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First case: calling the special services and 15 rubles
My friend Marina works remotely, but every day at exactly 12.00 she needs to measure her body temperature, take a selfie with a thermometer and send the photo to her boss. The other day she broke a mercury thermometer. And what to do?
– I heard that you need to call the Ministry of Emergency Situations. But a friend advised me to call specialists from a private office for urgent elimination of the consequences of a broken thermometer. I was so nervous that I agreed, although I heard the cost – 15 rubles, – says Marina.
The technician arrived within an hour. How it was:
- on the phone they said to open the window, but close the door so that there was no draft,
- asked to leave the apartment. Went to a neighbor. I took my wallet, phone and jewelry just in case,
- a specialist came into the apartment. He measured mercury vapor, named some big number, then began to collect fragments from a thermometer, carried out a chemical treatment of the floor and air with substances.
The procedure took about an hour. After the specialist left, they advised me to wash the floors (three times!), There was a terrible smell of iodine. The water in the bucket turned brown. I had to throw away all the carpets, slippers and bags that were on the floor. A week later, the specialist will come again to make a secondary control measurement of the concentration of vapors in the air.
The second case: to collect mercury for 0 rubles
The mother of a friend Alexei is being treated for coronavirus. Takes temperature several times a day. Around midnight, the thermometer slipped out of my hands in the kitchen. What to do?
“I read that with a small spill of mercury (we were talking about a thermometer), you can collect the balls yourself,” says Alexey. – Everything worked out. And free of charge and without waiting for special services.
How it was:
- took mom out of the room
- opened the window where the thermometer was broken, closed the door so that there was no draft,
- put on a mask and gloves, took two sheets of paper,
- began to collect balls of mercury (they combine into one large one, since mercury is a liquid), put it in a bag,
- threw away the bag, mask and gloves,
- washed the place with soap and soda solution,
- left the window open at night.
Tips from emergency services
1. If not much mercury has spilled, for example, a mercury thermometer, then you can eliminate the consequences yourself. If more mercury has spilled, then immediately call specialists.
2. How to act independently:
- open the window in the room where the thermometer was broken, and be sure to close the door (there should be no draft),
- it is desirable to protect the respiratory organs (wet gauze bandage),
- do not sweep the mercury with a broom (this way you can crush the balls into fine mercury dust),
- do not collect mercury with a vacuum cleaner,
- for collection, use a medical pear, pipette, a piece of paper, a knitting needle or a thick needle, patch pieces,
- mercury and all used collection agents must be disposed of,
- wash the mercury spill site with a manganese solution or a soap and soda solution. Be sure to wash your hands after handling.
3. If a large amount of mercury is spilled:
- leave the room, close the door behind you, call the emergency services at 8 (495) 637-22-22 – the Ministry of Emergency Situations will arrive,
- you can also contact any commercial demercurization center.
4. In addition, it is better to change clothes, take a shower and brush your teeth.
Doctor’s advice
Evgeny Timakov, pediatrician:
– If there is no ventilation and warm air in the room where the thermometer crashed, then mercury vapor is dangerous. But symptoms may not appear immediately, as this is heavy metal poisoning. They can appear after 10-20 hours. It can be nausea, vomiting, dizziness. Without waiting for the symptoms (for prevention), you should immediately rinse your nose, wash yourself, you can drink any sorbent (for example, activated charcoal).