Mercury in the house or what to do in an emergency

What to do if the apartment crashed mercury thermometer or energy-saving light bulb?

Mercury - metal whimsical.

Bursting out, he's going to stubborn drops, avoiding traps and human hands.

In laboratories and in the production of mercury stored in airtight containers to prevent spillage of its vapors in the air that people breathe.

Mercury vapor is very toxic.





The body can't get rid of mercury.

Accumulate in the body, mercury can cause serious damage to the nervous system.

Particularly affected children.

The child's body is 7 times more sensitive to pairs of mercury than an adult.

But how dangerous is the amount of mercury contained in a thermometer or

energy saving light bulb?

In thermometers contains from 1.8 to 3 g of mercury in the bulbs is much less - only 4 mg.

Small doses of mercury do not lead to disorder of the nervous system, but can cause latent poisoning.

Its symptoms — General malaise, irritability, mood swings,

frequent headaches and dizziness, insomnia, memory problems.

The selection of mercury vapor occurs at room temperature, and

the higher the temperature, the faster the evaporation.

The danger lies in the fact that mercury fumes are absorbed by carpets, fabrics,

floor tiles in the room and again released into the air.

What to do if you break a thermometer or light bulb with mercury?

Check out the recommendations of the EPA –the Agency for environmental protection (USA).

• Output from the room of people and Pets.
• Widely open your window.
• Turn off air conditioning, fan, heater.
• Collect broken glass using a piece of cardboard and duct tape (not recommended to use a vacuum cleaner, except when all other measures fail).
• Collect balls of mercury in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid or in a plastic bag with a reusable zipper.
• Thoroughly wipe floor with a damp disposable wipes.
• Fold the Bank and all items used for cleaning (including dust collector for a vacuum cleaner, if you used it) in an airtight container.
• Call the local authorities, that they should take toxic garbage.
• If the authorities do not dispose of such waste, take the waste home and throw it in a common tank.
• Do this immediately after collection, fragments and mercury.
• Don't keep them in the apartment or home the trash.
• Keep the Windows open for several hours
• All this time, you can't turn on the air conditioner and should not use the heater.

Right after collecting the mercury, and well ventilate the room and protect yourself from harmful effects.

And the trouble is not repeated, it is better to purchase digital thermometers and energy-saving lamps of the new generation, which are produced without mercury.

According to the article of D. Styslinger.

Checking the mercury concentration in indoor environmental specialists firms.





Source: www.eco-green-vita.com