Mercury in the apartment. Concentration of mercury in indoor air.

Mercury in a house, apartment, room …. Where?

One of the most common causes of mercury vapor in an apartment is a broken thermometer. As you know, it is the evaporation of this liquid metal that poses the greatest danger to human health. If you collect all the balls of mercury as quickly as possible before it begins to evaporate, then the onset of serious consequences can be avoided. To fully protect the house from such a danger, the demercurization process should not be carried out independently.

Specialists of the city environmental service “Expert Mercury” will perfectly cope with this task, who will promptly respond to the call and immediately take all necessary measures to eliminate the situation dangerous to health. Mercury in the apartment will be completely collected and disposed of in accordance with established rules and regulations.

What is dangerous mercury in the apartment

The danger of mercury lies in its volatility. As soon as this liquid metal is released and gets outside, it begins to evaporate, infecting the air in the room. Do not rely on the fact that the concentration of mercury in the thermometer is too low to cause significant harm to the body, and your home will have an acceptable level of vapor if the thermometer accidentally breaks. Actually it is not. Even with a slight spread of this substance in the home, all households will be at risk. The content of mercury in a thermometer is quite sufficient to seriously harm a person. You should be especially concerned in such cases:

• The broken thermometer was not noticed in time, and mercury was smashed on the soles of shoes throughout the apartment.
• Liquid metal got on carpets, clothes, furniture, toys, rolled into the cracks on the floor.
• Mercury has entered the digestive tract (most often this applies to children).

Mercury in the home is always dangerous. Many try to solve the problem on their own, and only exacerbate the situation. The best thing to do in this case is to immediately call in specialists who know exactly what needs to be done. They will protect households and completely eliminate all the consequences of careless handling of a thermometer or other mercury-containing devices.

Mercury in the air – how to prevent the spread of fumes

As already mentioned, it is mercury in the air that poses the greatest danger to human health. To prevent liquid metal vapors from entering the respiratory system, it is necessary to react in time and take a number of priority safety measures. The very first thing to do is to quickly collect all the balls of a dangerous substance. This can be done with such improvised means as adhesive tape.

In no case should you use a vacuum cleaner, broom, brushes, rags. The balls collected on adhesive tape are recommended to be placed in the so-called “Eurobank” with water, with a tightly screwed lid. There they should be stored until the arrival of specialists. It is forbidden to drain the collected mercury in the room into the plumbing, or throw it into the garbage chute.

Before proceeding with the collection of liquid metal, it is necessary to remove all people and animals from the premises. You should look for this dangerous element using an LED flashlight, or even a regular phone (the balls will shine in the rays of light, so it will be easier to detect them even in hard-to-reach places). It is necessary to collect mercury in the room, starting with large drops, not allowing them to separate into smaller balls. You can use a regular sheet of paper for collection, but a wide adhesive tape (scotch tape) is best. To make sure that mercury is completely absent in the apartment, it is recommended to remove the skirting boards in the room. It will not be possible to completely eliminate mercury from carpets at home, so they must be tightly rolled up and packed in polyethylene.

The complete procedure for when mercury appeared in the apartment

Mercury in the home, outdoors is a serious source of danger for households. Collecting mercury at home on your own is quite difficult and dangerous. It is much more correct if specialists do it. What should be done if it is not possible to call the environmental service? In this case, special recommendations should be followed.:

• Mercury in the home, outdoors is a serious source Before you start collecting mercury in the room, put on rubber gloves – the skin must be completely protected from contact with a dangerous substance – a hazard to households. Collecting mercury at home on your own is quite difficult and dangerous. It is much more correct if specialists do it. What should be done if it is not possible to call the environmental service? In this case, special recommendations should be followed..
• The place of the accident must be limited. Mercury balls easily stick to the soles of shoes and spread throughout the apartment, and then it will be much more difficult to remove them..
• Carefully collect the mercury itself in the apartment, as well as all the fragments of the thermometer, and place it all in a jar of water, then close it tightly with a lid.
• To collect the smallest drops, it is recommended to use a rubber bulb, syringe, adhesive tape, adhesive plaster, paper sheets, wet newspaper.
• A jar with fragments and balls of mercury must be stored until the arrival of specialists; it is forbidden to dispose of it on your own.
• In order to prevent the formation of fumes, you need to lower the air temperature in the room below 19 degrees as quickly as possible, for this you can open the windows or turn on the air conditioner. In addition, ventilation will help eliminate the remaining vapors of liquid metal. Thus, mercury in the air will not linger, and the danger of inhaling its fumes will be eliminated..
• The place where mercury has got into the apartment must be carefully treated using bleach or a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate. This method will help to oxidize the liquid metal and bring it to a non-volatile state..

The main thing in a situation where mercury in the apartment has escaped from the thermometer into the wild is to strictly follow the instructions, do not panic, consistently and methodically perform all these actions. However, it is much better to immediately call the number of the city environmental service  “Mercury Expert”, whose specialists will promptly and efficiently perform all the work, take the necessary measurements and carry out a complete demercurization of the premises. Mercury in the apartment is no joke, you should always remember this. Collecting mercury at home, without the necessary knowledge, is not the best idea..