What to do if a mercury thermometer crashes at home?





What to do if a mercury thermometer crashes at home? - Almost every person who has this device in his house faces this question. Thermometer is a required item in the medicine cabinet of every home. Today, people can choose which device to use for measuring temperature: infrared, electronic or mercury. Nevertheless, many still choose precisely mercury thermometers, since they are more accurate. They also have other advantages over other types of thermometers.

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How does a mercury medical thermometer work?

The main structural element of this device is a capillary tube, hermetically sealed on both sides. The air from it is completely pumped out, and the tank is filled with mercury from one edge. A capillary tube with liquid metal is mounted on a bar with a printed scale.

Important! The scale values ​​range from 32 to 42 C. For more accurate measurements, each degree is also divided into 10 divisions, thus, one mark of the scale is 0.1 C.

Due to the narrowed channel connecting the reservoir with the metal and the capillary tube, the movement of mercury in the opposite direction is difficult. This basically distinguishes the medical device from the device for measuring room temperature.

When measuring the patient’s body temperature, the liquid metal heats up, expands and rises to a certain value. After this, mercury remains at this level for a long time. Visually, you can always see where the mercury is in the thermometer.

To return the liquid metal back to the tank, it is enough to shake the thermometer vigorously several times. This must be done especially carefully so as not to bump the object about something or drop it. Otherwise, you will come across an important question: what to do if a thermometer with mercury crashes at home?

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Advantages of a mercury thermometer:

• A medical device for measuring body temperature with mercury is the most accurate compared to other modern thermometers. It is closest to the readings of a gas thermometer, which is considered a reference.
• Mercury freezes at a very low temperature, and melts at a sufficiently high temperature. Such characteristics of the metal make it possible to easily measure body temperature with a mercury thermometer even in extreme conditions.
• Thanks to their simple construction, mercury thermometers can be easily disinfected by completely immersing it in an appropriate solution. Therefore, they are often used in health and medical facilities.
• The cost of this device is small, which allows absolutely all social sectors of the population to purchase it.
• The ease, simplicity and affordability of using a mercury thermometer is also its indisputable advantage.

Important! Of course, the problem of what to do if a thermometer with mercury crashes is very serious, but the advantages of such a device are more than enough. Therefore, if nevertheless just such a device is more convenient for you to use, use it. But only very carefully, observing all safety precautions. Then you do not have to urgently solve all the consequences of the crashed mercury thermometer at home.

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Disadvantages of a mercury thermometer:

• Measures body temperature for a relatively long time. Usually this process takes 5-10 minutes. And if the child is sick and you left him yourself at this time, it is likely that you will have to solve the problem of what to do if the mercury thermometer crashes at home.
• The glass shell of the thermometer is very thin and can easily lose its integrity by mechanical contact with a solid surface. At the same time, released mercury quickly turns into toxic and very toxic vapor. This disadvantage of the thermometer is able to cross out all its advantages described above.

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Rules for the safe use of a mercury thermometer:

• Before starting to measure body temperature, the device should be shaken well so that the mercury returns to its tank.
• Keep the thermometer for 5-10 minutes, so that the indicators are correct.
• After each temperature measurement, the device must be disinfected. To do this, wipe it with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.

Important! Do not disinfect the thermometer with hot water. Such actions can lead to a violation of the tightness of the glass shell.

• It is necessary to knock down the indicators of the thermometer away from any pieces of furniture, while holding it tightly in your hands. It is the non-observance of this rule that most often causes the problem that the thermometer with mercury crashes.
• Store a fragile medical device out of the reach of children in a special case.

Important! It is impossible to fall asleep with a mercury thermometer and give to children for independent use.

• At the first signs of a violation of the integrity of the thermometer or its malfunction, you should take the device to a special institution where it is safely disposed of.

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The thermometer in the apartment crashed. Effects

Mercury is a liquid metal with a silver tint. It belongs to the first class of especially dangerous harmful substances. It begins to evaporate at an ambient temperature of +18 C.

If the thermometer in the apartment crashes, mercury, due to its special physical properties, breaks up into small balls on the floor. At the same time, the smallest of them can penetrate into the cracks in the floor, roll up under the baseboard and furniture, and sit tightly between the fibers of the carpet. At room temperature, the droplets begin to evaporate quickly and vaporize the air we breathe.

Important! When the total volume of mercury is evaporated from a thermometer, the concentration of vapors in the air can exceed the concentration of maximum permissible norms by more than two million times.

Mercury vapors, entering in excess through the respiratory tract and mucous membranes in the body, can lead to the following serious consequences:

• Headache.
• Gastrointestinal upset.
• Impaired kidney function.
• Stomatitis.
• Lowering the level of iron in the blood.
• Dermatitis.
• Heart palpitations.
• A sharp deterioration in vision.
• An unstable mental state.
• Cramps.

Important! Cases of serious mental disorders during poisoning by mercury vapor have been noticed for a long time. In the old days, felt was made using mercury compounds. Therefore, with constant work with him, haters often lost their minds. The proverbial “insane as a hatter” has survived and is widely used in the UK.

The first signs of mercury poisoning:

• Drowsiness, fatigue, general weakness of the body.
• Migraine.
• Irritability.
• Nausea and dizziness.
• Loss of appetite.
• Tremor of hands and feet.
• Increased sweat.

In case of acute poisoning, the following symptoms are added to the above symptoms:

• Taste of metal in the mouth.
• Pain when swallowing.
• Isolation of blood from the gums.
• Fever.
• Diarrhea.
• Runny nose.

Important! Acute poisoning can occur in a person a couple of hours after inhaling air saturated with mercury, and chronic poisoning - only after a few years. In some cases, mercury vapor poisoning can be fatal.

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The mercury thermometer in the apartment crashed. What can not be done?

As you can see, the consequences of mercury poisoning are very serious, so you need to clearly know what to do if a thermometer crashes at home. But first, consider the actions that are strictly forbidden to perform in order not to aggravate the bad state of affairs:

• In no case should you touch the droplets of mercury with your bare hands.
• It is strictly forbidden to throw a crashed thermometer and its particles into the trash or into the garbage chute.

Important! Two grams of mercury available in the thermometer can pollute six thousand cubic meters of ambient air.

• Do not let the mercury balls down the drain. Liquid metal tends to settle in pipes, and it will be impossible to extract it from there.
• It is strictly forbidden to use a vacuum cleaner to collect balls of mercury. This household appliance will help metal evaporate faster and dispel vapors in the air. The vacuum cleaner will have to be thrown away, since using it in the future will be very dangerous for the health of the residents of the apartment.
• Do not collect mercury by sweeping a broom. Small balls with the help of hard rods become even smaller and, accordingly, evaporate faster into the air.
• You should not try to collect drops of mercury with a magnet. This metal has a very weak magnetic field, so it would rather be repelled by a magnet than attracted to it.
• It is forbidden to wash clothes, shoes and things that come in contact with mercury both by hand and in a washing machine. It’s best to just throw them away.
• Under no circumstances should windows and doors be opened at the same time in the room in which the incident occurred. The air flow will accelerate the evaporation of toxic metal and will provoke the movement of light balls from place to place.

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What to do if a mercury thermometer in an apartment crashes. Preparation for cleaning

The main thing in such situations is to maintain calm and sober mind. In no case do not panic. The situation can be corrected.

The very first actions, in case the thermometer with mercury in the apartment crashes, should be as follows:

1. All households, including animals, must leave the room before the room is completely cleaned of toxic metal.

Important! First of all, children, pregnant women and the elderly should leave the apartment.

2. In the room where the trouble occurred, close the door and window tightly, avoiding even the slightest drafts.
3. Prepare a flashlight or lamp to better illuminate the scene.
4. First remove the fragments of the thermometer from the surfaces, and then proceed to remove the mercury.

Equipment

To ensure your own safety, you will need the following items:

• Latex gloves. Mercury can be absorbed into the human body through the pores of the skin, so hands should be protected.
• A respirator or cotton-gauze dressing, which should be pre-moistened in a solution of water with soda.
• Shoe covers or plastic bags that are put on your feet and thrown away after cleaning. Such a measure will prevent mercury from getting on shoes and carrying them around the house.

How to collect mercury from a crashed thermometer?

The following items will help you quickly and efficiently collect mercury:

• Rubber syringe.
• Copper plate.
• Knitting needle.
• Syringe.
• Scotch.
• Patch.
• Wet cotton.
• Brush for painting.
• Wet newspaper.
• Glass jar with water

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What to do if a mercury thermometer crashes in an apartment? - Stages of cleaning

After performing the first steps in such situations and preparing all the necessary tools, you can proceed directly to the cleaning of the harmful metal. It will be divided into the following steps:

1. Demercurization - removal of balls of mercury.
2. Chemical demercurization - disinfection of the room in which the trouble occurred.
3. Cooperation with the Ministry of Emergencies.

Stage 1. Demercurization:

1. Using a flashlight or lamp, carefully inspect all surfaces.

Important! If things that have been exposed to droplets of mercury can be thrown away, it’s best to do so. This applies to items of clothing and soft toys. If the item is too expensive for you, then take it to the street or to the balcony so that the mercury completely evaporates from it.

2. Start collecting with large balls to avoid their subsequent division into smaller ones. To do this, bend a sheet of thick paper in the form of a scoop and use the copper plate, knitting needle, needle or syringe to collect the balls on an impromptu scoop.
3. Drops that are not far from each other are shifted in one pile for reunion.
4. Small balls can be collected using a patch or tape.
5. Balls of mercury from hard-to-reach places such as gaps on the floor or furniture are removed using a cotton swab dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate. In the case of tight gaps, you can use a syringe with a thick needle.
6. A syringe will help to remove drops of mercury from the carpet. After that, it is necessary to take the carpet to fresh air to weather the remaining microparticles of the toxic metal.
7. The collected particles are collected in a glass jar of water. Used cotton swabs, plaster and adhesive tape are placed there. Water will prevent mercury from evaporating and spreading through the air. After removing all harmful metal balls, the bank is tightly closed with a lid.
8. All tools and equipment are placed in a plastic bag and tightly tied.

Important! Demercurization may take several hours. Therefore, in order not to poison yourself with harmful fumes, you should go out into the fresh air every 15 minutes.

Stage 2. Disinfection of the room:

1. Prepare a disinfectant solution. To do this, use one of the following recipes:

• Stir a few crystals of potassium permanganate with water to obtain a dark brown liquid. After that, add salt and vinegar to it with the calculation: 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of cooked brown water. A pinch of citric acid will complete the preparation of the disinfectant solution. Stir the mixture thoroughly to completely dissolve all the constituents.
• Dilute 1 liter of bleach in 5 liters of water or use any available chlorine bleach and mix 100 ml of bleach with 800 ml of water.

Important! Chlorine can not be processed laminate and wallpaper. This can ruin the material. Basically, this solution is used in public institutions: kindergartens, schools, hospitals.

• Mix 1 liter of water, 40 g of soap and 50 g of soda. Stir well until the soap and soda are completely dissolved.

2. Wear rubber gloves on your hands.
3. Using a soft cloth moistened with the prepared solution, treat all surfaces in the room. Pay particular attention to crevices in the furniture and floor.
4. After 8 hours, wipe all treated surfaces with clean water.

Important! If the treatment was carried out with a chlorine solution, then rubbing with ordinary water must be done after 20 minutes.

5. After processing the room, it is necessary that the room is ventilated for at least 2-3 hours.
6. For a week after an unpleasant incident in the apartment spend daily wet cleaning.

Stage 3. Actions after liquidation of the broken thermometer:

Immediately after cleaning the apartment, you should perform the following actions:

1. Call 101 and agree on the place of transfer to the Ministry of Emergencies employees banks with mercury balls.
2. If you could not completely remove the mercury or you still have doubts about the quality of cleaning, then you should call the employees of the sanitary-epidemiological station or people involved in the disposal of mercury from a broken thermometer.Using special equipment, they will determine the level of harmful fumes in the room air.
3. During the elimination of mercury, harmful fumes in one way or another get into your body. Therefore, it is worthwhile to help the body remove toxins faster. To do this, do the following:
   • Prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate and thoroughly rinse the oral cavity.
   • Brush your teeth.
   • Take a couple of tablets of activated carbon.
   • Drink plenty of fluids: compote, tea, juice, coffee, water.

Important! If a child swallows a ball of mercury, do not panic! Drops that are not absorbed by the intestines and excreted along with feces. But contact a specialist is still worth it as soon as possible.

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Children of various ages are often interested in the question: what will happen if you break a thermometer? Therefore, no matter how you hide this item, the children try to find out the answer. The easiest solution to this problem, as well as a random one, is to change the mercury thermometer to a more modern electronic or infrared. They are completely safe, so you can forgive small inaccuracies in their measurements.