When measuring body temperature, what should you do if a mercury thermometer is broken?

This is the 4203th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

During the epidemic, many families have to monitor their body temperature at home. If you accidentally break a mercury thermometer, do you handle it correctly? Are you worried about being poisoned?

Mercury is commonly known as quicksilver. It is a silvery white liquid at room temperature. Mercury and most of its compounds are toxic. Once a mercury thermometer is broken, the mercury will form a ball and roll down. Since mercury has a low boiling point and is easy to volatilize, it will evaporate after being scattered. Improper handling will pollute indoor air and even enter the blood through the respiratory tract, causing poisoning. Although inhaling a small amount of it will not cause much harm to the body, long-term inhalation of large amounts will cause mercury poisoning.

1. When mercury is scattered on the ground, how should we deal with it correctly?

1. Turn off all heating devices in the room, open windows for ventilation, and have people in the room leave.

2. Then put on gloves and a mask. Collect the mercury with paper. Check the entire room. If the room is dim, shine a flashlight close to the ground to see if there are any reflective beads.

3. If the mercury drop is large, you can roll it into a tube with paper, or collect it with tin foil, tape, or a wet cotton swab, and put the mercury drop in a sealed bottle. Add a small amount of water, oil, or 5% sodium sulfide solution to the liquid surface to cover it and inhibit the evaporation of mercury.

4. When the mercury droplets are scattered in the gap or very small, sprinkle some sulfur powder on them (can be bought at general pharmacies). Sulfur and mercury react to form mercuric sulfide, which is not easily soluble in water, and the harm will be greatly reduced. And the color changes from yellow to brown, so it can be identified and collected. Be careful not to inhale sulfur powder. In an emergency, you can break a raw egg and cover the mercury droplets instead of sulfur powder, and then collect and process them.

5. Use 5%~10% ferric chloride or 10% bleach solution to rinse the ground contaminated by mercury.

6. If mercury drops are scattered on bedding or clothes, they should be found as soon as possible and handled according to the above method. The contaminated bedding and clothes should also be fully dried in the sun.

7. Finally, put the sealed bottle containing mercury beads, cleaning materials, and gloves into the garbage bag, and ask the environmental protection department how to dispose of them correctly.

2. What should you pay attention to when handling mercury?

1. Do not touch it directly with your hands. If there is a wound on your hand, mercury will enter the body through the wound, and the consequences may be disastrous.

2. Do not use a vacuum cleaner as this will cause the mercury to float into the air, increasing the risk of inhalation by the human body.

3. Do not try to sweep away the mercury with a broom, as this will cause the mercury to break into small beads and roll everywhere.

4. Do not throw mercury into the toilet or flush it into the sink or drain, as this will cause pollution.

5. Do not use a washing machine to wash clothes contaminated by mercury, as this will pollute the washing machine or the sewer. Dry the clothes in the sun to allow the mercury to evaporate completely.

6. Do not walk around wearing shoes with mercury on the soles, as this will expand the scope of pollution.

7. If the wound comes into contact with mercury, you should go to the poison prevention and control department of the hospital for examination and further treatment.

The above method is also applicable to broken sphygmomanometers containing mercury. Have you learned it?

Author: Emergency Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University

Written by: Zhang Qiong, head nurse

Supervisor: Chief Physician Pei Honghong