops with an adhesive plaster. Everything collected and what was used to collect it (a rubber bulb, an adhesive plaster, a broken thermometer) is placed in an enamel or glass container filled with a demercutant solution and tightly closed with a lid. The collected mercury can be handed over to the local sanitary and epidemiological inspection (they can also be invited to analyze the air for the presence of mercury vapor).

The accident site where the thermometer broke is treated with a demercurutizer solution. Demercutizers are chemical substances, the use of which reduces the rate of mercury evaporation and facilitates the mechanical removal of mercury. Demercutizers include:

• soap-soda solution (4% soap solution in 5% aqueous soda solution);
• 0.2% aqueous solution of potassium permanganate, acidified with hydrochloric acid (5 ml of acid, specific gravity 1.19, per 1 liter of potassium permanganate solution);
• 20% bleach solution;
• 5-10% solution of hydrochloric acid, etc.

In medical institutions, a facility must be created for demercurization with the necessary supply of chemical demercurization agents.

Laying composition for demercurization

Emergency situation - the thermometer broke

Nurse tactics:

1. Remove people from the room where the thermometer broke.
2. Wear special clothing.
3. Prepare a demercutant solution: 40 g of shavings laundry soap+ 50 g of soda ash + 1 liter of water (temperature 50 0 C).
4. The prepared demercurization solution is poured into a container marked “For demercurization.” The mercury is collected from the contaminated surface with an adhesive bandage. An adhesive plaster with mercury and a broken thermometer are soaked completely immersed in containers with a demercutant solution and closed with a lid.
5. The prepared soap-soda solution is poured into the place where the thermometer broke; exposure 30 minutes.
6. After 30 minutes, the room is routinely cleaned and the room is ventilated.
7. A container containing mercury in a soap-soda solution is handed over to the head nurse.

Additional material:

Demercurization of mercury at home - how does it happen?

The first item of importance in any first aid kit is a mercury thermometer, which we use every time we begin to feel symptoms of the disease.

It happens that the haste or carelessness of small children leads to the thermometer breaking.

A broken thermometer, at first glance, is a rather serious problem.

If you broke a mercury thermometer

In the very first minutes, people panic and many commit rash actions that can lead to more dire consequences.

If you do everything correctly, you will not only eliminate the source of danger, but also save yourself and your loved ones from such unpleasant symptoms as: nausea, drowsiness, fatigue, and also with mercury intoxication, an increase in body temperature is possible.

Also, the presence of the above signs indicates that the mercury from the room has not been completely neutralized. Mercury is a toxic metal that is a liquid chemical with unique properties.

Mercury is used in many industries, from a common home medicine cabinet to nuclear power plants. That is why items containing mercury should be stored in specially designated areas and kept away from children.

What to do if the thermometer suddenly turns out to be broken? That's right, calm down and immediately begin to take action to eliminate it.

Neutralization of mercury

The process of ridding a room of mercury poisons and all its traces is called demercurization.

What you should absolutely not do!

But remember that when neutralizing mercury at home, you cannot use:

1) A broom, its use can lead to the fact that you destroy mercury into small particles that will spread throughout the room and will poison the room for many years;

2) A rag, as a result of which the mercury will disintegrate into small particles, and the process of collecting them will be significantly complicated;

3) Use a vacuum cleaner, since toxic particles will clog into the hose, settle on the filter and, when used, will enter the air, poisoning all living things in your home;

Please note that sometimes, if a room is contaminated with mercury, for example, a thermometer breaks on the carpet, it is better to dispose of it. To do this, you need to wrap it in a tight bag. If the thermometer breaks on the floor, then the mercury balls should be removed using a medical bulb, then put them in a glass jar.

Stages of work

Once you have soberly assessed the situation and understand that demercurization will have to be carried out at home, without resorting to the help of specialists, you must strictly follow the following steps:

The most painstaking and responsible stage, during which you will need to collect all large particles of mercury substance. The cleanliness of the air in your apartment and the health of your family will depend on how thoroughly you remove mercury.

The first thing you will need to do is evacuate those living in this room and close the windows and doors so that there is no draft. This is done to prevent mercury particles from being blown throughout the apartment by the wind.

Next, you will need to take measures to individually protect your senses. To do this, you need to wear a medical mask, rubber gloves, and shoe covers. Take a flashlight and inspect the area where the thermometer broke.

Due to the light from the flashlight, you will be able to see the smallest particles that will shine because they have metal surface. When collecting mercury vapor, it is necessary concentrically, that is, from the edge to the center. When working, make sure that mercury does not come into contact with shoes or the edges of clothing, as they will have to be disposed of.

If mercury is on the sole, then you can wash the soles of your shoes with a black solution of potassium permanganate. Using a thick piece of paper and a knitting needle, move the poison balls onto the paper, tucking the edges in. During the process, the droplets can be combined to make it easier.

In order to collect small particles you will need adhesive tape or tape. Bring the tape to the mercury particles and, pressing lightly on them, place them in a jar of water. In difficult places, you can collect mercury using a cotton swab, which you will need to dip in oil in advance, due to this they will be attracted.

Place pieces of tape and cotton swabs in a jar of water and do not try to shake the mercury off them. Also, when working in remote areas, you can use a syringe with a needle. After all the mercury has been collected, close the jar tightly and put it on the balcony or immediately hand it over to a hazardous substances disposal company. Keep the jar away from heat sources.

Remember, it is strictly forbidden to dispose of a jar of mercury in a waste and garbage bin. For this there is a special service - SES, which is obliged to accept the harmful substance, and with it a syringe, used products personal protection, clothes and shoes in which you carried out demercurization.

You cannot drain mercury into a sewer hole, as it will settle there, but remove it from sewer pipe almost impossible. Try to make the clothes and shoes you were wearing unusable so that no one can use them.

Also, do not wash clothes in a washing machine, but in the sink, as mercury particles will settle in the pipes. Try as quickly as possible to collect all things that may have traces of mercury on them and take them to a specialized facility.

The second stage, during which it is necessary to carry out preventive actions to eliminate traces of mercury: ventilate the room for at least two hours so that the remaining mercury dust does not poison the air in the room.

For this purpose, products that contain chlorine, such as bleach, are suitable. For 10 liters of water, take a liter of chlorine and mix them in a bucket. Soak a rag in the solution, after wearing rubber gloves, and treat the affected area with mercury.

After completing this procedure, treat the surface with a soap-soda solution, which must be diluted in a ratio of 70 g of soda and 70 g of laundry soap per 1 liter of hot water. To prevent the skin of your hands from being exposed to the solution, do not forget to wear rubber gloves. Treat damaged surfaces for several days.

Another method is a solution of potassium permanganate. To prepare it, you will need a concentration of 1 liter of diluted potassium permanganate and one tablespoon of salt and a pinch of citric acid. Next, you need to treat the surface with a brush and leave for one and a half to two hours, while you need to constantly refresh the surface and not let the product dry.

Also, during demercurization, sulfur is rarely, but still used. This method causes controversy among scientists, but still takes place in practice. Firstly, not every person will have sulfur on hand, and secondly, when sulfur and mercury interact, sulfur practically does not react with mercury, and when heated, the harm from mercury will only become stronger.

The most basic and final preventative measure is to restore the body and prevent intoxication. Upon completion of the process, it is necessary to rinse your mouth and throat, preferably every day for a week, with potassium permanganate diluted with water.

Thoroughly clean your mouth and take 2-3 tablets of activated carbon to prevent intoxication of the body. Drink liquid in large quantities, since toxic substances will be removed along with the liquid.

To avoid similar situations Replace mercury thermometers with electronic ones. But it is better to be “forewarned and forearmed” than to find yourself in an emergency situation and succumb to panic from ignorance.

Despite the fact that medical technology is constantly evolving and electronic medical devices are successfully used at home, a mercury thermometer for measuring body temperature remains the most common home aid. It happens that the thermometer breaks, and then two questions arise: “How to remove the contents of the thermometer?” and "What neutralizes mercury?"

Liquid metal

Since childhood, everyone knows that metal is something strong, hard, and shiny. The definition of chemical elements belonging to the group of metals was given by Mikhailo Lomonosov two and a half centuries ago. But, as always happens in practice, every rule has its exceptions. So metals do not always look the way the great Russian scientist determined they should look. Here's mercury. This is a metal that occupies the 80th cell of the table of chemical elements developed by the great chemist D.I. Mendeleev. But under conditions familiar to people, mercury is not solid, it's a liquid. And this is the only liquid metal known to science today.

About amazing properties this chemical element we can talk quite a lot. But precisely because of its qualities, mercury is a special chemical element. Where is mercury used in modern industry, showing its characteristic features? There are many such industries - from the well-known medical thermometer to nuclear-hydrogen energy.

Mercury at home

The international community recognizes mercury as one of the most aggressive substances that pollute the environment. But without this chemical element it is impossible to imagine many areas of human life. At home, many people probably have thermometers, where the temperature indicator is a column of mercury, fluorescent lamps, the bulbs of which are filled with mercury vapor mixed with the inert gas argon, some batteries in mobile phones. These items in themselves are not dangerous, but necessary and useful. But if damaged, they can cause serious health problems for everyone at home. The only question that should be asked if a broken thermometer suddenly appears at home is: “What should I do?”

Such a familiar thermometer

Everyone has been familiar with glass thermometers with a thin vacuum flask filled with mercury - a capillary, and a division scale since childhood. This is the most familiar and necessary medical device in any family. Yes, now you can buy electronic thermometers of the most different forms- from intended for infants to non-contact. But still, the vast majority of people consider mercury thermometers to be the most accurate and practical. But few people think about the danger lurking in the thermometer.

Why, it would seem, was it necessary to invent a mercury thermometer if the substance that helps measure body temperature is very dangerous? But it was mercury that became the liquid that satisfies the needs of accurate temperature measurement, expanding evenly as it increases, rising up the capillary of the thermometer. The mercury thermometer was invented in the 18th century as an improved version of the alcohol thermometer. In our country, the Celsius scale is used to measure temperature; in Western countries and America, temperature is measured in Fahrenheit. Using a mercury thermometer at home, few people think about the answer to the question “what neutralizes mercury” if the thermometer suddenly breaks.

Living and mercury

Mercury has been known to mankind since ancient times. Beautiful, scarlet stones on a fault - cinnabar - a natural mercury mineral, people mined to get bright paint It’s not for nothing that the stone is called “dragon’s blood” in translation from ancient Persian. And even then, mercury was used for amalgamation - one of the methods for purifying gold. It was then known about poisonous properties mercury compounds, such as mercuric chloride, which is still used today as a disinfectant. Mercury is a unique metal; it begins to melt at a temperature of approximately -39 degrees Celsius. Everyone has heard that it is very poisonous. What from the broken thermometer needs to be clarified.

If mercury is exposed to open air, it begins to evaporate like water, and active evaporation begins already at 18 degrees Celsius. Mercury vapor saturates the air in a room, especially if it is not ventilated. And such air becomes dangerous for humans, domestic animals, and even indoor plants and fish in the aquarium. The peculiarity of this chemical element is that it can accumulate, that is, accumulate, in a living organism, and it is almost impossible to remove it. Mercury accumulates until a critical limit for its concentration in the body is reached. Moreover, in the first stages of such poisoning, the symptoms are so mild that they can be mistaken for fatigue or a mild cold, but not for a serious health problem that is life-threatening.

What's happening?

Mercury is dangerous for all living things, it disrupts metabolic processes, a person initially feels weakness and apathy, which over time develop into disruptions in the functioning of all organs: the kidneys, liver, heart, lungs suffer from excess mercury in the body. Death can be caused by and the consequences of inhaling mercury vapor or, even worse, getting mercury into the human body through the mouth can be very scary.

Mercury poisoning, like any other toxic and dangerous substances, can be acute or chronic. Acute poisoning characterized by headache, vomiting and drooling, sore throat and abdominal pain, swelling and bleeding of the gums, and body temperature may rise. Acute poisoning occurs approximately 2 hours after a significant dose of mercury enters the body.

Chronic poisoning is the result of prolonged inhalation of mercury vapor in low concentrations. It often develops in those people in whose home a mercury thermometer was once broken, but the cleaning and neutralization of the substance was not carried out as it should have been done.

If this happened

A broken thermometer seems like such a small thing. You just need to collect the fragments, remove the mercury balls, and wash the floor. But it's not like that at all. A broken mercury thermometer is a serious danger for everyone at home. Mercury vapor poisoning begins as soon as this substance enters the open air from a sealed glass flask. The question of what neutralizes mercury fades into the background, giving way to the question of how to collect it. Sweeping begins, a vacuum cleaner and wet rags are connected. But it is strictly forbidden to use what people usually use to clean up when removing a broken thermometer.

Mercury is a liquid, and it will not be possible to collect it, say, like plasticine, into a ball, and it is also impossible to wipe it with dry rags. From the impact that breaks the thermometer capsule, the substance breaks up into tiny particles scattered around the room. Working with a broom only makes the situation worse, as sorghum twigs or synthetic bristles crush the mercury balls into even smaller pieces. A vacuum cleaner will not help either, since, on the one hand, it removes mercury, and on the other, along with the exhaust air in the form of tiny dust, it sends it back throughout the room, besides, the vacuum cleaner that removed the mercury will then have to be disposed of, because it will be cleaned of the smallest particles mercury clogged into all the parts will not work.

Wet rags cannot remove mercury, and particles of the substance that has begun its toxic work can get into the cracks of the floor and into the wool fibers of the carpet. If in the room where the thermometer broke there is a carpet or rug on the floor, then it is easier to dispose of them by wrapping them in a thick plastic bag and removing them from the room. But the most convenient way to remove mercury balls from the floor is with the help of an ordinary medical bulb, collecting the mercury in a glass jar.

Cleaning a broken mercury thermometer step by step

If there is a broken thermometer, what should you do? The answer to this question will consist of the following recommendations:

• Take all household members, including animals, out of the room, or better yet, out of the apartment, for a walk until the cleaning is completed.
• Close the door of the room.
• Open all windows wide. The influx of cold air will restrain the active evaporation of mercury and will reduce its concentration.
• Put on, or better yet, a respirator and rubber gloves, and change into clothes that you won’t mind parting with after cleaning.
• Prepare a medical bulb - a syringe, a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, potassium permanganate or bleach, cold water.
• Turn on bright lighting, since mercury is a shiny metal and will be clearly visible in bright light.
• The most convenient way to collect mercury balls is by sucking them up with a syringe and dropping them into a jar; This medical item makes it easier to fish out mercury from cracks in the floor and under baseboards. There are recommendations for cleaning up mercury with metal wire or sheets of paper, but mercury constantly rolls up and crumbles into small droplets at the slightest careless movement, so there is nothing more convenient than a syringe at home.
• After the mercury has been collected, the place where the thermometer was broken must be treated with a concentrated solution of disinfectants - potassium permanganate or bleach, diluting them with cold water.
• Jar with collected mercury, a syringe, fragments of a broken thermometer, a gauze bandage, a respirator, and clothing must be taken to the SES, where they must be accepted for disposal. Under no circumstances should these items be thrown into the trash.

What neutralizes mercury?

Mercury is a dangerous substance for living things. It belongs to hazard class 1 in accordance with normative document- GOST 17.4.1.02-83. The solution for demercurization of mercury on an industrial scale is sulfur powder. He enters with metal chemical reaction, turning it into a non-volatile compound - This substance is already quite easy to remove, since it is solid, in contrast to the liquid metal itself, which tends to scatter at any touch into small balls.

At home, you rarely find sulfur powder for cleaning a broken mercury thermometer. But mercury and potassium permanganate, or mercury and chlorine-containing detergents will neutralize the harmful liquid metal. Yes, it is best to first remove the mercury as thoroughly as possible, and then treat all surfaces in the room with bleach or potassium permanganate. The floor can simply be filled with a concentrated solution of chlorine detergent, for example for disinfecting toilets. It is best to clean the area again within 24 hours.

What is better - bleach or potassium permanganate?

It is only in disaster films or action fairy tales that a hero appears who saves everyone and saves them from imminent death. In life, in any critical situations, it is better to do everything yourself and carefully, without counting on outside help, because only in major cities There are services that professionally deal with the disposal of problematic household waste and cleaning of premises in accordance with the danger that has arisen. To independently get rid of the dangerous consequences of a broken thermometer, it is best to use available means that are no less effective than those of specialists.

You can neutralize mercury residues with potassium permanganate or bleach. Solutions must be concentrated, and therefore quite caustic. Pour 1 tablespoon of vinegar essence into 1 liter of potassium permanganate solution and add 1 tablespoon of ordinary salt. Potassium permanganate for cleaning will have an almost black tint, and it will definitely leave indelible marks on the floor surface. It is more convenient and easier to use chlorine-containing products for cleaning and disinfecting the house, the same “Whiteness”, for example. Treat the surface after mercury with this product for 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water. This cleaning should be repeated as often as possible within 2-3 weeks.

For complete peace of mind

So, the mercury thermometer did break. But demercurization was carried out correctly and thoroughly, all dangerous things were disposed of according to the rules in a special organization that deals with such problems. And to reassure yourself and your family, you can use a special mercury vapor analyzer to check the result. It consists of test strips that, when interacting with mercury vapor, change color. It's cheaper and affordable way check the safety of the premises rather than calling specialists to conduct a similar inspection at home. Instructions for using test strips are included with each analyzer kit, and can be purchased in specialized stores.