All homes have mercury thermometers. Situations when the thermometer crashed and mercury scatters all over the room are not uncommon. Metal is also contained in some other devices. For example, in quartz irradiators, some energy-saving and gas-discharge fluorescent lamps. Its leakage from household appliances is dangerous, since part of the mercury balls can penetrate into the cracks in the floor, parquet, get into the carpet pile, and remain on shoe soles.
The substance is very toxic and contains toxic fumes, which is especially harmful to young children and animals. The help of specialists in this matter will not hurt, but there are some tips on how to collect mercury from the floor yourself, without consequences for yourself and loved ones. It is not so difficult, and most importantly, to quickly begin the liquidation of a mercury accident.
Important - mercury itself is the most toxic substance. But the most dangerous thing about her is her couples. In a matter of seconds, they fly around the room due to evaporation. Poisoning by vapors by inhalation has a delayed effect with serious consequences. Toxins accumulate in the lungs and penetrate the skin. Heat, cough, and swelling of the airways may develop. Intoxication in some cases leads to a lethal form. Therefore, it is important to start the process of cleaning up the harmful substance in a timely manner.
First steps when mercury gets on the carpet
The content of the article
- First steps when mercury gets on the carpet
- How to collect mercury?
- Remove mercury from the palace
- Remove mercury from the fleecy carpet
- Where to put the collected mercury
The leakage of mercury or demercurization, that is, its neutralization and elimination, involves the following measures:
- Remove children, animals and family members from the premises
- Make sure that balls of material do not remain on shoes and clothing.
- Close the door
- Isolate metal distribution
- Open the window for weathering the vapors, but do not allow the draft to prevent the balls from rolling out over a larger area
Advice! After the demerkulization procedure, the room where the substance spilled must be ventilated daily for at least a week.
How to collect mercury?
Before embarking on the collection process, it is important to neutralize areas of the body that are most vulnerable to contact with a toxic substance.
The following precautions must be taken into account.
- Wear rubber gloves on your hands
- Protect your feet with shoe covers, or regular plastic bags
- To protect the nose and mouth, put on a wet gauze cloth with soda solution or a respirator
Advice! When eliminating the consequences of a leak, every 10-15 minutes, go out into fresh air and consume plenty of water
Remove mercury from the palace
Gently fold the remains of a broken thermometer or lamp into a glass container with water and plug it well. It is convenient to roll mercury balls from the carpet onto paper sheets with the help of dampened cotton wool, adhesive tape, adhesive tape. An ordinary syringe is also suitable, with which you can pull the remains of the substance from crevices and carpets. Do not forget to put the used syringe in a jar of water. It is recommended to carry out demerculization with a damp cloth and a napkin soaked in vegetable oil.
Important! Do not use a broom. He will not only crush the balls, but also blow them to the entire area of the room.
Next, you need to process the floor.
With a solution of soap, potassium permanganate or chlorine, wash the palace several times. If the area of pollution is large, then it is worth disinfecting furniture, walls and kitchen appliances.
Remove mercury from the fleecy carpet
With a long pile of carpet, it is possible to collect pollution with a syringe (rubber bulb), periodically separating the fibers. Of the floor covering. The magnet to which the balls adhere will also help. The carpet should be washed further with soapy water, a solution of potassium permanganate and a cleaning agent. Gently curving the floor, you need to take it out to the street, where it is carefully knocked out and left to ventilate to disperse particles of mercury.
Important! You can not use a vacuum cleaner, since the device will have to be thrown away, and when you try to clean the affected area with it, it heats up and speeds up the process of releasing toxic mercury vapor.
After cleaning, all used materials are collected in a separate sealed container for subsequent disposal.
Advice! You must not wash the clothes in which you worked, this can lead to the ingress of toxins into the machine. It is also better to dispose of it.
Where to put the collected mercury
Do not let the toxic substance into the bathroom, as it will settle on the pipes, and its vapor will pass into the air. In no case do not throw toxic waste into the chute, window. Only one thermometer can degrade the environment in the region up to 10 sq.m.
Where to go:
- In the Ministry of Emergencies, calling 112
- To a specialized service for demerkulization or epidemiological surveillance
- Take advantage of the services of mercury cleaning centers
Specialists will help you solve the problem. Hazardous materials will be taken. They will perform the necessary analysis by measuring the concentration of vapors and find the most harmful area of pollution.
Carefully watch that in your house, there was no unforeseen situation. And in the event of contact with toxic metal, take immediate action following our advice.
