Why is mercury dangerous for the human body - how much is needed for poisoning? Is a broken mercury thermometer really dangerous? How dangerous is mercury from a thermometer

Mercury is a metal with a very low melting point and weak molecular bonds. In relation to other substances, mercury is inert and rarely enters the compound. Why is mercury from a thermometer dangerous for a person? Shiny balls rolling on the floor are absolutely safe if left untouched. Mercury vapor and its compounds with other substances negatively affect the human body.

It's not balls that are dangerous to health, but mercury vapor

At a temperature of 19 degrees, mercury begins to evaporate, and together with the air enters the human respiratory system. This is dangerous and can have dire consequences:

• up to 0.2 mg of mercury mild form of toxicity;
• a person receives acute poisoning by inhaling 0.2 - 0.8 mg of mercury;
• the critical dose of mercury vapor is 2.5 g, a fatal outcome is possible.

Mercury is gradually excreted from the body, its quantity obtained in a short time and the duration of the damage to the body is of great importance. With the accumulation of a critical amount of metal in the body, irreversible processes leading to death occur within 3-5 days.

Is mercury from a broken thermometer dangerous? It all depends on its concentration in the air. In a metal thermometer, about 2 grams. The following factors influence its evaporation and accumulation in the room:

• air temperature;
• possible contact with heating devices;
• the volume of the room;
• ventilation.

Mercury poisoning occurs faster in small, warm rooms.

In a small, well-heated room with tightly closed windows, the likelihood of poisoning is much higher than in a spacious, cool room with good ventilation or wide open windows.

If you often break thermometers and perform poorly demerculation - disposal, removal of mercury, chronic poisoning, called mercuryism, may occur. The origin of the terms is connected with the ancient Greek name for mercury - Mercury, liquid silver.

The production of mercury thermometers is prohibited in some countries. At the same time, mercury lamps are used in them, which contain much more toxic substances and spray everything in small drops during an explosion.

Some people are skeptical about the potential negative effects of metal. The thermometer has broken, is it dangerous, because there is only 2 grams of liquid in it. Mercury has a destructive effect on internal organs. As a result of poisoning, there are:

• stomatitis and gingivitis;
• renal and liver failure;
• hand tremor;
• memory impairment, sclerosis;
• lack of coordination;
• nervousness and feeling of fear;
• retarded development in children;
• dementia in adults;
• toxic bronchitis;
• inflammation of the genitourinary system.

First of all, the oral cavity and respiratory organs are affected. Then, through the blood, the poison penetrates into other organs and begins to destroy them. A single metal that has entered the body is completely eliminated after about 30 days.

Mercury is excreted from the body by the kidneys with urine. Therefore, if mercury intoxication is suspected, the doctor immediately writes out a referral for a urinalysis.

Urinalysis - a mandatory analysis, if mercury poisoning is suspected

Mercury can accumulate in the body for a long time. Ignoring the symptoms of poisoning leads to irreversible processes of destruction of the nervous system and respiratory organs.

Symptoms of mercury vapor poisoning are typical for intoxication with most poisonous products:

• metallic taste in the mouth;
• nausea;
• weakness;
• dizziness;
• Strong headache;
• spasm of the throat, difficulty swallowing;
• increased salivation;
• gums swell;
• stomach ache;
• shortness of breath, cough;
• diarrhea with blood;
• heat.

Feeling unwell - nausea, dizziness, abdominal pain

Symptoms appear as the degree of metal fumes poisoning increases. At the first signs, you should immediately begin to cleanse the body with activated charcoal and zeolites, drink plenty of water, and consult a doctor.

Is a broken mercury thermometer dangerous? Opponents of the opinion about the dangers of mercury contained in small quantities made special calculations. They took as a basis the evaporation rate, the concentration in the air and its weathering from the room. This view has weaknesses.

1. The temperature in the room is often higher than the calculated minimum for evaporation. Mercury can get on radiators. Its evaporation rate will be higher.
2. The volume of the average room was taken into account. But even in exactly such a room there is furniture and reduces the amount of air, which means that the concentration of metal vapors is higher.
3. For active ventilation, it is necessary not only to open the windows, but there must be a temperature difference between inside and outside or forced air circulation.
4. Most importantly, in the calculations in the first 2 - 3 days after the destruction of the thermometer, the concentration of mercury vapor is 2 times higher than the permissible norm.

Some believe that mercury is not as dangerous as everyone used to think.

The authors of the theory that a broken thermometer is not dangerous believe that a person does not spend all day in a room and does not breathe poisoned air. But where is the guarantee that where he is, someone did not break the same thermometer or mercury lamp.

If a thermometer is accidentally broken in a room, you must immediately begin to act, carry out demerculation on your own or call a special team of disinfectors.

1. Remove everyone from the room, except for the one who will clean. First of all pregnant women and children. If mercury from a broken thermometer could get on their clothes, change clothes and put the removed clothes in a bag. Take a shower.
2. Open windows. Close the door from the room to the apartment, put a rag soaked in a solution of manganese on the threshold. In winter, you can cover or turn off heating radiators if they are not exposed to mercury. Do everything to ventilate and lower the temperature.
3. Change into synthetic clothes. Wear protective equipment: rubber gloves on your hands and a mask.
4. Prepare a tool and sodium permanganate - potassium permanganate.
5. Collect fragments of a thermometer and drops of mercury, pour everything into a jar with a solution of potassium permanganate. Cover the lid tightly. Manganese can replace soda. Movable balls are most conveniently driven with a brush or an old toothbrush onto a sheet of paper. It is necessary to collect one at a time, without driving together into a large drop.
6. From the cracks and the space under the skirting boards, liquid metal can be taken out with a baby syringe or syringe. You can use a cotton pad soaked in a solution of soda. Small drops will stick to the sticky surface of the adhesive tape and medical plaster.
7. If the floor is textured, has cracks or grooves, sprinkle it with baking soda or fine salt. Wipe with a brush and sweep. Garbage must be sent to the same bank.
8. Leave the window open. It is desirable that no one is in the room for a day. If it is warm outside and there is no air movement, place a fan in front of the window on the opposite wall. Do not turn on the air conditioner. The mercury will remain in its drainage system.

Be sure to ventilate the room

If you are sure of the high-quality removal of mercury, the next day, wetting them abundantly with a weak solution of calcium permanganate.

Mercury cannot be used for disposal. It will become a source of infection itself and you will have to buy a new one.

You can not throw a broken thermometer in the garbage chute. Other people and animals may be poisoned. If mercury is poured into the sewer, it will settle in the nearest siphon, since it is heavier than water. As a result, the apartment will have a dangerous toilet or sink.

Never use a vacuum cleaner

If it is not possible to collect fragments of a broken thermometer and its contents on your own, you need to call specialists. The Sanitary and Epidemiological Station will accept the application and send a brigade. They measure the level of a poisonous substance in the air. It is possible that you will have to dismantle the baseboards and part of the floor, especially if it is wooden or laminate. Mercury leaks into the smallest cracks.

The affected carpet and other items will be processed by SES workers on the spot, if necessary, they will be taken away for demerculation.

Clothes and all things that were used to collect poisonous metal should be put in a bag and handed over together with a jar for demerculization. If you do not want to part with them, then take them to the balcony and let them lie in the sun, which decomposes mercury, for a couple of months.

If mercury from a broken thermometer gets on soft toys, they must be thrown away. Children are particularly susceptible to the negative effects of mercury vapor. Their psyche is disturbed, mental development is inhibited, immunity is weakened.

Pregnant women who accidentally break a thermometer should immediately leave the room and change clothes. After that, tell the gynecologist about what happened and take tests. Mercury crosses the placenta and unpredictably affects the fetus, leading to the pathology of the child.

What foods to remove mercury from the body

Everyone knows the main advice of all doctors for any disease - drink plenty of water. It is necessary to use as much clean water as possible, and in the case of mercury from a thermometer, apple juice conducts intoxication. Just drink pure, no preservatives.

• undercooked rice;
• potato;
• jelly on starch;
• oatmeal and decoction;
• beet;
• chicken bouillon;
• seaweed.

Chamomile, mint, rosehip, calendula teas will help cleanse the body and restore immunity. Useful for mercury poisoning fruits, especially apricot and pear.

Mercury has long been used in the manufacture of medicines - such as calomel; it was attributed antiseptic properties. But poisons were also made from it.

The dangers of mercury are now widely known. But is it always necessary to be afraid of this substance?

You are heavy...

Each of us has a little mercury - in the body of an average person it is about 13 mg.

Have you ever lifted a 10 liter bucket filled to the brim with water? Now, if there was mercury in this bucket, you couldn't lift it. 1 liter of mercury weighs 13.6 kg.

There were times when mercury was considered an excellent talisman; so, the ancient Egyptians carried a bottle with it with them - for good luck. And their priests put small vessels filled with mercury into the throats of the mummies of the pharaohs; it was believed that they would protect their master in the afterlife.

Heals or hurts?

More recently, in the 1970s, mercury was widely used in medicine. So, as a diuretic, patients were prescribed the drug Mercuzal - it contained mercury ions. As a laxative, along with castor oil, mercury chloride was prescribed; Mercury cyanide was included in many medicinal ointments. Dentists without hesitation put mercury-containing fillings on people.

And if you remember the ancient Indian yogis, they did take a terrible drink, which included balls of mercury and sulfur. And they were sure that it contributes to longevity. The Chinese did not lag behind and also ate mercury - as part of the "pills of immortality."

In the XV-XVI centuries, it was customary to treat syphilis with mercury - which, alas, often led to mercury intoxication; the patient was waiting for hair loss, a sharp change in mental state and even epileptic seizures.

Today, the toxic properties of mercury are well known, and pharmacists no longer include it in such quantities in the composition of drugs. However, mercury is still part of vaccine vaccines. There are different opinions about how bad it is; Thus, “anti-vaccinators” cite the content of mercury in vaccines as one of the main arguments.

Small amounts of mercury are found in sea water. No wonder that fish and other marine life are able to accumulate it in their bodies. Nothing for them, but people who eat fish and seafood every day are under attack. This hardly concerns us - the average Russian eats fish two or three times a week, not more often. But poor Colombians and Brazilians are suffering. Especially "mercury", according to research by American scientists, were tuna and lobster. True, fishing companies publicly call such information horror stories. I wonder why?

For home, for family

The vast majority of people have mercury thermometers, and they break from time to time, especially in the hands of small children.

So what happens if you accidentally swallow balls of mercury from a thermometer? Oddly enough, nothing. Our gastrointestinal tract, fortunately, is not capable of absorbing solids, so all the balls will safely come out with waste, and that's it.

Mercury vapor is much more dangerous. True, according to some experts, this danger is also greatly exaggerated: the vapor density limit is much lower than that of air, and in order to really inhale, there must be a lot of vapors - in any case, more than from one broken thermometer.

Nevertheless, God saves the safe. If you break the thermometer, collect all the balls with cotton wool or a pipette, then ventilate the room. The place where mercury was spilled can be wiped with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or a soap and soda solution, which should be washed off with water after a couple of days.

A broken thermometer should not be kept at home. The Internet is teeming with advice to hand it over to the Ministry of Emergencies. Practice shows that in the Ministry of Emergency Situations, proposals to immediately accept mercury-containing fragments are greatly surprised and sent to the local dez. There, in theory, they should accept a broken thermometer - for such things, as well as for damaged mercury lamps, they should have a special box.

Mercury is an amazing chemical element. This is obvious, if only because mercury is the only metal that is in a liquid state under conditions that we usually call normal. Under such conditions, mercury is able to evaporate and form a mercury atmosphere. It is these properties that determined the special position of mercury in our lives. This unusual metal has a noble silvery-white color, and its vapors are extremely poisonous. And although mercury is not as actively used in industry as iron, gold or silver, many myths have developed among the people about it. We'll cover five of the most common...

Mercury has rendered great services to mankind. For many centuries, it has been used in a wide variety of areas of human activity - from cinnabar paint to a nuclear reactor. Independent industries were created on the use of various properties of mercury, including gold mining by amalgamation, the production of gas-discharge mercury lamps, chemical current sources, chlorine and caustic soda. Mercury is used in medicine, pharmaceuticals, and dentistry. It served as a coolant in one of the first fast neutron reactors.

In 1886, the first mercury in Russia was produced in Gorlovka (now the Donetsk region of Ukraine). This unusual metal has a noble silvery-white color, and its vapors are extremely poisonous. Although mercury is not as actively used in industry as iron, gold or silver, many myths have developed among the people about it. We'll cover five of the most common...

DEATH BALLS

There is a myth that mercury balls, which are formed, for example, after a thermometer breaks, are extremely dangerous for human health. This is not entirely true; mercury itself is not dangerous. Harm caused by mercury vapor. Therefore, getting balls of mercury on the skin will not cause such a reaction as long-term inhalation of its vapors.

Mercury vapor leads to disorders of the human central nervous system. The first symptoms are not particularly eloquent, they are easily confused with the usual malaise. The primary damage to the body by mercury vapor is characterized by increased fatigue, weakness, headaches, dizziness begins a little later.

Later, mercury tremor develops. It is at this stage, as a rule, consult a doctor. Mercury tremor is accompanied by trembling of the hands, eyelids, lips, often there is a metallic taste in the mouth, lacrimation, stomach problems.

DOLF MANAGEMENT OF THE MERCURY THREAT

Many believe that it is possible to collect mercury on their own and eliminate the danger of poisoning. However, in practice, few achieve such results. Mercury is very mobile and easily breaks down into small particles that are difficult to detect "by eye".

In this regard, in order to eliminate the mercury threat, it is necessary to use the help of professionals who will establish the ecological state of the apartment. The environmental service should take measures to clean the premises, provide expert information on the prevention of poisoning.

If you are still trying to cope with the mercury threat on your own, then you need to ventilate the room well. For example, if you do not ventilate a room of 16 square meters. m. with a ceiling height of 3 m, which contains 4 grams of mercury (the volume contained in a medical thermometer), then the concentration of mercury vapor in this area will exceed the norm by 27,667 times.

RED MERCURY

In the early 1990s, rumors spread about the creation of a new variety of mercury - red mercury or the substance RM 20/20, allegedly produced in secret scientific laboratories of the USSR.

Red mercury, as stated, had fantastic properties - from super-density (over 20 g / cm3) and super-radioactivity to cosmic origin and the ability to cure any ailments.

Sellers asked for 1 kilogram of mercury from 300 to 400 thousand dollars. Moreover, there were buyers, including Western ones. Anything under the guise of red mercury was slipped to the buyer - from mercury amalgam to ordinary mercury, painted with dyes or brick powder.

Many Soviet nuclear physicists have repeatedly refuted the possibility of creating such a substance, explaining that this not only contradicts the laws of nature, but is also impossible at the modern technological level.

Rumors about the substance RM 20/20 subsided after a few years. Current researchers believe that the hype was created intentionally, in the name of the monetary interests of many high-ranking people. However, articles about the reality of scientific developments to create red mercury appear today.

MYTH ABOUT HIGH PRICE

Police officers regularly seize mercury from citizens who are trying to sell it. Legally, such transactions are prohibited. Experts say that in reality, few people need mercury and sales are based only on the misconceptions of citizens about the high cost of mercury.

In fact, mercury is not a valuable and sought-after substance. It is used extremely rarely, in particular, in the manufacture of fluorescent lamps.

Mercury mining in Russia was stopped in 1991. But, according to experts, its reserves will be enough for another ten years of industry operation. According to experts, illegal sales of this heavy toxic metal will flourish for about the same time.

Some craftsmen still manage to use mercury for personal purposes. In particular, the metal can be used in the purification of gold from oxides.

USEFULNESS OF MERCURY

Many are convinced that mercury has healing properties and is necessary for the body to function properly. There are articles that mercury has a certain biotic effect and has a stimulating effect on vital processes.

The average person weighing 70 kilograms contains about 13 milligrams of mercury, but it does not seem to play any physiological role. At least, the vital necessity of this metal for humans and other organisms has not been proven.

At the same time, it has been scientifically proven that mercury, in doses exceeding the physiological need, is toxic to all forms of life, and in almost any of its states.

Resuscitator Rafael V. Makarov:

Indeed, it is not mercury that is dangerous, but its vapors leading to chronic poisoning. And further. In the old days, it was believed that mercury has a magical effect and saves from evil spirits and poisons.

The victim of such a myth was Ivan the Terrible, who kept a vat of mercury under his bed. Prolonged inhalation of mercury vapor explains the king's mental disorders and his inexplicable aggression. And also the fact that at the end of his life he practically “rotted alive”.

According to the hazard class, mercury belongs to the first class, that is, it is considered an extremely dangerous chemical. 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 a toxic effect on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, on the lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

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

Chronic poisoning increases the risk of tuberculosis, atherosclerosis, and hypertension. At the same time, the consequences of mercury poisoning can appear several years after the termination of contact with it.

Acute mercury poisoning can lead to death. Also, if poisoning is not treated, then the functions of the central nervous system may be impaired, mental activity is reduced, convulsions and exhaustion appear. Acute stages of mercury poisoning cause loss of vision, complete paralysis, and baldness.

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

To date, 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 the heat treatment of products does not destroy the mercury contained in them.

mercury poisoning

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

Symptoms of poisoning. Acute mercury poisoning manifests itself 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 pain, diarrhea, chest pain, cough, severe chills, and body temperature rises to 38-40 ° C.

Fatigue, drowsiness, general weakness, headache, dizziness, apathy, irritability speak of chronic mercury poisoning.

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

Prevention

In everyday life, mercury thermometers are the main source of possible poisoning. To protect yourself and your children, you should purchase 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 broke a thermometer, they, as a rule, do not leave. You can get rid of a small amount of mercury yourself.

To begin with, you need to remove children and pets from the room and open a window to provide fresh air.

Before cleaning mercury, you should protect yourself as much as possible - put on a respirator or gauze bandage, rubber gloves.

Fragments of a thermometer can be put in a tight plastic bag and tightly tied. Mercury itself is best placed in an airtight container, such as 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 balls of mercury will be noticeable, as they will begin to shine.

Mercury can be collected by:

Brushes made of amalgamated metals;

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

- adhesive tape - suitable for collecting small balls;

- pipettes with a thin nose.

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

The room needs to be treated with chemicals. The simplest composition for treating 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 mercury, call the local Ministry of Emergency Situations, they are required to accept it for disposal.

Sweep away mercury with a broom. The rods break the ball of mercury into smaller ones, and it will become more difficult to collect them.

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

Wash clothes where you have cleaned mercury, as this can lead to harmful metal contamination of the washing machine. All things that have come into contact with mercury should be thrown away.

MERCURY IN THE APARTMENT

There is no need to talk about what mercury looks like.

Everyone saw the mysterious liquid metal behind the thin glass of a medical thermometer, or, worse, small silvery balls scattered across the table or floor. A broken thermometer is the most common cause of mercury vapor getting into indoor air. If the metal is assembled in a timely manner and completely, then you can forget about the unfortunate incident. If assembled, but not immediately, then it’s also not very scary - 1 gram, namely, so much mercury is contained in a conventional domestic-made medical thermometer (up to 2 grams in an imported similar purpose), in a normal situation, it’s still not so large a quantity to cause severe poisoning. Mercury vapor concentrations reach critically dangerous values ​​only under certain conditions (liquid mercury is dangerous, primarily due to its volatility). Intensive ventilation for 1-2 months - and the air is practically clean: mercury concentrations “by themselves” decrease to insignificant values. The danger exists in the following cases:

• mercury got on upholstered furniture, carpet, children's toys, clothes, rolled under the baseboard or in the cracks of the parquet;
• mercury was not collected, and it was scattered on the soles of slippers and shaggy paws throughout the apartment;
• mercury has entered the digestive tract of a person (more often a child).

The most serious case is by no means the third. Symptoms of mercury poisoning (when it enters through the esophagus) are immediately visible - cyanosis of the face, shortness of breath, etc. The first thing to do in such a situation is to dial the ambulance number and cause the patient to vomit. With timely medical assistance, human life and health are saved. But the most dangerous is when mercury remains undetected and enters the body by inhalation of vapors. Mercury is a substance of hazard class I (according to GOST 17.4.1.02-83), a thiol poison. The degree of the toxic effect of mercury is determined primarily by how much of the metal had time to react in the body before it was removed from there, i.e. It is not mercury itself that is dangerous, but the compounds that it forms. When entering the body in high concentrations, mercury has the ability to accumulate in the internal organs: kidneys, heart, brain. Intoxication occurs mainly through the respiratory tract, about 80% of inhaled mercury vapor is retained in the body. Salts and oxygen contained in the blood contribute to the absorption of mercury, its oxidation and the formation of mercury salts. Acute poisoning with mercury salts is manifested in intestinal upset, vomiting, swelling of the gums. A decline in cardiac activity is characteristic, the pulse becomes rare and weak, fainting is possible .. In chronic poisoning with mercury and its compounds, a metallic taste appears in the mouth, friability of the gums, severe salivation, slight excitability, weakening of memory. The probability of such poisoning exists in all rooms where mercury is in contact with air. Particularly dangerous are the smallest drops of spilled mercury, clogged under baseboards, linoleum, in the cracks of the floor, in the pile of carpets and furniture upholstery. The total surface of small mercury balls is large, and evaporation is more intense. If the mercury balls are on underfloor heating, evaporation is greatly accelerated. With prolonged exposure to even relatively low concentrations (on the order of hundredths and thousandths of mg/m3), the nervous system is damaged. The main symptoms: headache, irritability, irritability, decreased performance, fatigue, sleep disturbance, memory impairment, apathy (mercury neurasthenia). At the same time, catarrhal phenomena of the upper respiratory tract occur. There is even a term: Mercurialism - "general poisoning of the body during chronic exposure to mercury vapor and its compounds, slightly exceeding the sanitary norm, for several months or years."

The concentrations of mercury vapor that can lead to severe chronic diseases range from 0.001 to 0.005 mg/m3 when exposed for several months. Acute poisoning can occur at 0.13 - 0.80 mg / m3. Fatal intoxication develops when 2.5 g of mercury vapor is inhaled. The maximum permissible concentration of mercury vapor in the atmospheric air is 0.0003 mg/m3 (GN 2.1.6.1338-03 "Maximum Permissible Concentrations (MPC) of pollutants in the atmospheric air of populated areas"). The Sanitary and Epidemiological Requirements for Residential Buildings and Premises (SanPiN 2.1.2.1002-00) contain a ban on exceeding this value.

A broken thermometer immediately creates up to 100-200 MPC in the room where the drops remain (data from Ecospace 2014). With such a concentration of mercury vapor in the indoor air, a healthy adult after some time (from several days to several months) develops signs of chronic mercury poisoning. For violations of the child's health, a 1.5-fold excess of the MPC in the same period is sufficient. However, mercury concentrations are intensively reduced already by the 3rd day to 50-80 MPC due to the weathering of atomic mercury (not metallic)

It must be borne in mind that if the apartment in which you live is not new, then there is a possibility that the thermometers in it have already been broken. And where your office is now, there were previously warehouses or workshops of enterprises whose activities could be related to the use of mercury. A characteristic feature of mercury pollution is their hidden, local nature. Such contamination can only be detected using special equipment. Our data indicate that the presence of mercury vapor, including concentrations exceeding the MPC in public, fig. 1, and residential, fig. 2, indoors, not at all uncommon. Therefore, an examination of an apartment or office for the presence of mercury vapor in the air is a necessary condition for your peace of mind. Modern equipment allows you to quickly and reliably determine the presence of sources of mercury vapor in the premises and on the ground. Usually, inspection of an apartment or office takes no more than an hour.

Below, for example, are tables showing the frequency of mercury vapor detection by our specialists in residential and office premises for 9 months of 2007 (in numbers - the number of premises examined):

Fig.1. 1 — no mercury detected, 2 — mercury detected in concentrations not exceeding MPC, 3 — mercury detected in concentrations exceeding MPC.

Rice. 2. 1 — mercury was not detected, 2 — mercury was detected in concentrations not exceeding MPC, 3 — mercury was detected in concentrations exceeding MPC.

It should be taken into account that if the calls of our specialists to air tests for mercury in residential premises were mainly associated with a reasonable suspicion of the presence of mercury in the air, then in the case of offices, the analysis for mercury was carried out for preventive purposes.
The question often arises: is it possible to poison the air in the entire apartment with one broken thermometer? According to our research (Ecospace), if a thermometer is broken in an apartment and visible balls of mercury are removed, then the concentration of vapors usually does not exceed the MPC. Under ideal conditions (good ventilation, large apartment volume), mercury in such an amount (less than 1 gram) will evaporate in a few months without causing significant harm to the health of residents. In half of the cases, mercury vapors were detected (in concentrations 5-6 times lower than the MAC), even if all the visible part of the metallic mercury, according to the residents, was collected. Several times we recorded significant excesses of the permissible concentrations of mercury vapor in the internal air of the apartment (2-4 times). However, here there was repeated entry of mercury into the room from broken thermometers (2-3 times), most often on carpets and/or upholstered furniture. In any case, mercury vapor, even in low concentrations, is not what a person should breathe in the already unhealthy atmosphere of a metropolis.

What to do if the thermometer is broken? The first is not to panic; in domestic conditions, competent demercurization can be carried out independently. Further:

1. Open windows for fresh air access and lowering the temperature in the room (the warmer it is in the apartment, the more actively the metal evaporates).
2. Limit people's access to the room where the thermometer broke (close the doors) in order to prevent the spread of mercury to adjacent rooms and the spread of vapors around the apartment, lay a rug soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate at the entrance.
3. Start the process of demercurization. Currently, several companies produce kits for the neutralization of household mercury pollution.

Usually, detailed instructions are attached to the kit. It is useful to have it in your first aid kit, but we assume that you do not have such a kit. Therefore, you need to do the following:

• Conduct a thorough inspection of things and surfaces that could get drops of mercury. When examining things and surfaces, you can highlight with a lamp, then even the smallest drops will be clearly visible. All contaminated items should be placed in plastic bags and taken out of the room.
• Using rubber gloves, carefully and carefully collect all the thermometer fragments and mercury balls in any sealed container (for example, a glass jar with a polyethylene lid). A medical pear with a thin tip, an enameled scoop, a sheet of thick paper, and an adhesive plaster will help well in this work. The use of a vacuum cleaner is strongly discouraged, although professional demercurizers often use this technique. Firstly, when collecting mercury with a vacuum cleaner, the concentration of vapors sharply increases in the room, and when working without protective equipment, you can get tangible poisoning. Secondly, after such a procedure, a conventional vacuum cleaner can no longer be used for its intended purpose due to heavy pollution. Washing vacuum cleaners can be restored only after thorough washing with special solutions.
• Treat the floor and objects that have been exposed to mercury with a solution of potassium permanganate or a chlorine-containing preparation. Complete chemical demercurization takes place in 2 stages. 1st stage: in a plastic (not metal!) Bucket, a solution of chlorine-containing bleach "Whiteness" is prepared at the rate of 1 liter of the product per 8 liters of water (2% solution). With the resulting solution, using a sponge, brush or floor cloth, the floor and other contaminated surfaces are washed. Particular attention is paid to the cracks of parquet and skirting boards. The applied solution is kept for 15 minutes, then washed off with clean water. 2nd stage: the clean floor is treated with a 0.8% solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate): 1 gram per 8 liters of water. These solutions are safe for parquet and linoleum, do not change their color and texture. Chemically bound mercury is black salt.
• In the future, it is desirable to regularly wash the floor with a chlorine-containing preparation and intensive ventilation.

The essence of this type of demercurization is that instead of liquid mercury, its compounds are formed - mercury salts, which do not emit toxic vapors into the air and are dangerous only if they enter the esophagus. Experience shows that as a result of timely demercurization, the concentration of mercury vapor in the internal air of the apartment drops by 5-10 times!

4. Think about your own health:

a) wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soap and soda solution;
b) rinse your mouth and throat with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate;
c) brush your teeth thoroughly;
d) take 2-3 activated charcoal tablets.

5. For disposal of mercury (it must not be poured into the sewer, thrown out the window and together with household waste), you must contact the district Ministry of Emergency Situations. There you are required to take mercury, although sometimes this requires perseverance. However, you can do without the Ministry of Emergency Situations - it is enough to collect mercury in a plastic bag, cover it with bleach (or other chlorine-containing preparations), and wrap it in several plastic bags. You can be sure that mercury is reliably isolated.

If there is any doubt about the correctness of the actions to collect mercury, its presence and location in the apartment, it is advisable to call specialists. Ecologists will carry out the necessary measurements and search for mercury residues, give recommendations on how to remove the metal from the premises.

Maksimova O.A.
candidate of geological and mineralogical sciences.
"Ecology of living space"