How to remove mercury

Mercury is a heavy metal, silver colored, which belongs to the first class of danger, it is used in medicine, metallurgy, mechanics, and most often we encounter it in everyday life when using a thermometer and fluorescent lamps. If you broke a thermometer and drops of mercury rolled on the surface, in this case you need to know how to remove mercury, so as not to damage your health and the surrounding space. This is extremely necessary, since this element of the periodic table is extremely toxic and poisoning with mercury vapor can lead to hospitalization.

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Why is it necessary to carefully remove mercury from a broken thermometer?

During evaporation, mercury releases toxic fumes that affect the central nervous system, the functioning of the kidneys. It also affects the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract. If you are faced with such a nuisance as a broken thermometer, as a rule, in this situation you need to turn to specialists from the Sanitary and Epidemiological Station. But if there is no such possibility, do not despair! In the absence of special substances, it is possible to cope with this problem even with the help of improvised means. Below you will find a number of recommendations on how to remove mercury in an apartment in many ways.

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Where to start?

Before removing the mercury from the thermometer from the floor, take the following measures:

1. Evacuate the tenants of the apartment while removing the problem so that they do not spread mercury on the soles throughout the room.
2. Organize good ventilation and air temperature reduction in the place where the incident occurred, but in no case create a draft.
3. Wear protective clothing, preferably synthetic, which is disposed of with tools after use, since the substance does not weather and does not wash out.
4. Wear a cotton-gauze bandage moistened in a soda solution.
5. Limit contamination area to wet newspapers.
6. Prepare tools and tools for removing mercury.
7. After the procedure, all the things and objects with which it came into contact or on which mercury fell, collect in plastic bags and take it out into the open air.

Important! Since the process of harvesting mercury takes a long time, periodically go out to fresh air to avoid poisoning in pairs.

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What can not be done if the mercury thermometer

1. is broken? Do not use a vacuum cleaner to clean mercury - after this procedure it will not be possible to use it for the intended purpose.
2. Do not mark the silver balls with a broom, so you just crush them and complicate the cleaning task.
3. Clothing that has been in contact with mercury can not be washed in a washing machine, much less with your hands.
4. It is absolutely forbidden to dispose of the broken thermometer into the garbage disposal, since only 2 g of mercury can contaminate 6,000 cubic meters of air. If you do, harmful fumes, mixed with the waste products released, will poison everyone living in this house for a long time.
5. Under no circumstances should mercury be discharged into the sewage system, it settles in the pipes, and it is very difficult to remove it from there.

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Than to remove mercury from the thermometer from the floor?

If you decide not to engage a service that specializes in dealing with the effects of a mercury spill, then in this article we offer you the following tools and ways to remove mercury. Follow the recommendations and use the troubleshooting tools that are most available to you.

You will need:

• glass jar with tight-fitting lid;
• table lamp, flashlight;
• sheets of paper;
• shaving brush;
• paper towels;
• wet wool;
• clay;
• vegetable oil;
• suction devices: medical pear, syringe with a thick needle, pipette;
• plaster, adhesive tape;
• mercury neutralizer - "sulfur color";
• disinfecting and bleaching chemicals that contain chlorine;
• sodium permanganate;
• iodine;
• cellophane bags.

Important! You do not need the entire list of funds, but only some of them. So see what methods exist, what exactly you have at hand and then act according to plan.

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How to remove a broken mercury thermometer?

Please note that you can only remove mercury from a broken thermometer if you strictly follow all the recommendations in the proposed instructions. At performance of work it is necessary to be besides very attentive and accurate. If you can not do it - immediately call a special service to solve the problem of how to remove mercury on the floor in the apartment.

Method 1

If the thermometer is broken and no mercury has leaked:

1. Prepare a glass container with water.
2. Carefully place a piece of paper under the broken thermometer.
3. Place the item in the water.
4. Contact EMERCOM of Russia - they are obliged to take recycling measures.

Method 2

Remove the broken thermometer and the spreading mercury in several steps.

Step 1: Preparation:

1. Prepare a mercury collection room.
2. Close the door so that the substance does not spread through the air throughout the house.
3. Put a rag soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate on the threshold.
4. To remove mercury vapor from the room, open the windows.
5. Secure yourself with personal protective equipment.

Step 2. Cleaning process:

1. Turn on the lamp or flashlight and carefully inspect the infection site.
2. The fragments of the broken thermometer are collected and put in a plastic bag.
3. Assemble mercury using the above described devices.
4. On open surfaces:
   • Take two sheets of paper and drive the mercury balls so that they stick together into one large, in the same way you can use a shaving brush.
   • Small drops of mercury can be collected by gluing means. Put on the mercury spots pieces of plaster, plasticine, scotch, bread crumbs, wet napkins, rags. This method can also collect invisible glass fragments from the thermometer.
   • Put the used products in an airtight container.
5. Remove from the hard-to-reach places the chemical element using suction tools. Alternatively, you can use the spoke and cotton wool:
   • Wrap the cotton wool on the tip of the knitting needle with a thin layer.
   • Prepare a disinfectant.
   • Moisten the cotton in it.
   • After it absorbs mercury, change the tip with a new one.
   • Repeat the process until the contamination is completely collected.

Stage 3. Surface disinfection:

1. Prepare a special solution to neutralize mercury vapor and wash the surface of the traces of the substance. In this case, you can use the following substances laundry soap, "whiteness", sulfur, manganese.
2. Dilute the vehicle in strong concentration with water.
3. Use a spray gun, brush, brush to apply the solution to the areas that you have cleared from mercury, paying special attention to the slits.
4. Treat the surface several times.
5. Leave to dry.
6. Wash with soap and water.
7. Re-treat the cleaned area with a solution of potassium permanganate, alternating with plain water.
8. Clean the room thoroughly.

Step 4. Recycling:

1. Put the used materials in a jar full of water, so mercury will not evaporate.
2. Packages with mercury waste should be tightly closed and temporarily placed in a non-residential location, away from the source of heat.
3. Call the specialized service to come and take the collected mercury.

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How to remove mercury from the car?

The process of cleaning mercury from fleecy surfaces is difficult and almost impossible. Balls of mercury are firmly ingrained in the pile, in this case it is best to abandon the mercury-contaminated thing and turn it over for disposal.

But as an option, you can try the infected thing to place under the sun's rays and air for 2-3 months, so the mercury evaporates.

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Useful advices

1. To avoid the danger of contamination with mercury vapor, use an electric thermometer, it is convenient to use, it can be given to children without fear.
2. If you are using a mercury thermometer, store it in a closed case in the medicine cabinet, which is located in a place inaccessible to children. In the case of deformation of the case, even if the thermometer is broken, mercury will not leak to the surface, and it will be easy to dispose of.

We hope that our advice on how to remove mercury has helped you. Henceforth, be extremely careful in handling this medical device and try to keep it away from children.