How to act if a thermometer breaks

A mercury thermometer allows you to very accurately determine the temperature and at the same time is very inexpensive. However, it is very fragile and can crack if handled carelessly. This article tells what to do (and what absolutely must not be done) if a thermometer breaks and how you can collect mercury.

Description of the mercury thermometer

In appearance, a mercury thermometer is a glass flask sealed on both sides, inside which there is a hollow tube and a reservoir with mercury. Along the tube there is a bar with a scale with divisions indicating the ambient temperature. Measurements are possible with an accuracy of tenths of a degree.

Even with a slight heating, mercury expands and begins to move along the column until it comes into line with the new value of the ambient temperature. Everything does not happen instantly, the thermometer must be held tightly pressed to the patient's body for some time, about five to ten minutes. So that when viewing the readings, that is, placing the device in a cooler environment, the mercury does not quickly descend, the entrance to the reservoir with it is narrowed.

It is known that to remove the previous readings, the mercury thermometer must be shaken. The main thing here is to calculate the force with which you will squeeze the device in your hand. If you do this too hard, the glass of the bulb may break. If, on the contrary, it is too weak, the thermometer will fall out of your hand on the floor and break. The mercury will flow out and scatter on the floor in small shiny balls.

Important! It is impossible to confuse spilled mercury with anything. Its specks have a metallic color, from a distance they can be mistaken for small beads. The view is very harmless and even attractive. Children are often led to the latter.

What to do if a mercury thermometer breaks in an apartment

Would need:

• Clothes you don't mind throwing away. It is desirable that it be made of fabrics that absorb liquids and other substances as little as possible.
• Rubber gloves, a cloth bandage or respirator (the simplest models are now sold everywhere and are quite inexpensive), shoe covers.
• White or potassium permanganate solution.
• A wet brush, a syringe with a thin needle, thick cardboard, adhesive plaster, a jar of water.
• Flashlight and metal needle or wire.

Step by step instructions on how to collect mercury.

1. Remove strangers from the room, especially small family members and animals. The latter must be removed not only because of fear for the health of our "smaller brothers", but also so that they do not pick up and carry particles of mercury over a large area.

   

2. Turn off anything that raises the temperature: heaters, gas stove, etc.It is allowed to open a window, but do not allow a draft.
3. Change into clothes from the list above. On hands - rubber gloves. On the face - a cloth bandage, on the legs - shoe covers.

   

4. Prepare a solution of "Whiteness" in a proportion of 1 liter. chlorine solution for 5 liters. water. You can make a solution of potassium permanganate, if you have one. The proportions in this case are 1 g per 8 liters. water.
5. Start cleaning from the periphery to the center of the room. Roll up large mercury balls with a brush on a cardboard and pour into a jar. Stick the very small ones on the adhesive plaster.

   

6. Use a torch to shine a flashlight on any areas where mercury may be present. It shines when exposed to light and is visible from afar. The easiest way to get the balls out of the slots is with a metal needle. The skirting board should also be torn off for disposal.
7. Put clothes that have come into contact with mercury in a bag and tie tightly. Close the jar and seal tightly.

   

8. Wipe the surfaces on which liquid metal was found with a solution of "Whiteness", after 15 minutes, rinse it off with water. For complete reliability, everything can be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.
9. Call the Ministry of Emergencies at 112. Explain the situation, ask where to dispose of the collected mercury. In extreme cases, liquid metal can be taken to a sanitary and epidemiological station or a state pharmacy.

After cleaning, you should wash, rinse your mouth with a soda solution, take one or two tablets of activated carbon.

In the room where the thermometer was broken, keep the window open for several days. Enter this room as little as possible.

Important! If you see that the mercury cannot be completely removed, for example, it has been absorbed into something, you will have to call specialists.

Why is mercury dangerous?

This chemical, extremely harmful to health, belongs to the first class of hazard. The main route of penetration into the body is through the respiratory system.

Symptoms that signal mercury poisoning:

• Sense of a metallic taste in the mouth.
• Feeling weak.
• Loss of appetite.
• Headache and discomfort when swallowing.
• Nausea and vomiting.

If you do not provide assistance:

• Gums begin to bleed.
• Abdominal pain appears.
• Loose stools with mucous and bloody blotches.
• The temperature rises sharply. Up to 40 degrees and above.

Mercury poisoning in young children and pregnant women is especially dangerous and can lead to irreparable consequences.

First aid for poisoned persons - absorbents and a large amount of water.

How to act if the thermometer is cracked in your hands

Many people think it is most dangerous to touch mercury with bare skin. This is not entirely true. In order for the mercury to go into its reservoir in the thermometer, it has to be shaken off, and the penetration of liquid metal through the pores of the skin is very minimal.

Another thing is that its particles will remain on the hands and will gradually evaporate in the immediate vicinity of a person. To prevent this from happening, it is enough to thoroughly wash your hands with ordinary soap, you can also rinse in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Drink at least 2 liters of water for 3-4 days. in a day. If redness, itching and tingling appear, be aware that these are not signs of poisoning, but allergies. You can't joke with her either, it's better to go to the clinic.

Important! It is especially dangerous if mercury gets on a hot battery or on heating devices. At plus 40, the liquid metal boils, the air becomes oversaturated with its vapors. You cannot do without referral to specialists and doctors.

What not to do when a mercury thermometer breaks

Unacceptable:

1. Use a broom or vacuum cleaner to remove mercury. At the same time, it breaks into smaller and smaller balls, scattering in all directions. It becomes much more difficult to remove them. After such "cleaning" the vacuum cleaner will have to be thrown away, since a certain number of balls will get stuck in its internal parts.
2. Flush mercury down the drain, throw it into the garbage chute. By doing this, you pollute the space around your home.
3. Use household chemicals instead of soap-soda or chlorine solution.
4. Try to clean mercury-contaminated clothing yourself in a washing machine. First, don't clean it all the way. Secondly, the smallest particles will remain in the mechanism.
5. To hand over contaminated things to second-hand stores, trying to help out at least something for them. You cannot put the health of other people at risk, and no one has canceled responsibility under the law.

What to do if a mercury-free thermometer crashed

They are all much safer than mercury. The most commonly used are electronic and infrared.

An electronic thermometer detects body temperature with a special sensor built into its body.

An infrared thermometer registers radiation in the appropriate range. It directly depends on the temperature of the emitting surface, is converted into temperature readings and displayed on the screen.

If such thermometers break, only their sharp fragments can be dangerous, especially if they are very small. You need to carefully collect everything and throw it away like ordinary trash. No further action is required.

I hope you understand what to do if the thermometer breaks. In any case, no matter how events develop, do not panic. Mercury can only pose a serious hazard if handled improperly. Strong emotions help the latter. If you do everything calmly and thoughtfully, nothing terrible will happen.

VIDEO: What to do if the thermometer is broken.