MERCURY DISPOSAL SERVICE №1
If you are reading this article not out of interest, but because your thermometer has crashed right now,
The first tip is not to panic.
Mercury is a dangerous substance, but if you take all the necessary actions, nothing terrible will happen..
A serious problem should be solved by professionals!
Do not try to clean the place where the thermometer crashed on your own.
Remember – in your room there is POISON 1st hazard category, the removal of which can only be entrusted to professionals of a licensed mercury service. The speed of elimination no longer plays a role. Therefore, the only thing that needs to be done immediately is to leave the mercury spill and block it. Partial purification in this case will not help, and it is impossible to see all the foci of infection that require demercurization. Our specialists use specialized equipment that searches for mercury, which allows us to identify all foci and completely eliminate them.
By calling the service «mercury expert», it is necessary to lower the temperature in the room below 18 degrees Celsius, turn off the power sources, open the window (if the outside temperature is higher, this cannot be done) without creating a draft, remove the elderly, children and pets from the room in which the thermometer has broken.
By calling the service «mercury expert», it is necessary to lower the temperature in the room below 18 degrees Celsius, turn off the power sources, open the window (if the outside temperature is higher, this cannot be done) without creating a draft, remove the elderly, children and pets from the room in which the thermometer has broken.
In this case, some actions cannot be carried out in any case..
If you still try to eliminate the consequences on your own (it’s impossible to do it completely on your own) or before the specialists arrive, decide to “prepare” the place where the thermometer crashed – there are some actions that cannot be performed, as they will only worsen the situation:
First of all, after the thermometer has broken, you should call the city environmental service “Expert mercury” in St. Petersburg and Leningrad. Regions – a company professionally engaged in the removal of this toxic substance (demercurization). During the conversation, you will receive specific recommendations on how to behave and what to do before the arrival of specialists.
After all visible balls have been removed, surface treatment should be carried out. For this, a disinfecting solution is prepared from 20 grams of potassium permanganate, diluted in 10 liters of water. All surfaces must be treated with this solution, and a spray gun is used for cracks.
When all the recommendations for eliminating the consequences have already been fulfilled, after the thermometer has broken, the things used in this case must be disposed of. Mercury is handled by the service. All waste must be handed over to the Expert who arrived at the place of mercury contamination to eliminate the threat. Or hand over to mercury collection points: reception points addresses.
However, such actions can only be recommended as temporary. It is impossible to identify by simple inspection the places where the remains of the substance have been preserved, such elements will continue to evaporate, and you and your loved ones will continue to inhale toxic fumes. A complete cleaning can only be carried out by a special service that uses special equipment, both for cleaning and for detecting outbreaks..
At the same time, it should be taken into account that services Ministry of Emergency SituationsС and other government agencies go only to crowded places (metro, schools, offices, hospitals, etc.) At the same time, infected premises are blocked from several hours to several weeks.
Those who have a broken thermometer in the apartment do not go free of charge, but are limited only to recommendations by phone. In most cases, doing a disservice with dangerous advice. For example:
“Vacuum and ventilate…” – DANGEROUS! All mercury is sprayed all over the rooms around!
“…wash with bleach…” – Equivalent to water. Wash something and get away!
“…sprinkle with sand…” – With the same success, you can still cast a spell and dance with a tambourine!
“…there is almost no mercury in thermometers now” – The principle of operation of the thermometer is based on the properties of mercury!
Assessing the degree of mercury contamination, and the consequences of a broken thermometer, can only be done by examining the premises for the presence of mercury. This examination can be carried out exclusively on a special analyzer. Also, with the help of this device, you can find all sources of infection. Even if something rolled somewhere and all particles invisible to the eye.
By popular demand of people who do not have the opportunity to call the mercury service for verification. We have created a mercury contamination test. Now everyone can roughly estimate the degree of mercury contamination depending on various situations. And also following the instructions to correctly eliminate the consequences of a broken thermometer.
How the service works”Mercury Expert”?
During the work, we use the most modern equipment, which allows us to determine even a small amount of mercury in the air. Therefore, our service guarantees a complete final cleaning of the premises in which the thermometer has crashed. In this case, a five-level neutralization is carried out.:
1st level: Measurements are taken, a mercury meter complex is used, after the detection of large sources of pollution, the largest mercury spills are mechanically collected and extracted, and the source itself is localized.
2nd level: The final removal of the focus is carried out with the collection of the smallest parts. Works are carried out on all surfaces, including furniture, walls, etc.
3rd level: Measurements are taken, a mercury meter complex is used, a search mode is used to identify hidden foci of mercury contamination.
4th level: Surfaces are treated with professional anti-mercury neutralizers. Large foci and surfaces are treated with powder, a liquid agent is applied to small or hard-to-reach surfaces.
5th level: A control measurement for the presence of harmful vapors is carried out..
Work is carried out until all mercury is removed and all planes are disinfected.
After the Expert Mercury specialists clean your premises, conduct control examinations, you can be sure that mercury will no longer be able to threaten the residents of such an apartment.
The thermometer is one of the most commonly used medical instruments. Such thermometers are in almost every home. This is explained both by the high accuracy of the readings and the distrust of new technologies. The error of the device is only 0.01 degrees. However, it is very fragile, so situations when the thermometer crashed are not so rare. I broke the thermometer mercury could not collect what it threatens?
By themselves, the balls that appear after the thermometer has broken do not cause an immediate danger (if you do not engage in amateur activities). But the vapors of this heavy chemical element lead to permanent health problems, disability, and can even cause death. The release of toxic fumes begins immediately and is very intense.
When mercury enters the body through the lungs, the organs in which it accumulates the fastest are primarily affected: the kidneys, liver and brain. Therefore, frequent manifestations of poisoning are liver and kidney failure and dementia.
If dangerous fumes are inhaled, the respiratory system is affected, followed by the central nervous system and various internal organs. If exposure to a toxic substance occurs over a long period, absolutely all body systems begin to suffer. When exposed to the body of pregnant women, intrauterine development of the fetus is disturbed.
Therefore, if a child breaks a thermometer and hides it, it is especially dangerous, since the time before detection can be a month or a year … And all this time, mercury will lie in a secluded place, evaporate and poison all family members. It is very important to conduct preventive conversations with the child, to show themed cartoons. Do not under any circumstances be intimidated!
If a child breaks a mercury thermometer, he just needs to tell his parents. And no one will blame him for it.
Deadly consequences are not caused by the metal itself, but by its vapors – in domestic conditions, it is they that carry the greatest danger. And for the appearance of these vapors, special conditions are not required – the mercury balls that appear after the thermometer breaks evaporate at room temperature, which is +18 degrees Celsius, that is, evaporation begins almost immediately after mercury is released from the broken glass. Moreover, although this process is not visible, it occurs very intensively.
Most often, after the thermometer has broken, the poisoning of the body occurs through the skin, intoxication in this case occurs very slowly. It is much more dangerous if metal particles affect the mucous membranes. Then there is almost instantaneous absorption of the poison, which leads to a serious blow to the liver. And the most dangerous effect occurs when inhaling vapors – in this case, the liver cannot participate in neutralizing the harmful effects, and almost all mercury enters the bloodstream and spreads throughout the body.
You should know that the situation when the thermometer crashed is very serious. Each thermometer contains two grams of mercury, and the volume that causes death is one gram. It affects the degree of poisoning and the weight of a person, his gender and age. If urgent measures are not taken in such a situation, the probability of mercury vapor poisoning will be 100%.
Mercury, together with arsenic, lead, cadmium and other substances, is included World Health Organization among the most hazardous substances that require mandatory control over their content in water, food and air. Cass of its danger is very high, and the consequences received by the body during poisoning are completely impossible to stop.
It is quite difficult to determine “by eye” mercury poisoning, because its symptoms are also found in other types of intoxication. Accurate diagnosis requires checking the blood test and identifying the concentration of toxins. If mercury poisoning occurs, this figure is 180 μg / l or more.
Symptoms develop over several hours. After a significant amount of a substance enters the body.
If during this time a person does not receive qualified assistance, irreversible consequences occur.. More…
If there is no doubt that it was mercury vapor poisoning, and if the thermometer broke, there can be no doubt, it is necessary to go out into the fresh air. First aid to the victim should begin with the fact that open areas of the skin, mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and nose are washed with running water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
But if a person has clearly manifested disorders of the respiratory or cardiovascular system, first of all, it is required to eliminate the conditions that threaten his life, to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation, to slow down bleeding, if it also appeared.
Another type of help is gastric lavage, which is carried out using a probe with potassium permanganate dissolved in cold water. This washing should be done several times a day. After that, sorbents are assigned.
Doctors in the hospital conduct intravenous and intramuscular treatment with an antidote, prescribe diuretics and, if necessary, perform hemodialysis.
It must be understood that serious poisoning occurs only when the situation with a broken thermometer is treated negligently and do the usual cleaning. Your correct actions and the help of mercury service specialists guarantee complete safety for you and your family members.
Encyclopedia “Mercury Expert”: Read…
