Mercury demercurization algorithm in case of thermometer damage

A broken thermometer or a mercury lamp - many people have come across this. Especially many fears arise if there are small children in the house. But not everyone knows how to deal with spilled mercury. In this case, mercury demercurization should be carried out, that is, elimination of all its traces and mercury pollution. When cleaning, you can use only proven methods and observe a number of rules. Any mistake can cause health problems. There is little chance that a slight contact with mercury vapor will cause a serious illness, but it is better to protect yourself and your loved ones. Moreover, it is not so difficult to do this.

What is demercurization

Demercurization is the cleansing of a room of mercury and remaining traces. It can be carried out both mechanically and physico-chemical. It is best to combine these methods. The first is to remove the bulk of the substance. The second is for cleansing and removing traces.

Important!

Mercury is contained in mercury thermometers, mercury lamps, manometers.

If you do not conduct demercurization, after a while, the following symptoms will appear:

• drowsiness;
• fatigue;
• headaches;
• hand shake.

In this case, you should immediately consult a doctor!

Procedure

If a thermometer crashes, first of all you need to remove all people and animals from the premises. Then you should call the Ministry of Emergencies at 112.

It will be more correct to turn to specialists. A person without experience may not be able to handle the procedure. But if for some reason you do not have the opportunity to call for help, demercurization at home can be done independently. But you need to strictly follow the rules.

Mercury collection

The mercury removal algorithm must be followed exactly.

• Remove from the room all outsiders who are not involved in the purification.
• Open all the windows in the room, and lock the doors (if possible, close all the gaps).
• Put rubber gloves on your hands and shoe covers on your feet. Protect your face with wet gauze.
• Collect balls with a syringe or newspaper moistened with sunflower oil - mercury will stick to it.
• Place the balls in a jar of water and contact the Ministry of Emergencies. Hand over to the bank and all the funds that you used to collect mercury.

When removing a substance, a number of important rules must be observed.

• Do not use a vacuum cleaner. Mercury will remain inside, so it will have to be disposed of. In addition, the device will heat the mercury that has got into it, because of which its fumes will spread faster around the room. Even a vacuum cleaner thrown into the trash will be dangerous.
• You can not use a broom - because of it, the balls will become smaller. Collecting them will be much more difficult.
• Do not try to connect the balls into a single mass. So you only lose time and leave more traces of the substance in the room.

The most thorough thing when cleaning is to check the cracks in the floor and skirting boards.

purityis.decorexpro.com/en/ advises - if the mercury gets on the carpet, it must be carefully folded and brushed on the street, laying polyethylene or damp paper under it.

Potassium permanganate demercurization

But just collecting mercury is not enough. After that, you need to clean the room from its traces. For cleaning use various chemicals. One of them is potassium permanganate.

1. It is necessary to prepare a solution of potassium permanganate. It should be dark brown. It is important to understand that after such cleansing, spots may remain on the surface that cannot be removed.
2. Add salt and acid (for example, acetic essence or citric acid) to the solution. For one liter of diluted potassium permanganate, you need a tablespoon of salt and the same amount of essence or a pinch of citric acid.
3. Treat the surface on which the balls were (especially crevices and baseboards) with a solution. You can use a brush or spray.
4. The product must be left for an hour and a half. When the product begins to dry, it will be necessary to periodically wet the surface with water.
5. Prepare another solution - add forty grams of grated soap and fifty grams of soda to a liter of water. Wipe them all the places on which potassium permanganate was applied.

The purification must be repeated for several more days in a row. The first solution in the following days can be left for half an hour. In this case, do not forget to ventilate the room.

Sulfur Demercurization

Another substance that is often recommended for disposal of mercury is sulfur. Allegedly, when they interact, harmless mercury sulfide is formed. However, this method has always been controversial. Experiments have proved that sulfur is useless in this case.

Sulfur powder almost does not react with mercury at room temperature. If you heat them to one hundred degrees, the result will not change much. Moreover, due to such heating, the harm from mercury will become stronger.

Bleach demercurization

But bleach is a more effective remedy. Yes, and get it a lot easier. For cleaning in this way you can use ordinary bleach.

1. In a plastic bucket or basin, mix a liter of bleach and five liters of water.
2. Wash the surface with a sponge. The main thing is not to forget about the cracks and baseboards.
3. Leave the solution in a ventilated area for fifteen minutes.
4. Rinse surfaces with clean water.
5. Repeat cleansing every day for another month.

The first two solutions are contaminated with mercury. They can not be poured, but must be returned to the Ministry of Emergencies together with the balls themselves and all the means that were used to cleanse (including sponges).

Demercurization in medical institutions

Thermometers and light bulbs are broken not only at home. In medical institutions this happens quite often. Therefore, special instructions have been developed for their employees.

• Those responsible for demercurization in healthcare facilities receive training based on this instruction.
• They are provided with special protection: gloves, an apron and rubber shoes, as well as masks and respirators, protected from possible vapor.
• After the procedure, the person should take a shower and rinse his mouth with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Procedure

1. Wear protective equipment.
2. Collect mercury balls with a rubber bulb.
3. Pour one of the special solutions into it and leave for two days.
4. Pour contents into a jar.
5. Hand it in for disposal.
6. Clean clothes and a rubber bulb.

The solutions that are used for purification in hospitals are called demercurisers. These include:

• potassium permanganate solution, which was discussed above;
• an aqueous solution of sodium sulfide with a concentration of from five to ten percent;
• a solution of hydrochloric acid with the same concentration;
• a solution of iodine with a concentration of from two to three percent in an aqueous solution of potassium iodide with a concentration of 30%.

Output

Therefore, it is important to understand that even a broken thermometer is a health hazard. But if you follow the rules, you can protect yourself from the consequences. The easiest way is to contact a specialist. However, mercury can also be removed on its own.