Why is mercury from a thermometer dangerous for a child? Is mercury from a thermometer dangerous and its effect on the human body? What to do in case of mercury poisoning when a child has swallowed mercury? What should not be done if a mercury thermometer breaks? How to recognize acute

At room temperature, mercury releases toxic fumes that enter the body through the respiratory tract.

If you do not take any measures after the thermometer has crashed, the liquid metal will poison the air and gradually accumulate in the body. The problem is aggravated by the fact that mercury crumbles into small drops, which are easy to miss in the crevices of the floor, carpet pile, behind baseboards.

The symptoms of mercury poisoning can be invisible for a long time.

Health problems can appear a couple of months after direct exposure to mercury. The main symptoms are: weakness, general malaise, loss of appetite, metal taste in the mouth, headaches and sore throat, increased salivation, nausea and vomiting. As you can see, they can be easily attributed to stress, work fatigue or commonplace.

But if mercury continues to accumulate, more serious problems appear: trembling of the fingers, eyelids, then hands and feet, a predisposition to mental illness, tuberculosis, atherosclerotic phenomena, liver and gall bladder lesions, hypertension.

How to collect mercury

If the thermometer breaks, first of all, take the children and animals out of the room and close the door so that mercury vapors do not go into the neighboring rooms. To prevent anyone from transferring droplets of mercury on shoes, lay a rag dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate before entering.

Potassium permanganate solution

Add 2 grams of potassium permanganate to 1 liter of water and mix.

If it's cold outside, open a window. This will help slow evaporation. One but: in no case should a draft be allowed, because of which mercury can scatter throughout the room.

Put shoe covers or plastic bags on your feet, and rubber gloves on your hands. The respiratory tract also needs protection. For example, a disposable mask with gauze dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Take a glass jar with a lid (or any other sealed container), pour water or a potassium permanganate solution into it and fold the pieces of the thermometer.

Take two sheets of paper and cotton wool dipped in a solution of potassium permanganate. Start collecting drops of mercury from the corners of the room towards the center. Use a cotton swab to push the drops onto the paper and brush them into the jar. Instead of cotton wool, you can use regular tape: stick it on the floor where there is mercury, and tear it off.

Use a syringe, fine-tipped medicine bulb, or paint brush to collect all the mercury without residue and reach the smallest droplets in cracks.

Close the jar of mercury tightly with a lid and put it in a cool place, preferably on the balcony. Do not dispose of it in the garbage chute or pour its contents down the toilet.

How to process the premises and protect yourself

So that no trace of mercury remains in the room, treat the area where it spilled. First - with a solution of potassium permanganate: 20 grams of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water. Apply it with a rag or with a spray bottle. After an hour, wipe the same place with a soap and soda solution.

You will have to process it with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution 2-3 times a day for several days.

Soap-soda solution

Rub the soap bar with a grater, cover with hot water and stir until the soap shavings are completely dissolved. Instead of regular soap, you can use liquid soap. Fill the mixture with 10 liters of water. Add 100 grams of baking soda. Stir.

Since you yourself have been in an unsafe room for a long time, you need to do the following:

1. Wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution.
2. Rinse your mouth with a very weak solution of potassium permanganate.
3. Brush your teeth thoroughly.
4. Take 2-3 tablets of activated charcoal.
5. Drink more fluids (tea, juice, coffee).

What not to do

1. Do not sweep mercury with a broom. Rigid rods will only grind the drops of mercury into fine dust and carry them throughout the room.
2. Do not vacuum up the mercury. During blowing, due to the warm air, the mercury begins to evaporate even more intensively. In addition, its particles will remain on the engine parts and will spread throughout the apartment during cleaning.
3. Do not throw the thermometer into the waste chute. Mercury will pollute the air throughout your home.
4. Do not pour mercury down the toilet. It will settle in the sewer pipes, and it will be very difficult to remove it from there.
5. Throw away any clothing contaminated with mercury. When washing, small metal particles will settle in.
6. No need to rinse rags and other handy materials in the sink. We have already talked about sewer pipes. Just put everything in a tight plastic bag and tie it tightly. You cannot carry it to the trash can.

Where to return a broken thermometer

Neither the broken thermometer itself, nor the items with which you collected mercury, can simply be thrown into the trash. You need to send them to a facility that can dispose of mercury.

Call 112 in the Ministry of Emergency Situations and report that your thermometer has broken. They will write down your address, tell you what to do, or come home if you are not sure you were able to completely clean the room. It's free.

True, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations often find themselves loaded with other things and cannot always promptly help with a broken thermometer. In this case, you can call a paid demercurization service in your city.

If you have coped with the removal of mercury without assistance, call the nearest sanitary and epidemiological station. Experts will tell you the address where you can take mercury.

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Many people still have a mercury thermometer in their homes - it shows much more accurately and never lies. Everything would be fine, only the fear of breaking the thermometer haunts, you just have to pick it up. However, there is nothing terrible in this, it is only important to follow a few rules.

1. Leave children and animals in the room... Mercury sticks easily to soles or wool, so don't risk it.
2. Collect mercury with a vacuum cleaner... First, the hot air will speed up its evaporation. Secondly, mercury particles will settle on the insides of the vacuum cleaner, it will turn into a breeding ground for toxic substances.
3. Sweep mercury... The stiff bristles of a broom or brush will break the mercury into small, barely noticeable drops.
4. Use a rag... She will rub the mercury on the floor, increasing the area of \u200b\u200bthe lesion.
5. Flush down the drain / dispose of in the garbage chute... Mercury will not reach the cleaning station, but will settle on the pipes, poisoning everyone around. The same will happen if you throw it into the garbage chute or trash.
6. Arrange a draft. Mercury fumes will scatter throughout the living space.
7. Trying to save clothes that got mercury... Metal will end up in the drain or drum of the washing machine. Dispose of your clothing along with the collected mercury.

What to do if a thermometer breaks

The most the main rule is not to panic... A broken thermometer is not a fatal outcome, and you won't have to move. Officially, the process of collecting mercury is called demercurization - everything is serious, but not at all scary.

1. Remove from room all outsiders and turn off all that increases air temperature... You can open the window, but it is important to ensure that in no case there is a draft.
2. Change into clothes that you will not mind throwing away. Give preference to materials that do not absorb anything. Put on your hands latex gloves, on the face - cloth bandage, on your feet - shoe covers.
3. Prepare a container with a solution of chlorine-containing bleach "Whiteness" (at the rate of 1 liter of "Whiteness" for 5 liters of water) or a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g for 8 liters of water), if you can get it.
4. Take a wet brush, a syringe with a thin needle, thick cardboard,adhesive plasterand capacity with water or solution from point 3 with a lid. Pull medium and small balls into a syringe, roll up large ones with a brush on a cardboard and pour into a jar. Remove the smallest ones with a plaster, carefully sticking them to the surface. Collection of drops - from the periphery to the center of the room.
5. Take lantern - mercury reflects well. Find the remaining balls with it and remove them. It's best to roll them out of the cracks metal needle... Tear off the skirting board and also pack in a tight bag for later disposal.
6. All things that came into contact with metal collect in a bag and tie tightly... Close the jar with the collected mercury and the remains of the thermometer.
7. Wipe all surfaces in contact with mercury with a solution of "Whiteness" and stand for 15 minutes, then rinse with clean water. For a more complete demercurization, afterwards, you can treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate (if any).
8. Call the Ministry of Emergencies by phone 112 and ask about the nearest possibility of disposal of mercury.
9. Wash thoroughly, rinse the mouth several times soda solution and take a few pills activated carbon for disinfection. The room where the thermometer was broken should be closed from visits for a week, leaving one window open. Regularly disinfect the floor in it with "Whiteness" solution. And drink plenty of fluids.

• ! If mercury gets on a fabric surface or where it is impossible to collect it, then in such cases it will not be possible to do without the help of specialists.

Why is mercury dangerous?

Mercury belongs to the 1st hazard class, being a cumulative poison, and it is the only metal that is in liquid form at room temperature. In the open air, the mercury starts to evaporate, which makes the thermometer quite dangerous.

Mercury Poisoning Symptoms:

• metallic taste in the mouth;
• general weakness;
• lack of appetite;
• headache and discomfort when swallowing;
• nausea and vomiting.

In the absence of assistance to the victim, the symptoms are aggravated:

• bleeding gums;
• stomach ache;
• loose stools with mucous and bloody blotches;
• a sharp increase in body temperature, sometimes up to 40 ° C.

Such signs are a reason for immediate hospitalization. Contact with mercury is especially harmful for children and pregnant women, as it can lead to irreparable damage.

The first aid that can be given in case of mercury poisoning is the intake of absorbents and plenty of plain water.

Attention: due to the fact that mercury is a poison of high toxicity, it is classified as hazard class 1, in many countries the use of mercury thermometers was abandoned and their production was banned. Not only the metal itself is dangerous, but also the organic compounds of the substance.

A standard thermometer contains approximately 1-2 grams of liquid metal. This dose is enough to provoke poisoning. Clinical signs do not appear immediately because mercury can build up in the body.

This cannot be done if the thermometer breaks:

• Vacuum. A working vacuum cleaner heats up the mercury, and it begins to evaporate faster.
• Create drafts that spread the poisonous substance around the house.
• Sweep.
• Dispose of in the trash can.
• Take things out of the room.
• Leave children or animals in the room where the thermometer crashed.

Procedure for a broken thermometer:

• Destroy the clothes that were on.
• Wear a gauze bandage or a special respirator mask on your face.
• Collect the mercury.
• Open all windows to ventilate the room as much as possible.
  Take a sorbent inside: smecta, activated carbon, polysorb, enterosgel, etc.
• Take a shower and wash your body thoroughly.
• Clean the place where the thermometer crashed with bleach.
• Contact the demercurization service.

In order not to accidentally break the thermometer, you need to use it only for its intended purpose. It must be stored out of the reach of children in a special case.
If you find signs of a mercury leak, contact a specialist immediately.

On-site certified technicians will measure the mercury vapor in the air and determine its source. During work, only special equipment is used. It is included in the list of the State Register of Measuring Instruments.

Demercurization measures will be carried out after detecting signs of mercury.

Within 7 days after processing, specialists go to the site and take repeated measurements, completely free of charge.

What is the danger of a broken thermometer

Mercury is a liquid metal and when it hits the surface, it takes the form of small balls. They are very mobile. It is very difficult to collect the substance yourself. Mercury balls quickly leak from a broken thermometer and can roll very far or become stuck in upholstery or carpet. So the poisonous substance will continue to evaporate and poison the body.

The toxicity of mercury is due to its sensitivity to elevated temperatures. So, it evaporates already at +18 degrees Celsius, so poisoning occurs mainly through the respiratory tract. But with large pollution, the metal enters the body through the skin and mucous membranes.

Interesting: when ingested, the absorption of mercury in the digestive tract will be minimal, the amount of metal that has entered the bloodstream in this way is insignificant. But the danger is glass shards. They can leave behind cuts and significant injuries.

What health effects can you get?

So why is mercury from a thermometer dangerous for humans? It should be remembered that 80% of all mercury vapor from a broken thermometer enters the body through the lungs. The toxic metal has several effects: local, expressed in an irritating effect on the mucous membranes of the respiratory system and lungs, and in general - destructive changes in the organs and tissues of the body.

Organs and tissues primarily affected by mercury:

• Kidneys.
• Gums.

Do not ignore the incident, because even 1 broken thermometer can cause illness for the whole family.

Mercury vapor poisoning can manifest itself in acute and chronic forms. In the first case, the metal entering the bloodstream quickly spreads throughout the body and causes symptoms. In the second, signs of intoxication appear after several months or years.

The degree of poisoning depends on the resistance, that is, in a weak organism, the symptoms will manifest themselves more strongly, and on the amount of mercury that has entered the blood. And also pregnant women and children are at risk.

Serious pathologies and disorders in the body can be triggered even by small doses of mercury if inhaled for a long time.

Destructive processes affect such organs and systems:

• Kidneys.
• Liver.
• Lungs.
• Thyroid.
• The cardiovascular system.

If mercury enters the lungs, breathing problems up to pneumonia occur. And also diseases of the kidneys and eyes develop. Poisoning often results in loss of vision or paralysis. Therefore, it is important not only to collect the mercury from the broken thermometer in time, but also to notice signs of intoxication in order to provide assistance to oneself and other victims.

Signs of poisoning

Symptoms of intoxication manifest themselves in different ways. It depends on many factors:

• Forms: chronic or acute poisoning.
• Individual characteristics of the organism: the state of resistance, the presence of the disease.
• The amount of mercury released into the blood.

Acute form:

Weakness, apathy.

• Metallic taste in the mouth.
• Vomiting.
• Dizziness.
• Chills.
• Bleeding and swelling of the gums.
• Sore throat when swallowing.
• Headache.
• Nausea.
• Diarrhea.
• Increased salivation.
• The presence of blood in the vomit and in the feces.
• Mercury in urine

When a large dose of mercury is ingested or in severe cases, in addition to the above symptoms, the following may be added:

• Heart rhythm disorder.
• The rise in body temperature.
• Dyspnea.
• Cough.

Chronic form:

• Migraine.
• Deterioration of health.
• Insomnia.
• Loss of appetite.
• Increased nervous irritability, can manifest itself in the form of irritability.
• Tremors in the limbs, if large doses of mercury are ingested - the whole body.
• Kidney pathology.
• Constant tiredness.
• Hair loss, fragility.
• Impaired memory and concentration.
• Depression.
• Enlargement of the thyroid gland.
• Heart rhythm disorder.
• Decrease in blood pressure.

If you ignore the symptoms and delay treatment, pneumonia can develop. Mercury poisoning is sometimes fatal. With an increase in the concentration of a toxic element in the blood, the patient's condition worsens.

First aid for poisoning

Treatment should be carried out only in a hospital, under the supervision of specialists. At the first sign of poisoning, you need to call an ambulance. Before the arrival of doctors, the victim needs to be given first aid, this will alleviate his condition. If a person is conscious, a series of manipulations must be performed:

• Induce vomiting and rinse the stomach.
• Put the victim to bed and ensure rest.
• Ventilate the room and provide a constant supply of fresh air.
• Take sorbents.
• Provide with plenty of drink.

In case of loss of consciousness, a person must be laid on one side, eliminating the sinking of the tongue. We need to open the windows so that there is constant access to fresh air. And also you need to relax clothes that hold your breath.

Prevention of poisoning

To avoid the consequences of a broken mercury thermometer, it is better to use an electronic or infrared thermometer. But if there is no confidence in such thermometers, then using the device, follow the rules:

• Do not hand the thermometer to small children.
• Hold the baby's hand firmly against the body to prevent the thermometer from slipping out.
• Store the device only in a special case out of the reach of children.
• When shaking the thermometer, do not stand next to furniture or other solid objects to eliminate the risk of accidental contact with them.
• If the thermometer breaks, the mercury and glass residues must be removed quickly.
• Debris from the instrument and residues of toxic metal must be disposed of properly.

Procedure for a broken thermometer

The employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations must eliminate the consequences of the mercury leak. Especially when it comes to living quarters, it doesn't matter, the thermometer in the apartment has broken
or elsewhere. But if it is not possible to call specialists, then you need to adhere to a number of certain rules:

• Do not panic. After all, excessive excitement will prevent you from coping yourself with the consequences of inaccuracy.
• Remove strangers from the room, especially children, animals and people with reduced immunity.
• If it's winter outside, then you should open all the windows. This way the cold air will reduce metal evaporation.
• Eliminate sources of drafts, they can carry mercury balls to hard-to-reach places.
• You need to wear protective equipment: a gauze bandage and gloves.
• You should not change your shoes. It is better to remove mercury in the same shoes, so the spread of mercury around the house will be minimized.
• It is necessary to limit the place where the thermometer crashed.
• After cleaning, you need to drink a sorbent. You also need to drink plenty of water.
• Take a thorough shower.
• Clothes, gloves, gauze and all items that have come into contact with mercury must be collected in a plastic bag and destroyed.

We collect mercury

Liquid metal is a health hazard. Its vapors, penetrating the body, begin to destroy organs and tissues, lead to numerous diseases and even death.

If you broke the thermometer in your apartment, what should you do? It is best to place it in a container to prevent further leakage of mercury. It is better to collect mercury balls from an even and uniform surface in an airtight container.

To ensure that the process of collecting mercury does not cause inconvenience, you need to have good lighting on the scene. This should be done from the side. This will make the balls noticeable. It is also important to observe the direction of movement: from the periphery to the center, so the metal will collect in one place. It will be easier to isolate him.

What is needed to collect a toxic substance:

• Sealed container with cold water or potassium permanganate solution.
• Soft bristled brush.
• Lantern.
• Paper or foil.
• Duct tape or adhesive tape.
• A syringe with a fine needle or a rubber bulb.

Important: you need to observe protective measures and work in disposable gloves and a respirator mask.

How to remove mercury if a thermometer breaks:

• From the periphery to the center, you need to slowly roll the balls towards each other.
• This is done with a piece of paper or foil.
• Using a damp brush, move the mercury into the prepared container. It will settle to the bottom of the liquid and will not evaporate quickly.
• Small balls, or those located in hard-to-reach places, can be collected with duct tape, adhesive tape, syringe or rubber bulb.
• If the question torments: how to wash the floor if the thermometer has broken, then it is better to treat it with bleach or a solution of potassium permanganate. You can also make a hot water solution from soda and soap, this treatment will prevent the evaporation of mercury.
• If it is not possible to remove the dirt immediately, then you can cover everything with a damp cloth. It will reduce evaporation.

Important: when cleaning the room, you need to take breaks from work for about 10 minutes so as not to inhale a large amount of mercury.

Cleaning of various surfaces

How to remove mercury if a thermometer breaks on the floor

If the mercury balls have rolled into small cracks, then they can be covered with sand and then swept out with a damp brush. If the flooring has a lot of such gaps, then it is best to change part of the covering. Skirting boards should also be replaced when metal is rolled over them.

After all the manipulations, you need to treat the surface with whiteness or brown manganese solution. Let stand for several days, then rinse with water. It is also important to frequently ventilate the room and avoid drafts.

We remove mercury from the carpet

If you don’t feel sorry for him, then the best thing to do is to dispose of properly. But if this is not possible, you must adhere to a number of rules:

• Having wrapped from the edges to the center and packed in polyethylene, it is necessary to take it out into the street. Away from residential buildings.
• Carefully knock out the carpet so that mercury and other contaminants get onto the film.
• Leave to ventilate for a few hours.
• After the carpet is brought back, it must be disinfected with whiteness, manganese solution or a hot aqueous solution of soda and soap: 40 grams of both substances per 1 liter of water.

To achieve complete removal of mercury from carpets, it is still best to seek professional help.

What to do if a child breaks a thermometer

You should not trust young children to measure their body temperature on their own. It is better to wait until they grow a little in order to understand the full danger of the toxic substance inside. But it can happen that the child accidentally breaks the thermometer.

The most important thing for a parent to understand is that in no case should you scold the child, especially shout at him. After all, next time he can hide the fact that the thermometer deteriorated due to his fault. Then the whole family will breathe mercury vapor and poison themselves.

If the time and place where the thermometer crashed is not known, it is best to call specialists. They will determine the content of mercury vapor and disinfect the premises.

But if it is not possible to resort to the help of a professional, then you need to follow the following algorithm of actions:

• Examine the baby's hair and skin. This will help you understand if there are mercury balls on it. They need to be collected.
• If there is a possibility that a poisonous substance got inside, then it is necessary that the child vomits. But if he swallowed the remnants of the glass, then this cannot be done, since the fragments can injure the walls of the esophagus or the stomach.
• Give sorbent to drink.
• Remove to fresh air.
• Remove mercury.
• Ventilate the room and, if possible, do not use it for several days.
• Disinfect the room with bleach or manganese solution.
• Drink plenty of fluids.

Don't worry if the mercury balls have been swallowed by a child. This substance in liquid form is practically not absorbed through the digestive tract into the blood. But it is still worth showing the baby to the doctor in order to exclude the swallowing of glass fragments.

It is easier to prevent negative consequences than to eliminate them later. Therefore, you should take care of the safety of your family in advance. It is necessary to store the thermometer in an inaccessible place, in a protective case.

What actions should not be taken

In order not to aggravate the situation and prevent the spread of mercury balls around the apartment, it is important to follow the previously given recommendations. And also there are a number of prohibitions that need to be followed when collecting a poisonous substance.

This cannot be done:

• Use a broom. So the mercury balls can get even smaller and roll into hard-to-reach places in the room.
• Vacuum. This will speed up the process of evaporation of the toxic substance due to the warm air flow.
• Wash the surfaces with a rag. This will simply rub the mercury on the floor, carpet or furniture.
• Throw out the damaged thermometer and objects that have come into contact with mercury into the street. There evaporation will increase and the air will be contaminated.
• Cannot be disposed of in a waste chute.
• How dangerous is a broken thermometer in an apartment if the substance is flushed down the toilet? This cannot be done: it settles on the pipes and continues to evaporate, poisoning the family.
• When burying or burning toxic substances, significant damage is done to the environment.
• To prevent the movement of mercury around your home, do not open windows and doors until the substance is completely collected.
• Wash clothes contaminated with mercury.

You cannot turn on the air conditioner. Mercury balls can settle on the filter and poison others.

How to dispose of a harmful product

Where to call if the thermometer has broken, many people ask this question? Such matters should be handled by the Ministry of Emergencies or SES. But employees are reluctant to accept applications, since they believe that nothing bad will happen from 1-2 grams of mercury. But if there is a paid point for the disposal of such raw materials, then it is better to go there.

If you break the thermometer in the apartment, then what to do? Algorithm of actions:

• Place mercury and parts of the thermometer in an airtight container.
• Drive far out of town.
• Bury deep in the ground.

The same must be done with clothing and improvised items that have come into contact with a toxic substance. It is advisable to cut the clothes so that no one can use them.

It is important to understand that a mercury thermometer can pose a real danger to human life and health. Even a small dose can cause body poisoning. The danger is that mercury can travel long distances and is very difficult to collect. It evaporates quickly and is able to accumulate in the body, worsening the human condition. It is important to understand correctly what to do if a mercury thermometer has broken, and also to eliminate the consequences. But it is even more important to use and store it correctly.

The poisonous properties of mercury, including metallic, have been known to people for a long time. It was used in the manufacture of gold, mirrors and hat felt (hence, poisoning was called the "disease of the old hatter"). Its compounds were also used as poison. It is important to know how mercury poisoning occurs and how to properly treat the victim.

Today, the danger of mercury poisoning continues to hang over a person. Sources of toxic metal abound, such as mercury thermometers.

The mercury (Hydrargyrum) filling this device is an unusual metal and an unusual liquid “in one bottle”. As a metal, it surprises a person with a liquid state under normal conditions. Among liquids, it is considered the heaviest substance.

The human body normally contains 13 mg of mercury. Doctors still argue about her role. Some believe that it does not carry any function, others claim that it participates in the process of implementing the information recorded in DNA. And it is highly undesirable to remove it completely from the human body. At the same time, the excess of mercury enclosed by nature is fraught with serious consequences.

Mercury is dangerous in almost all of its forms. How it will affect a person depends on its type and the way it enters the body. For example, swallowing metallic mercury is not very dangerous, it will simply be excreted in the feces. But if a person swallows 10 mg of mercury salt, it will lead to death! Metal poisoning manifests itself if 0.4 mg of mercury enters the body in terms of the "pure" substance.

Metal happens:

1. By inhaling its vapor.
2. With absorption of mercury vapor through the skin (transdermal).
3. After oral ingestion of metal salts.

The bad thing for humans is that mercury accumulates in the body, and the accumulation process can take years. And only after several years the poisoning makes itself felt.

The toxic effect of this metal and its compounds is manifested in relation to all human organs and systems. First of all, organs are affected:

• through which mercury enters (lungs, skin, intestines);
• through which (kidneys) is excreted.

It affects the main filter of the human body - the liver, as well as the control nervous system.

In these organs and systems, as well as in the bone marrow, mercury in the form of salts can accumulate. When the metal comes in in small parts, the first place is the lesions of the nervous system.

Methylmercury (an organometallic cation) falls into the human body both with food and through the skin. It stably binds to the hemoglobin of erythrocytes, causing oxygen starvation of organs, including the brain.

Metal vapors penetrate the respiratory tract, are absorbed through the skin, and oxidize. They combine with proteins, are carried with the blood to all organs.

Signs of poisoning with this metal depend on its shape, amount and rate of entry of the toxin into the body. Penetrating into the human body, mercury vapor causes poisoning in 3 variants.

Types of poisoning

Consider the most common types of mercury poisoning.

Rapidly developing

Rapidly developing, acute poisoning is manifested by disorders in different systems.

Gastrointestinal tract damage:

• hypersalivation (profuse salivation);
• stomatitis and gingivitis with bleeding of the oral mucosa;
• signs of intestinal poisoning (vomiting, nausea and muco-bloody diarrhea);
• abdominal pain.

Respiratory system disorders:

• dyspnea;
• cough;
• chest pain;

• catarrh of the bronchi and pneumonia.

Symptoms of general intoxication:

• chills;
• weakness
• an increase in temperature to febrile numbers (38-40 ° C).

Quite a lot of mercury can be found in urine because it is excreted by the kidneys.

In the absence of help, a person dies in a few days.

Slow, chronic

Stage I - signs of damage to the central nervous system:

• a state of indifference
• lethargy;
• lability of the central nervous system;
• cephalalgia;
• vestibulopathy;
• fatigue;
• drowsiness.

During emotional stress, limbs and lips tremble, less often the whole body. This phenomenon is called mercury tremor, it develops with a long period of poison intake into the patient's body

Stage III - cognitive disorders:

• memory impairment;
• attention;
• ability to concentrate.

For a doctor, the diagnostic signs of this type of poisoning are:

• violation of sensitivity (decrease in tactile, taste and olfactory sensations);
• increased urge to urinate;
• hyperhidrosis (excessive sweating).

Some patients have:

• tachycardia (increased heart rate);
• enlargement of the thyroid gland.

Micromercurialism

Stage I - changes in the perception of aromas.

• lethargy;
• fatigue;
• reduced performance.

Stage III - cognitive disorders:

• memory deteriorates;
• attention.

Stage IV - minor tremor.

In women, the menstrual cycle may be disturbed.

Consequences of mercury poisoning

This metal is extremely toxic, any mercury poisoning leads to damage to internal organs. With age, this can indirectly cause cancer, in the case of the liver - cirrhosis, in the case of the kidneys - serious nephropathies.

Methyl rut poisoning is extremely dangerous. It ends with atrophy of the brain tissue and, as a result, impaired memory, the work of analyzers (visual, auditory, skin), and coordinating disorders. In severe cases, a stupor develops, the patient falls into a coma.

Acute, rapidly developing mercury poisoning (of any kind) can be fatal. Chronic intoxication is fraught with the loss of teeth and the development of chronic damage to the renal tubules, interstitium and renal glomeruli.

If mercury is absorbed through the skin, it leads to skin inflammation (dermatitis). In young children, contact with inorganic mercury can cause CNS disease that can cause severe skin damage (acrodynia).

Doctors associate mercury salts with development:

• hypertrichosis (increased hair growth);
• photosensitivity (increased sensitivity to sunlight);
• the appearance of rashes all over the body.

Tremors and cognitive impairments associated with micromercurialism reduce the quality of life of people, make it difficult to self-service and lead to disability.

Mercury poisoning in women during gestation (carrying a child) threatens the fetus with developmental disorders.

First aid for poisoning with mercury vapor

Helping a person with such poisoning at home is problematic. If signs of acute poisoning appear, the victim should be sent to a hospital as soon as possible.

If mercury comes into contact with the skin in any form, it must be removed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The skin is thoroughly washed with this solution and blotted. Be sure to see a doctor.

If mercury is accidentally swallowed, it is recommended to rinse the stomach: drink at least a liter of a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, then thoroughly rinse your mouth with potassium permanganate. Reception of enterosorbents is ineffective. The traditional antidote for intoxication with mercury salts is egg white, but it is better to consult a doctor.

If mercury vapor is inhaled, you need to unbutton the collar of your clothes, go to an open window, or go outside.

One of the most common causes of household mercury poisoning is the destruction of the mercury thermometer. The best way out of the situation is to invite a special team of the SES for the removal of mercury (demercurization). The procedure is carried out in accordance with GOST 17.4.1.02-83 using sulfur powder. Sulfur reacts with mercury to form a solid, sulfide, which can be easily removed.

It is not always possible to call SES, and sulfur powder is unlikely to be in your medicine cabinet. Therefore, for home demercurization, they use:

1. Iron sulfate 30 mg per liter of water (sold in garden stores).
2. Potassium permanganate 20 mg m / l of water.
3. A solution of baking soda 1000 mg per 1 liter of water.

Sometimes they make an vinegar-manganese or soap-soda mixture. A rag and a prepared solution are not enough for cleaning. You will need old clothes that you do not mind throwing away, rubber gloves, shoe covers to protect your shoes, a respirator or gauze bandage.

You need to start by taking people and animals out of the room before the end of cleaning (you can offer to take a walk, send to visit relatives). Then the person who will carry out the cleaning puts on the prepared suit and starts work:

1. Closes the door of the room where the thermometer crashed so that vapors do not penetrate into neighboring rooms (if it is not a bathroom).
2. Opens the windows wide open so that mercury vapor is removed from the room.
3. Turns on the lighting to maximum (mercury shines when exposed to light and becomes noticeable).
4. Place the mercury in a screw-top jar or other airtight container.
5. After removing visible metal particles, the place where the thermometer crashed is repeatedly washed with a solution of ferric chloride, soda and soap or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate.

You can collect mercury with a medical syringe (enema), a syringe without a needle, sponges with a solution of potassium permanganate. A syringe, syringe or pipette is preferable.

Sometimes it is advised to collect the mercury on a sheet of paper or remove it from the cracks with wire, cover it with sawdust so that it does not roll out, and sweep it away with a brush. But this metal rolls into balls and "scatters" along the cracks with every awkward movement. Therefore, it is better to use a pipette with a sharp tip or a syringe (an object capable of "sucking" the ball).

And there are 4 more simple rules that should not be neglected:

1. After a day, cleaning must be repeated.
2. The room should be thoroughly ventilated for at least a week.
3. Do not sleep in a room where the thermometer has broken for 3-4 days.
4. The clothes in which the cleaning was carried out and consumables (rags, syringes, etc.) must be transferred to the SES for disposal.

If you have any doubts about the quality of cleaning, you can check demercurization using analyzers sold in specialized stores. But at home, usually no one conducts such a check. The concentration of mercury in the thermometer is not so high that it can cause poisoning after thorough cleaning.

What not to do if the thermometer has broken

Try to remember 4 prohibitions that will help you do your home demercurization properly:

1. Don't sweep up the mercury. Hard twigs of a broom or brush will break the balls into small particles that will roll around the room. It will be difficult to remove them.
2. Do not vacuum up the balls. Getting on the heating element of the vacuum cleaner, the metal forms an amalgam on the windings, rotor and other parts of the device. As it heats up, the mercury will evaporate more intensively.
3. Do not throw mercury balls into the trash can. Also, you cannot throw it into a garbage chute, garbage cans in the yard and into the sewer. It is disposed of by the SES.
4. Do not try to wash used clothing. Do not use in the future a thing that got mercury, and in which you did the cleaning. These items are disposed of together with the consumables used for cleaning.

Safety rules when using a mercury thermometer

1. Do not wash the thermometer with hot water.
2. Store the thermometer in a hard case.
3. Make sure the body is intact before use.
4. When shaking the thermometer, be sure not to bump it against hard objects.
5. Store the thermometer where children cannot reach it.

This thermometer contains 10-30 mg of mercury. When a capillary with mercury breaks down, this metal enters the air and begins to evaporate. Mercury fumes are harmful to the human body.

How dangerous is it to break a thermometer? If all the mercury evaporates at once and you breathe in its vapor completely, you will die. But, as proven by scientists, this is unrealistic.

If you leave mercury in a room where a person is for a long time, and it evaporates slowly, there is a risk of developing chronic intoxication. The risk is higher if an old Soviet-style thermometer breaks. It contained about 50 mg of mercury.

If most of the mercury was removed mechanically, you need to intensively ventilate the room for several days and there will be no poisoning. If you still have concerns, you can call the "101" service. The team on duty will give advice by phone. If the risk posed by one broken thermometer is low, a special team will not leave. But you will receive qualified advice.

How to get rid of mercury indoors

You can safely get rid of mercury at home only by removing it mechanically (with a syringe, syringe). By simply flushing the floor with manganese or another solution, you cannot neutralize the mercury. Wash the floor with cold solutions to remove it and immerse it in water. Mercury does not evaporate in water.

Why you can't neutralize mercury at home

Mercury reacts with iron sulfate and potassium permanganate in the presence of sulfuric acid. This metal does not react with all other recommended substances (with the exception of ferric chloride):

In chemistry reference books you can find substances with which mercury reacts, for example, ferric chloride. As a result of this reaction, mercuric chloride is obtained. The substance is solid, easily removable, easily soluble in water, but very poisonous!

Therefore, you need to work exclusively with rubber gloves. After removing mercuric chloride, chemists advise treating the floor with sodium thiosulfate to convert the residual mercury sulfide into sodium salt and hydrogen chloride. But collecting mercury with a syringe will be easier and faster.

Mercury spills are often advised to be covered with hygroscopic substances (the same salt or baking soda). But mercury is not water, it is not absorbed into sorbents. Salt or baking soda just envelops the balls. The ability to envelop very small mercury specks is used when washing the floor with baking soda and soap or manganese and vinegar.

How to prevent mercury poisoning from a thermometer

Today there are many varieties of mercury-free medical thermometers. These are electronic thermometers and non-contact infrared thermometers. Use one of the safe types of thermometers, especially when measuring temperatures for children.

According to the hazard class, mercury belongs to the first class, that is, it is considered an extremely hazardous chemical substance. The penetration of mercury into the body often occurs by inhalation of its odorless vapors.

Exposure to mercury, even in small amounts, can cause health problems and severe poisoning. Mercury has toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Mercury poisoning is divided into mild (food poisoning), acute (after industrial accidents due to safety violations) and chronic.

Chronic poisoning increases the risk of tuberculosis, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. In this case, the consequences of mercury poisoning can manifest themselves several years after the termination of contact with it.

Acute mercury poisoning can be fatal. Also, if no treatment is carried out in case of poisoning, then the functions of the central nervous system may be impaired, mental activity is reduced, convulsions, exhaustion appear. Acute stages of mercury poisoning cause loss of vision, complete paralysis, baldness.

Especially mercury and its compounds are dangerous for pregnant women, as they pose a threat to the development of the child.

Until the 1970s, mercury compounds were actively used in medicine, but due to its high toxicity, this metal was almost no longer used for the manufacture of medicines.

Today, mercury compounds (merthiolate) are used

As a preservative for vaccines;

- for medical thermometers - one medical thermometer contains up to 2 g of mercury;

- energy-saving gas-discharge fluorescent lamps contain up to tens of milligrams of mercury.

Mercury is also found in fish and shellfish, so it is recommended to avoid seafood during pregnancy.

Note that heat treatment of food does not destroy the mercury it contains.

Mercury poisoning

Chronic forms of mercury poisoning are called mercurialism, which occurs due to prolonged exposure to low doses of mercury vapor on a person. Mercurialism can cause not only physical, but also mental deviations.

Poisoning symptoms... Acute mercury poisoning occurs a couple of hours after the onset of poisoning. Symptoms of acute poisoning: weakness, headache, sore throat, metallic taste in the mouth, salivation, swelling and bleeding of the gums, nausea and vomiting. Often, there are severe abdominal pains, diarrhea, chest pains, cough, severe chills, and the body temperature rises to 38-40 ° C.

Chronic mercury poisoning is indicated by fatigue, drowsiness, general weakness, headache, dizziness, apathy, irritability.

What to do? At the first sign of mercury poisoning, it is important to call a doctor as soon as possible. Before the ambulance arrives, the victim needs to drink milk and then induce vomiting to remove the fluid.

Prevention

In everyday life, mercury thermometers are the main source of possible poisoning. To keep yourself and your children safe, it is worth purchasing thermometers that do not contain mercury.

How to get rid of mercury indoors

Mercury is disposed of by special services, including those that are part of the Russian Emergencies Ministry. On a household call, if you break a thermometer, they usually do not leave. You can get rid of a small amount of mercury yourself.

To begin with, you need to take the children and pets out of the room and open the window to provide fresh air.

Before removing mercury, you should protect yourself as much as possible - wear a respirator or gauze bandage, rubber gloves.

The fragments of the thermometer can be put in a tight plastic bag and tied tightly. The mercury itself is best placed in an airtight container, for example, in a jar of cold water. During collection, you can use a paper envelope or paper towel. Before you start collecting mercury, illuminate the space with a lamp - under the rays of light, the mercury balls will be noticeable, as they begin to shine.

You can collect mercury using:

Amalgamating metal brushes;

- pieces of wire, they will help to collect mercury in the cracks;

- duct tape - suitable for collecting small balls;

- pipettes with a thin tip.

Place the collected mercury and used items in a previously prepared airtight container.

The room needs to be treated with chemicals. The simplest composition for processing a room is an alcohol solution of 5% iodine. You can also fill the place where the mercury was, with a solution of "potassium permanganate". The floor must be thoroughly washed the next day.

Do not dispose of mercury in a garbage chute or sewer. After collecting the mercury, call the local emergency department, they are obliged to take it for disposal.

Sweep mercury with a broom. The rods break the mercury ball into smaller ones, making them harder to assemble.

Collect mercury with a vacuum cleaner, as it heats up during operation and the evaporation of mercury increases. In addition, the mercury will settle inside the vacuum cleaner and will have to be thrown away.

Wash clothes in which you cleaned up the mercury, as this can contaminate the washer's harmful metal. All things that have come into contact with mercury must be thrown away.