The thermometer broke: what to do and how to collect mercury. A mercury thermometer broke in an apartment: what to do and how to collect the mercury

In many homes, body temperature is still measured with mercury thermometers, although many know how insidious they are. One awkward movement - and a lot of moving silver balls scatter from the broken glass case around the room in different directions. What to do? How to collect mercury from the floor without causing harm to yourself or your loved ones?

In this article:

Why are mercury balls dangerous?

Mercury is a liquid metal that evaporates even when room temperature+18°С. Its vapors are a strong poison; they have no odor, therefore they are even more dangerous. A broken thermometer releases 2-4 grams of this metal, which can contaminate up to 6 thousand cubic meters air (unless, of course, all this is removed in time). Droplet balls roll into cracks in the floor and baseboards, hide in the pile of carpets, stick to slippers and spread throughout the apartment. Mercury evaporates and gradually poisons the air. A person, being in a room where a thermometer has broken, inhales these fumes. Toxic metal accumulates in his liver, kidneys, and brain and so-called mercury intoxication develops. The skin becomes covered with strange rashes, stomatitis appears, the kidneys and nervous system. And long-term exposure can even cause madness. It's creepy, isn't it? How to act to avoid all this?

What to do if the thermometer breaks

Immediately remove everyone from the “disaster” site, especially children, if any. You won’t even notice how these curious creatures will immediately begin to explore the contents of the thermometer and play with the funny living droplets scattered on the floor.
Close all doors to other rooms. Avoid a draft that will spread dangerous balls throughout the room. Only after cleaning can you open the window and ventilate the room. And this will have to be done not in a day or two, but over three months.

The right equipment

If the mercury removal operation takes longer, apply a damp gauze bandage to your nose. Every 10-15 minutes, try to leave the room into another room or into fresh air. Protect your hands with rubber gloves, and put regular garbage bags on your feet if you don’t have disposable shoe covers on hand.

Tools and methods for neutralizing the mercury “catastrophe”

Find a glass container with a tight lid to serve as a container for storing the mercury. Be very careful that this container does not accidentally tip over or break. Pour it there cold water. Place the thermometer in a plastic bag.

Forget about the existence of a broom in the apartment and do not try to collect mercury with a vacuum cleaner. The twigs of the broom will further crush the balls and turn them into toxic dust. It will rise into the air and settle on furniture and walls.

If you want to use a vacuum cleaner, be prepared to throw it away immediately after cleaning. Mercury will cover the inside of the device with a thin film, and will evaporate safely there, especially during operation, when the engine heats up. But that is not all. The microdroplets drawn in by the vacuum cleaner along with the air, safely bypassing the filters, will fly back into the room and be scattered throughout the apartment.

Available demercurization methods

How to collect mercury when conventional methods are not suitable? Use the most ordinary syringe - pull the balls inside like a vacuum cleaner, release the contents into a prepared jar of water. It is especially good for catching naughty droplets under baseboards and from cracks. After this, you will have to dispose of the syringe.
Moisten paper napkins with sunflower oil - mercury droplets stick to them perfectly. You can also do this with newspaper soaked in water or wet cotton balls. The insidious metal also sticks to copper wire, tape, adhesive tape. Try collecting it with a soft brush on a piece of paper.
After collecting, be sure to treat the room with chlorine or soap solution, even if you are sure that you have collected everything. Wash not only the floor, but also the walls. Fill the cracks in the floor with chlorine solution. A solution of potassium permanganate is also suitable for this. Use a disposable rag, which you immediately place in a trash bag. And if, on someone’s advice, you are planning to treat the floor surface with ferric chloride, be careful: it is also very toxic. Why poison yourself twice? In addition, it may leave permanent stains.

After all the procedures, you, as the liquidator of a mercury accident, need to take a shower, rinse your mouth with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, brush your teeth and drink 6-8 crushed tablets of activated carbon. And, of course, drink plenty of fluids to prevent poisoning. Mercury, as already noted, collects in the kidneys, and it is through them that you will remove this toxic metal.

If mercury gets on the carpet

What to do if the thermometer breaks on the carpet? Carefully roll the covering from the edge to the center so that the balls do not roll out onto the floor. Put it in a whole plastic bag. Movements should also be from the periphery to the center.

It is better if the product is thrown away.

What to do in case of emergency? Who should I contact?

Mercury vapor is a class I poison. Even in small quantities they cause irreversible harm to humans and animals.

If your mercury thermometer or spilled mercury, provide ventilation, leave the contaminated room and urgently call the mercury collection service.

Entrust the search and demercurization to certified professionals. Specialists go to the scene of an emergency with all the necessary equipment.

The mercury complex was included in State Register measuring instruments. After diagnosing the degree of contamination, thorough demercurization. We guarantee complete elimination mercury pollution. Specialists carry out work according to the readings of the device until the room is completely cleared of toxic mercury vapor. Control measurement - free!!!

Work is carried out in residential and non-residential premises, offices, country houses, as well as in open areas. Soil samples. Preventive air analysis for mercury vapor content.

MERCURY RECYCLING SERVICE 24 HOUR HOTLINE: +7 495 968 10 86

We specialize in carrying out a full range of work on recycling waste of I-IV hazard classes.

Complies with the requirements of the GOST R ISO 14001-2007 (ISO14001:2004) standard

Disposal and destruction of contaminated items

Things that have been in contact with mercury must be ventilated for three months. Only after this can they be washed and continued to be used, but it is better to throw them away.

But a jar of mercury, the remains of a thermometer and all the devices with which you collected metal should be voluntarily handed over to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Don't be surprised if you are politely redirected to a pharmacy or housing office. Be persistent and persistent, demand the disposal of this toxic metal.

Under no circumstances should you pour liquid with silver balls down the drain, toilet, or throw away the thermometer and contaminated items in the garbage chute: do not pollute the environment.

After all this headache, be sure to visit your nearest pharmacy and purchase a safe electronic thermometer.

Liquid mercury begins to flow from a broken thermometer. At home, it tends to evaporate. The vapors of this metal are a dangerous poison. From a broken device, upon impact, the metal splits into many tiny balls and spreads throughout the room. Metal very easily penetrates into any crevices of floors and baseboards. Over time, it evaporates, poisoning the air in the room. If someone regularly inhales such fumes, it accumulates in the organs. For this reason, chronic mercury intoxication begins to progress. That is why it is important to know how to collect mercury from a broken thermometer.

Why is mercury from a thermometer dangerous?

Users are wondering why mercury from a thermometer is dangerous for humans. Chemical substance, with which you can determine body temperature, is element 80 of the periodic table. It is related to the first risk class, since it is a poison. This is a single metal that is in a fluid state in the range of -19-+357 degrees Celsius, which is in a fluid state at room temperature. But already from +18 degrees the metal begins to evaporate. These are extremely dangerous fumes, which is why mercury poisoning from the thermometer occurs.

When asked how much mercury is in a thermometer, you can answer that it is about 2-5 grams. If all the metal evaporates in a room with an area of 20 square meters, the vapor concentration will be about 100 mg per cubic meter, which is 300,000 times more than the maximum permissible norm. Normal level metal in the home should not exceed 0.0003 mg per cubic meter.

People are also interested in the question of where the mercury is located in the thermometer. The thermometer body is made of transparent material. Inside there is a flask with mercury, which is hermetically sealed to the tube. The element that is in the flask is also partially in the tube.

To evaporate all the metal from the device, it takes too much heat. But if left unused, a broken thermometer will lead to an increase in the maximum permissible concentration of mercury, which is very dangerous. This element tends to accumulate in the human body. If mercury is not carefully collected, the consequences of inhaling the vapors will appear after a couple of weeks.

The first thing you need to remember is that:

the thermometer is not a toy, so it should not be in the hands of children;
store the device in a tight case out of the reach of children;
when knocking down the device you need to be very careful;
measure a child's temperature only under adult supervision.

Don’t be shy, ask our consultants questions, right here on the website. We will definitely answer

Mercury poisoning from a thermometer: symptoms

Liquid metal is unlikely to bring critical consequences. After a person has inhaled vapors, the following symptoms of mercury poisoning may occur if the thermometer is broken:

general malaise;
lack of appetite;
metallic taste in the mouth;
headaches;
discomfort when swallowing;
gagging;
lightheadedness

With late help for intoxication, all symptoms only intensify. The following signs appear:

bleeding from gums;
pain in the abdomen;
rapid rise in temperature;
loose stool mixed with blood and mucus.

The appearance of the above symptoms is a pretext for hospitalization of the victim. Without professional help, the outcome can be the most critical. Even death is possible. Such fumes are especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. In children, even a single inhalation of vapors can cause a critical condition. In pregnant women, intrauterine damage to the fetus can be caused. Therefore, babies and women carrying a fetus should in any case visit a doctor.

I broke a thermometer with mercury: what to do?

The first thing to do in the event of a broken thermometer is to remove all residents from the room. Children and animals should sit in another place during this time. Otherwise, mercury balls may be accidentally swallowed. Afterwards, in the room where the thermometer was broken, you need to open the windows to ventilate the room. But you need to make sure there are no drafts.

If the Ministry of Emergency Situations is not called and you want to solve the problem yourself, then you need to wear gloves and a cotton-gauze bandage. The bandage must be pre-soaked in a soda solution. To prepare it, dissolve a tablespoon of baking soda in a glass of liquid. It is recommended to wear shoe covers or regular bags on your feet so as not to throw away your slippers later. If you don’t have a jockstrap at home, you can make one yourself. This is done using gauze folded in several layers. Initially, you need to collect all the fragments from the device, and then proceed to the mercury.

The first thing victims ask is how to take mercury if the thermometer breaks. This can be done in several ways, depending on the place where it was broken.

How to collect mercury from the floor from a thermometer

When cleaning this dangerous substance, it is important to forget about the usual broom or rag. Moreover, kitchen sponges are not suitable. Put collected balls metal must be placed in a previously prepared glass container with water. Toilet and trash can– this is not the place for such a departure. As soon as the balls fall into the jar, it must be closed very tightly.

There are several options for how to collect metal from the floor. These include:

It is possible to use a simple syringe into which the balls are drawn. Afterwards they must be released into the prepared jar. This type of tackle is perfect for removing metal from crevices and from under baseboards. After performing such manipulations, syringe in mandatory recycle. Under no circumstances should it be reused.
It is possible to soak paper napkins in oil. The metal balls will stick perfectly to the towel. If there are no such napkins, then you can use newspaper soaked in liquid or cotton balls.
Toxic metal balls stick well to tape or adhesive tape.

After all the mercury has been collected, the room must be thoroughly cleaned. To do this, use bleach and clean the floor several times. disinfectants. To remove the balls, use a rag that you don’t mind and can throw away. The room where the incident occurred must be left for a week. open windows. The floor should be disinfected on an ongoing basis using a soda solution. Now everyone knows, if a thermometer in an apartment breaks, how much mercury evaporates.

At this time, a person needs to bathe thoroughly. Rinse your mouth with soda solution from time to time. It is recommended to take several tablets of activated carbon.

How to collect mercury from a carpet

Removing metal from a carpet involves a number of actions that are aimed at removing toxic poison from the carpet surface. The collection device is selected separately for each situation. But usually it is no different from the device that is chosen to collect poison from the floor. You can resort to such handy means as cotton pads, tape, adhesive tape or adhesive paper. You just need to go over the entire carpet surface with the prepared tool. Afterwards, immediately discard the tape or paper into the prepared glass jar.

Things are much more complicated if the carpet has an elongated pile. Poisonous balls can get stuck and retained inside it. First you need to remove all the balls, carefully inspecting the room. After flooring needs to be processed several times. Use a soda or soap solution for the first time. The second time, detergents will do.

It is important to remember that for the safety of the work being carried out, cleaning is carried out only with gloves. In some cases, it is recommended to take a breathing mask or gas mask.

From the cracks

Most challenging task, but at the same time feasible, is the collection of mercury from liquors. There are several options for resolving the problem:

In the first case, you can use a gypsy needle or a long knitting needle. You should wrap a cotton wool soaked in liquid on it.
In the second case, pour sand into the crack and sweep it away along with the remains of the hazardous metal.
Some are inclined to collect metal using a magnet. This is a completely doable job. Since mercury is a liquid metal, it is easily magnetic. During the session it is important to wear thickened latex gloves. After manipulation, remove them in such a way that the magnet and the poison remain inside the glove.

Afterwards the final cleaning of the room is carried out. In the place where the device was broken, wipe with a product that will eliminate all mercury vapor. A very effective solution is a solution ferric chloride. Make a 20% aqueous solution and wash the surface.

How to collect mercury from a broken thermometer from the floor at home, video:

What not to do if the thermometer at home breaks?

It is important to know not only how to remove mercury from a thermometer from the floor, but also what is strictly forbidden to do in an emergency. The following actions are prohibited:

Under no circumstances should you try to remove balls of hazardous metal with a vacuum cleaner or broom. In such situations, the poison is fragmented into many small particles. The warm motor of the vacuum cleaner promotes its rapid evaporation. Such actions will only complicate the situation.
All collected metal, even in a tightly sealed jar of potassium permanganate, must not be thrown into the garbage chute. Over time, the bank will be broken, and this is a threat to other people. Remains of the thermometer can only be disposed of by specialists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
It is strictly forbidden to wash clothes that have been in contact with metal in washing machine. This is prohibited even during disinfection. Disposal of this element is an extremely complex process. Washing things will make all subsequent washes more dangerous.
It is strictly forbidden to wash metal down the drain. Mercury will be deposited in the pipeline elbow. Over a long period, it will pollute the air with its fumes.

It is important not to start panicking when the thermometer is broken. Now it is clear whether mercury from a broken thermometer is dangerous; it is the most important enemy. Therefore, first of all, you need to be extremely careful and careful. You should not allow the device to be broken. If such an absurdity happens, then you must follow all safety rules. If mercury is collected incorrectly and measures are not taken in a timely manner, the consequences can be the most critical. In some cases, death is possible. This is why it is important to know how to collect mercury from a broken thermometer.

Almost every home has a mercury thermometer, which must be handled with extreme care, because it contains special dangerous metal mercury.

If it breaks, how to neutralize mercury at home? We'll talk about this and much more in our article.

Safety precautions

We learned how to neutralize mercury, let's talk a little about safety precautions.

This is a difficult process that can take several hours. Therefore, every fifteen minutes it is worth taking a break, going out into the fresh air. You need to drink plenty of fluids, as the metal is excreted from the body by the kidneys.

What you should pay attention to:

Do not wash clothing that has come into contact with mercury in a washing machine.
It is strictly forbidden to throw silver balls into the toilet; they will fall onto the walls of the pipes and continue to produce toxic fumes and poison the inhabitants of the entire multi-storey building. The same goes for the garbage disposal.
When treating an infected room, do not turn on the air conditioner; particles will settle on the filters.
Do not throw mercury balls into the furnace; toxic substances escape into the atmosphere with smoke.

To avoid this problem, you need to store the thermometer in a secluded place inaccessible to children. It's better to use electronic versions.

Final steps

After all stages of cleaning the room from mercury, you need to perform the following steps:

Using a weak solution of potassium permanganate, gargle and brush your teeth.
Drink plenty of any liquid.
Take a few tablets of activated carbon.
Do not forget to ventilate the room and treat the walls and floor with the above products.
If liquid metal gets on the surface of the skin, the affected area needs to be treated lime mortar. It may leave a small burn, but this is minor damage to health compared to poisoning.

Remember, a broken thermometer is very dangerous!

A tiny ball can evaporate for about a year. The speed of this process will directly depend on the following factors:

Room air temperature.
From the amount of mercury poured.
The area of the room in which the accident occurred.

Even small amounts of this metal can cause serious health problems. After all, it can accumulate inside our body, which causes chronic poisoning.

Signs are not immediately apparent. They appear later, this is an irritable state, problems with sleep and the nervous system.

And finally, how to neutralize mercury if it gets inside

The first thing to do is to induce vomiting in the poisoned person.
Rinse the stomach with a solution of activated carbon or egg white.
Then drink a glass of milk.
And wait for the ambulance.

If a person is poisoned by vapors, he must be taken outside until doctors arrive.

A mercury thermometer, despite the development of technology, is quite often used to measure body temperature. It can be found in almost every home, although in general it is gradually being replaced by electric thermometers - safe and easy to use. But since exactly mercury thermometer is the cheapest option for temperature measuring devices, they continue to buy it. And a situation may occur that one day it will break. How to remove mercury from the floor? What to do in such a situation?

A mercury thermometer consists of glass, inside of which there is a small reservoir filled with mercury. There is an absolute vacuum inside the device; there is no air there. If such a thermometer is broken, then the danger to a greater extent is not the small glass that has fallen on the floor, but the mercury itself.

Mercury belongs to heavy metals, this substance is a beautiful silver color. It is fluid, which allows it to rise up the thermometer when heated. The substance belongs to hazard class I. Mercury is used in medicine, mechanics, metallurgy, for manufacturing fluorescent lamps. This metal has special properties. For example, already at an air temperature of only +18 degrees it begins to evaporate - toxic fumes enter the atmosphere. They are a strong poison, but do not emit any odor, which makes them even more dangerous.

On a note! If you break a thermometer, 2-4 g of mercury will be in the air. However, this negligible amount of substance can pollute about 6,000 m 3 of clean air.

Mercury is a fluid metal; when a thermometer is broken, it is divided into a mass of small balls, which can easily roll anywhere - into, under the baseboard, get stuck in the pile of the carpet or under furniture. Over a long period of time, mercury balls will evaporate, poisoning the air in the room, and they are so small that sometimes they cannot be found at all.

A person inhaling mercury vapor exposes his body to danger. Mercury begins to accumulate in his body, intoxication with this substance occurs, which can cause irreversible consequences and health problems. First of all, they suffer skin, nervous system, liver, kidneys, teeth. The amount of mercury in the thermometer is enough to poison 10 people. The danger also lies in the fact that poisoning with this substance is a long-term process, and the symptoms will not be noticeable immediately. About 80% of mercury enters the body through the respiratory system.

Table. Main symptoms of mercury poisoning.

Acute poisoning occurs no earlier than a few hours after the thermometer breaks, if no measures are taken. Chronic poisoning will only appear after several years. The degree of poisoning by this substance will depend on the amount of mercury in the house, the duration of exposure to its vapors, and the state of human health. Mercury is most dangerous for children and pregnant women.

In general, a mercury thermometer is not dangerous if you handle it with care. Under no circumstances should it be given to children to play with, and it is recommended to store it only in special cases. They will help protect the thermometer even after a fall. If the device breaks anyway, the mercury will not roll across the floor, but will remain inside the case.

If such a disaster occurs, then the first thing is to remove all people from the premises, especially children. This also applies to pets. Both they and children will not find mercury balls dangerous; they may start playing with them, which will only worsen the situation.

Then it is important to close the door to the room where the thermometer broke. It is recommended to open all windows in the apartment. And you will have to ventilate often and regularly, so that all the toxic fumes are certainly gone. However, it is important that there is no strong draft in the room, otherwise the mercury will spread throughout the floor.

On a note! If the thermometer fell in its case and broke, but the container remained closed, then the task of removing mercury from the room is greatly simplified.

Collection Tools

To clean a room from mercury, the person who will be doing it will need the correct equipment. You should put a gauze bandage on your face soaked in a soda solution (1 tablespoon of the substance is diluted in a glass of water). You can also use a dry dressing, but then its effectiveness will be lower.

Shoe covers are put on your feet or plastic bags, they can be fixed with tape. And they put rubber gloves on their hands.

Despite the advent of electronic thermometers, their mercury analogues are still in use. This is due to the accuracy of the measurements. However, a glass thermometer containing mercury is dangerous, especially when there are children at home. If an unexpected situation occurs, you need to quickly decide how to collect mercury from a broken thermometer in order to avoid health problems in the future.

It is a metal characterized high level toxicity. The thermometer contains mercury in liquid form (about 2 g). If the thermometer body is damaged, drops of metal easily spread over the surface, fall into cracks, corners, behind baseboards, and may remain on the soles of house shoes or on bed linen. At a temperature of +18 degrees, the process of metal evaporation begins. Considering that the microclimate in houses is usually warmer (+20...+25 degrees), the risk of mercury vapor poisoning increases.

Properties of this metal:

2 gr. the substance is enough to poison 10 people, if you don’t know how to collect mercury at home;
fumes are absorbed under the skin, enter the organs (liver, kidneys, brain, lungs) and settle in them;
mercury vapor is a potent poison of the 1st hazard class;
If you don’t know how to collect mercury from a thermometer, as a result, after a few hours of intense exposure to fumes, symptoms may appear: nausea, sleep disturbance, weakness, dizziness, headaches.

Important: In more severe cases, intestinal function is disrupted, sore throat appears, gums bleed, temperature rises and swelling of the respiratory tract.

What should you do first?

Before tackling the question of how to collect mercury if a thermometer breaks on the floor, you must perform the following steps:

This metal is dangerous not only for humans, but also for animals, so you first need to clear the room of everyone present. This measure will eliminate the possibility of a dog, cat or child coming into contact with metal.
The doors to the room must be closed, and access must be provided fresh air by opening the window. When deciding how to collect mercury from a thermometer from the floor, it is important to remember that there should be no draft in the room.
On next stage You can call the Ministry of Emergency Situations to carry out demercurization of the premises. If you plan to clean the room yourself, you need to prepare gloves and a gauze bandage, to increase the effectiveness of which you need to use soda solution: gauze is moistened in a solution (1 tbsp. water/1 tbsp. l. soda).
To reduce the likelihood of exposure to mercury, you should wear shoe covers on your feet. If you don't have them on hand, you can use plastic bags.
When deciding how to remove mercury if a thermometer breaks, you need to know that glass fragments are collected first.

It is recommended to inspect the room: cracks in the floor, baseboards, areas next to and under furniture, bed/sofa. You need to look for balls of liquid metal. They are quite small, but are characterized by a silvery tint.

Preparation of cleaning products, sequence of actions

The toxic substance must be collected in a container with a tight-fitting lid; it is better to use a three-liter glass jar for this purpose. Water or a solution of potassium permanganate is poured there to a level of no more than 2/3 of the total volume. This measure eliminates the risk of further evaporation of the substance. Auxiliary products for cleaning the premises:

adhesive tape/plaster/duct tape – any adhesive tape, construction tape will also work;
medical bulb/disposable syringe without needle;
a brush, but cotton wool will do instead;
solutions: potassium permanganate or bleach, soap and soda;
paper or newspaper;
A hand-held flashlight that makes it easier to find metal balls in dark areas.

Important: The question often arises of how to collect mercury using a vacuum cleaner, however, this is strictly forbidden, because then the vapors and drops of the substance will spread significantly throughout the object, and in addition, you will have to throw away the equipment, because it is impossible to completely clean it of liquid metal.

Cleaning instructions:

The glass parts of the thermometer with the remaining toxic substance are immersed in a jar of liquid.
Before entering the room, you must leave a rag soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. This will prevent the substance from spreading throughout the home.
You need to connect all the metal balls into one large one, for which you use sheets of paper, as well as a brush or cotton wool.
Mercury is placed in a jar of liquid; newspaper/paper and cotton wool/brush are used for this purpose.
The smallest particles and residues of mercury are removed from the floor using duct tape: tape/duct tape, etc.
When deciding how to properly collect spilled mercury from a broken thermometer, we must not forget about cracks in the floor and baseboards. The substance is removed from leaks using a medical bulb or a disposable syringe.
The available means used to collect the metal are immersed in the same container with liquid where the thermometer fragments are already located.
If the thermometer is damaged near furniture with leaks under it, or near the baseboard, you need to get to the balls of liquid metal by moving the sofa/wardrobe; if necessary, remove the baseboard.
The jar is tightly closed with a lid.
The floor should be washed, first using a solution of potassium permanganate, then using soda-soap or chlorine.
All protective equipment(shoe covers, gloves, gauze bandage), as well as clothes must be folded into a bag, then it must be tied tightly.
After cleaning, it is recommended to take a shower; in addition, the oral cavity should be rinsed with a soda solution.

Important: After the demercurization procedure, the room should be regularly ventilated for a week and people or pets should not be allowed in it during this period.

If you are trying to solve the problem of how to collect mercury from a carpet, you should pay attention to the length of the pile. In situations where a hazardous substance has come into contact with a fine-pile coating, the methods described above can be used. It is more difficult to clean a long-pile carpet. IN in this case It is important to lift all edges of the product to eliminate the risk of metal balls spreading. The covering is then taken outside. Spread out on the ground polyethylene film large area, a carpet is hung over it, and the mercury is literally shaken out of the pile. The hazardous substance that has been recovered is sent to the same container where the previously collected mercury is stored.

What not to do

The main rule that must not be violated: all items used during cleaning, as well as the liquid metal itself and the remains of the thermometer cannot be thrown away along with household waste. There are other prohibitions:

When deciding how to collect mercury, you should not use a vacuum cleaner.
A jar of liquid containing fragments and balls of mercury is also prohibited from being placed in the garbage chute for household waste. To find out how to dispose of this container, it is recommended to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations (by phone 01, from mobile 112).
It is forbidden to use a broom when cleaning liquid metal, because with its help the particles spread more widely throughout the room. In addition, as a result of such actions, it will be extremely difficult to detect mercury balls in the future.
It is prohibited to carry out cleaning work wearing cloth shoes. Rubber slippers, or better yet shoe covers/plastic bags, are suitable for this purpose.

Thus, if trouble happens - a thermometer breaks in the house, you need to follow the instructions. In this case, you cannot act independently, because the consequences of this can harm the health of your household. The greatest danger lies not in the fact that the thermometer broke at home, but in non-compliance with cleaning rules. At the same time, the risk increases that liquid metal will remain in the cracks of the floor, behind the baseboard, in the folds of the bed and in other places, which will lead to poisoning of family members. With prolonged inhalation of mercury vapor, symptoms appear fairly soon after the thermometer breaks. This means that in such cases you should act as quickly as possible.

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