The Ministry of Emergency Situations told how to deal with a broken thermometer. A mercury thermometer crashed in an apartment: what to do and how to properly collect mercury Where to dispose of a mercury thermometer

The question of where to throw away the thermometer sooner or later appears in any family. After all, it is with the help of this simple medical device that you can most easily measure the temperature of an adult or a child. But over time, thermometers become unusable, they often break, and there is a need to dispose of them. But you can’t throw a thermometer into a normal one. dumpster, because mercury is a dangerous metal that can harm more than one person in this case. What to do in this case, we will tell further.

The thermometer broke...

A thermometer is an indispensable item in a home first aid kit, but, in the end, you have to get rid of it. Where to throw away the thermometer and why can't it be disposed of like all ordinary garbage?

When using this device, you must be extremely careful and accurate. But often the thermometer can be broken by accident or, for example, due to a childish prank. Then the question immediately arises, where to throw mercury thermometer and how to behave in general if mercury spilled in the house.

How does mercury enter the body?

For a person, mercury is not dangerous in itself, but the vapors that it emits. They can cause real harm to human health and even life. From a broken thermometer, a dangerous substance can enter our body in two ways. Either through the mouth, or as a result of inhalation of toxic fumes.

We recognize that the first option is extremely rare. There is a danger that a small and unintelligent child may taste the beautiful silver balls. Therefore, if there are children in your house when the thermometer crashed, the first step is to isolate them, and then decide where to throw the thermometer.

If, nevertheless, this happened, and the baby swallowed several mercury balls, then action should be taken immediately. They should spend as little time as possible in the body. Therefore, immediately induce vomiting in the child and induce ambulance. Experienced doctors know how to help a person in such a situation, the main thing is not to hesitate. Otherwise, the consequences can be the saddest, up to lethal outcome.

But the option when a person can inhale mercury fumes is quite common. Usually, this happens due to the most common negligence, unwillingness or ignorance of what to do in such situations, where to throw a broken mercury thermometer.

Why is mercury dangerous?

As a result, a person may develop mercury poisoning. Its main danger lies in the fact that in the first hours it is almost impossible to determine whether the substance has entered the body, the symptoms do not appear immediately. Enough long time mercury poisoning can occur without any visible consequences for the body.

The first symptoms are irritability, sudden weight loss, increased fatigue. Very often they are not given any importance, attributing everything to fatigue and workload at work. But at this time, mercury slowly reaches the central nervous system and kidneys.

Therefore, it is very important, as soon as the thermometer breaks, to remove everything as soon as possible, to act carefully, but at the same time not to neglect the safety rules.

Action algorithm

If your thermometer has broken, you must clearly know where to throw away the thermometer with mercury, how to proceed. First of all, there is no need to panic, then everything will definitely be in order. A broken thermometer is not a tragedy, but a fairly common everyday problem.

First of all, open the window in the room in which this happened, or rather a window. At the same time, close all doors to other rooms tightly so that the vapors remain in a confined space and gradually evaporate into the street. It is important to prevent the spread of toxic mercury fumes throughout the house. Ventilate for at least one hour.

You should not approach the place where you broke the thermometer without special need. Mercury can easily stick to your soles, so you're more likely to spread it all over your apartment.

Mercury must be carefully removed. Please take precautions before proceeding with this operation. Wear rubber gloves on your hands and feet plastic bags. You also need to remember about the respiratory organs, to protect them, use a bandage soaked in a soda solution.

Why do you need a water bottle?

Now we need to decide where to throw away the mercury from the broken thermometer. Prepare a glass jar cold water, it is in it that mercury must be collected. Water must be poured, it will not allow the mercury balls to evaporate. Collect the dangerous substance calmly and carefully, without missing a single square centimeter of the room where it could be. Usually, poisoning occurs due to neglect of a broken thermometer, therefore, in order not to make yourself unnecessary worries, take this as seriously as possible.

Useful advice: the smallest mercury balls will be easier to collect if you use tape, a syringe or plasticine. If the search and collection of mercury is delayed, then accept additional measures safety: go outside every 15 minutes to get some fresh air, stay in the room where the thermometer has broken, more than a quarter of an hour is strongly not recommended. In this case, there will be a high probability of poisoning with mercury vapor.

When all the balls from the broken thermometer have been collected, carefully close the jar with a tight lid and make sure that it is not next to heating devices. Remember that it is strictly forbidden to throw such a jar into an ordinary trash container, it must be disposed of in accordance with all regulations.

How to donate mercury?

When with collection dangerous substance finished, you need to decide where to throw the broken thermometer. After all, leaving a deadly poisonous substance at home is extremely dangerous.

When the broken thermometer is carefully removed, according to the instructions already described in this article, you need to call the duty unit of the regional department of the ministry emergencies. Rescuers need to be sure to tell about this incident. The brigade will come to your house and pick up the jar of poisonous substance, as well as the remains of the thermometer itself and all the materials that you used when cleaning (syringes, gloves, bags). The duties of the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations include the mandatory thorough disinfection of the room in which the thermometer crashed.

Health Prevention

When disinfection is carried out, pay attention to the prevention of your health. Even if you are 100 percent sure that mercury has not entered your body, preventive measures will not interfere. Remember that the signs of poisoning do not appear immediately, the first few days you may not even suspect that your body is affected.

So, for prevention, take a weak solution of potassium permanganate, which you need to thoroughly rinse your throat, all oral cavity and then brush your teeth. It may be helpful to take a few pills. activated carbon. For the next few days after the incident, you need to drink as much as possible. clean water, since all harmful mercury formations are most effectively excreted through the kidneys.

Why not call the emergency services?

Of course, not everyone wants to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations because of a broken thermometer. Disinfection can be delayed, and in general, some simply do not want to see strangers at home. Therefore, if you are convinced that you yourself have thoroughly cleaned the room of all traces of mercury, you can not do this. But in this case, the question arises of where to throw the broken thermometer.

Take the jar of mercury in which you collected all the balls, as well as the remains of the thermometer itself and everything that was used in the cleaning process, even the clothes that you were wearing at that moment, especially if you suspect that mercury could have got on it. All this must be attributed to a specialized enterprise that deals with the disposal of waste containing mercury.

After that, also take care of your health, because it is better to take preventive measures than to be treated for heavy metal poisoning.

If there is no specialized enterprise in the city ...

It should be noted that there are specialized enterprises for the collection of mercury waste only in major cities. If in your locality there is no such company, the problem of where you can throw a thermometer becomes relevant.

In this case, it is recommended to contact an organization that specializes in the distribution of medicines. Such companies should have special containers available for disposal of mercury-containing waste, as well as other chemical waste that may threaten human life and health. To find out if such companies exist in your locality, you can contact the help desk.

If they were not available, then you can hand over a broken thermometer to a sanitary epidemiological station or to any state pharmacy, they are obliged to accept it from you. To do this, you will need to fill out a special application. Now you know where to throw the thermometer.

Places for disposal of mercury in Moscow

In the capital, there are many places where you can hand over a broken thermometer. Firstly, they should be accepted in DEZs - these are analogues of management companies.

Secondly, you can contact NPP "Ecotrom" (LLC "Mercury service"). They are located near the Yuzhnaya metro station, from where a free bus runs to the enterprise. Address: Dorozhnaya street, building 3, building 16. They will definitely help you here, and you will no longer suffer because of where to throw away the thermometer with mercury in Moscow.

Thirdly, companies should accept the thermometer:

• environmental enterprise "Inter Green";
• LLC "Merkom";
• a group of environmental companies "Ekon";
• venture firm "FEED-Dubna".

What can not be done with a broken thermometer?

To sum up, we emphasize Special attention on what absolutely cannot be done with a broken thermometer. It is important not to take any rash actions; out of your own ignorance, you can aggravate the situation and get mercury poisoning. If you are not sure that you are doing everything right, call the Ministry of Emergency Situations and trust everything to the specialists.

The main thing is to remember that in the room where you broke the thermometer, it is forbidden to make a draft until all the mercury has been collected. When removing mercury balls, it is forbidden to use a broom, by doing this you can only worsen the situation by spreading dangerous balls over the entire surface. It is also not recommended to use a vacuum cleaner, this will help toxic fumes to spread throughout the apartment.

Mercury is an extremely toxic substance: the emitted vapors retain their activity for several years, so its disposal causes many problems. ordinary person Because you can't just throw it in the trash.

Mostly people encounter mercury when they deal with an ordinary thermometer, without which not a single first-aid kit can do. It does not have an expiration date, but it happens that fragile glass breaks. And not everyone understands how to properly dispose of a dangerous object in such a situation.

Under domestic conditions, it is impossible to reliably destroy mercury: as soon as it begins to come into contact with air, its poisoning will begin. With a long inhalation of mercury vapor by a person, after entering the lungs, they begin to mix with blood and infect internal organs. First of all, the liver with kidneys suffers, then the heart, blood vessels, brain. As a result, death occurs, because. it is almost impossible to remove such a substance from the body.

• The primary symptoms of mercury vapor poisoning appear 6 hours after contact with the toxin. This can be recognized by a metallic taste in the mouth, shortness of breath, epigastric pain and migraine, swelling and bleeding of the gums. After the body temperature begins to rise, diarrhea appears.

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Specialists advise families with small children to be especially careful: shiny silver balls, in the form of which mercury comes out of the flask, attract the attention of babies, which becomes fatal for them. The outcome of a child's contact with this substance will be extremely disappointing.

What to do if you want to throw away a mercury thermometer?

If the thought of disposing of this item came to you not due to its deterioration, but, for example, because of the desire to refuse to use a dangerous thing, and, accordingly, it is absolutely intact, you still cannot throw it in the trash. Any pressure from the outside (adjacent objects, careless throwing during loading, etc.) will damage the fragile flask, and the contents, having come into contact with air, will begin to poison environment. The area where the broken mercury thermometer lies will become dangerous to humans.

• In open sources, you can find advice to dispose of a mercury thermometer into the sewer or even bury it in the ground, or cork it in a bottle with a strong solution of potassium permanganate (such recommendations are even given by employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations).

Experts dispute the wisdom of such liquidation methods. dangerous object, although if the situation is completely hopeless, and you need to dispose of the mercury thermometer at home as soon as possible, this is much better than throwing it out of the window or throwing it into the garbage chute. However, it would be much more reasonable to find contacts of specialized companies that deal with the destruction of such items. Moreover, it must be said that they can be useful not only if necessary, get rid of a mercury thermometer - energy-saving lamps, also containing mercury, experts advise to hand it over to them, and not throw it away as usual. The reasons are the same.

• Similarly, you can take a thermometer to a pharmacy or municipal hospital, where there are special containers.

The only problem that cannot be ignored is the inability to track where the given private company thermometer. Will its representative be conscientious enough to carry out all the proper procedures for the elimination of toxic hazardous waste, or simply go for easy money and do the same as any ignorant person - just dump garbage somewhere in a landfill (and it’s good, if not in the city). As a result, there is no 100% guarantee that this method of getting rid of things containing mercury is correct either.

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If somehow a situation has arisen that the thermometer is damaged, you first need to react very quickly: do not delay in further actions. And be sure to remain calm, otherwise there is a high probability of error. If there are children and animals in the room, they must be immediately taken out of it (ideally - on Fresh air), because they have the highest chances of being poisoned by mercury vapor due to the sensitivity of the body.

The next steps are:

1. If it is cool outside (temperature below 18 degrees), open the windows and doors so that you get a draft: this will help you weather the volatile molecules. In the summer, alas, this will not work, because. warm air will do a disservice by making mercury even more dangerous than it was just in an enclosed space.
2. Put on gloves, take a thick paper towel, soak it liberally vegetable oil. Grabbing the mercury balls in this area, transfer them to a glass container, for which there is a tightly screwed or tight-fitting lid. The napkin must be put there, the skeleton of the thermometer too.
3. In the same gloves, carefully wash the floor using disinfectants.

Ventilate the room (weather permitting) throughout the day. Sleeping on this day is desirable in another room, especially for children. If possible, call the Ministry of Emergency Situations on the same day so that its employees can process the premises special formulations, which maximally eliminate volatile mercury molecules.

The mercury thermometer is the most accurate instrument for measuring body temperature. And although in our time they are increasingly trying to acquire electronic thermometers, almost every house has an old and reliable mercury. It is, on the one hand, very accurate, and on the other hand, quite dangerous. Since the bulb with mercury is in a glass case, the thermometer may break. Therefore, it is important to understand how to properly dispose of a mercury thermometer.

The harm of mercury to human health

This chemical element belongs to the group of heavy metals. If mercury hits any surfaces, it breaks up into many shiny balls. The danger of this substance is that already at an air temperature of +18 degrees it begins to emit life-threatening vapors. When they are inhaled, people and animals are poisoned. The situation is complicated by the fact that small balls easily penetrate into the most inaccessible places and stay there for a long time.

Getting into the human body with inhaled air, mercury first causes harm respiratory system, then with the blood flow it spreads throughout the body, damaging the urinary organs, liver, gastrointestinal tract, heart and brain.

Main clinical signs of mercury vapor poisoning are:

1. The appearance of a headache.
2. Sleep disturbance.
3. Irritability and weakness.
4. The appearance of pain in the throat, and in the mouth - a taste of metal.
5. Appetite disturbance.

Often clinical picture supplemented by indigestion, vomiting, impaired respiratory and cardiac function. All symptoms usually appear a day after poisoning. If the cause is not eliminated and treatment is not started, then death is possible.

It is precisely because of such severe consequences of poisoning that every person needs to know how to properly dispose of a mercury thermometer.

The main actions in case of damage to the thermometer

Due to the presence in the thermometer dangerous chemical element absolutely everyone tries to handle it very carefully so as not to break it. But due to the fragility of the device, it is quite difficult to avoid damage, so sometimes thermometers still break. However, mercury does not always leak out. It happens that the rod does not break, and the substance remains inside.

Depending on whether the metal got into external environment or not, depends on the actions of a person.

If the chemical leaked out

If from a broken thermometer heavy metal scattered on the floor of the room, it is important to know how to dispose of a mercury thermometer so that not even the smallest particle of a dangerous chemical element remains. Of course, it is best to call the employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations - they will organize the cleaning of the premises and take the broken measuring device with them. Before calling the service, it is necessary to take everyone out of the room, close the door and open the window (it is important that the air temperature outside is lower than in the room, and drafts should not be allowed).

If it is not possible to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, then you need to remove the mercury yourself. There is a certain sequence of actions for this:

After all these actions, the room continues to be ventilated at least three times a day for several weeks. If mercury gets on the carpet, it is carefully rolled up and taken out into the street, where it is hung on the crossbar, after spreading polyethylene under it. After Chemical substance rolls off the villi, the carpet is knocked out for at least thirty minutes.

All clothing, gloves, mask, shoe covers, cleaning items must be disposed of. After cleaning, you need to contact the sanitary and epidemiological station to measure the content of mercury vapor in the room.

In case of rod integrity

If the thermometer crashed, and the rod with mercury remained intact, then you should not panic. You need to wear rubber gloves and very carefully move the thermometer into a glass jar, which is then tightly covered with a lid. Vessel with broken thermometer can be taken to the hospital. But remember that not all medical institutions gladly accept them. The second option for the disposal of mercury thermometers is state pharmacy, which has special containers for storing mercury-containing devices.

Disposing of a Broken Thermometer

During cleaning, you need to think about where to dispose of the mercury thermometer. There are several options:

1. AT big cities there are demercurization centers.
2. You can contact the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
3. A good option is to take the thermometer to the sanitary and epidemiological station.

In any case, it is important to be extremely careful. After all, not only his health, but also the lives of people close to him depend on the correctness of a person’s actions.

It is strictly forbidden

It should be remembered that during the collection of mercury there are a number of actions that are strictly prohibited. Absolutely not:

It should be remembered that a mercury thermometer broken at home is not a cause for panic. The main thing is to follow the recommendations. If everything is done correctly, then there will be no problems with the cleaning of a dangerous chemical element.

A temperature measuring device is available in any home first aid kit, but not everyone knows exactly how to dispose of it if the mercury column began to show incorrect data. Even more complicated is the situation when the thermometer crashed and the balls of mercury rolled across the floor.

A device that measures temperature is available in any home first aid kit, but not everyone knows exactly how to dispose of it.

In this case, the main thing is not to panic, but to take all the necessary steps to eliminate negative consequences the situation.

What to do with a broken thermometer

The thermometer contains about 2 g of mercury enclosed in a glass tube, which is very easy to break. By itself, mercury does not pose a danger to humans, but its vapors are extremely harmful. Inhaling them, you can get severe poisoning, the consequences of which will be very serious, up to death. Therefore, a spoiled or broken thermometer must be disposed of urgently so as not to endanger your health and loved ones.

If the thermometer itself was not damaged, but its service life has expired, and it shows incorrect data, you must return it to special item reception where mercury thermometers are disposed of. This is done by organizations that have containers for mercury waste, pharmacies or private companies that collect waste energy-saving mercury lamps. If it was not possible to find points where to hand over the mercury device, it is necessary to place it in a jar with a strong solution of potassium permanganate and bury it as deep as possible in a place remote from people and animals.

We could only use mercury thermometers, but now there are electronic and even infrared devices, which allow you to find out the result in just a couple of seconds. Modern thermometers are very convenient, especially if the patient is a child who cannot sit still for ten minutes (which is how long doctors recommend keeping a mercury thermometer in the armpit), but in most cases they show the result with an error.

Most Accurate measuring instruments- thermometers containing mercury. In addition, mercury can be easily disinfected. To do this, you just need to immerse it in a special solution. Therefore, in hospitals and clinics, such devices will be abandoned very soon.

However, mercury is a dangerous substance, so you need to know how to dispose of mercury thermometers. Such a device is unlikely to simply stop measuring temperature. This can only happen if the mercury thermometer breaks, which means it spills.

It is not so much mercury itself that is dangerous, but the vapors it emits. They can cause severe poisoning, so you need to collect metal balls as soon as possible. If you do not know how to dispose of mercury thermometers, it is best to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations, they should give detailed instructions. Ideally, rescuers should come and carry out proper processing of the dwelling, but in reality this happens in rare cases (mainly in large cities).

How to dispose of mercury thermometers?

From the room in which the thermometer has broken, children, adults and animals must be taken out so that they do not trample and spread the balls of mercury around the apartment. The door should be closed, and the windows and vents should be opened if there is no draft and the room is warmer than outside. Cold air slow down the evaporation process.

Now you need to proceed directly to the collection of poisonous substances. You should protect yourself from contact with mercury by wearing rubber and shoe covers. To avoid inhaling fumes, use a dampened cold water gauze bandage.

Large balls of mercury are easily collected using two sheets of paper, a scoop and a brush or shaving brush, a medical pear or a syringe without a needle. Don't use a broom, its stiff twigs will break up the mercury into tiny particles. And it is difficult to collect small balls, you have to tinker. To do this, you need adhesive tape, plasticine, plaster, wet cotton wool. Do not use a vacuum cleaner! Mercury will remain inside the device, so it will have to be thrown away. From clothes and carpet, if they got mercury, you will also need to get rid of.

All collected mercury must be placed in a glass container with cold water and tightly closed with a lid. All items that have come into contact with it must be collected and wrapped in foil or placed in a bag and closed. Places that have been hit by poisonous metal must be washed several times with soapy water or a solution of potassium permanganate, and the room should be thoroughly ventilated.

Now you know how to dispose of mercury thermometers, it remains to figure out where to put a jar of poisonous substance? To do this, you will have to call different authorities. It is possible that you will never get a clear answer. In any case, it is extremely dangerous to throw mercury and all items that you used during cleaning into the garbage chute, burn them or drain liquid metal into the sewer.