On Saturday, November 5, rescuers received a report that a medical mercury thermometer broke in one of the apartments of a multi-story building in Truskavets.
At the scene of the incident, rescuers mechanically collected 2 grams of mercury on an area of 2 m2, and also carried out demercurization. The collected mercury was handed over to the Truskavets City Council in the Department for Emergency Situations for storage and further disposal.
What to do if the thermometer is broken?
- remove all people from the premises, primarily children, the disabled, and the elderly;
- protect the respiratory organs, at least with a wet gauze bandage;
- wear rubber gloves to protect the skin of the hands;
- restrict access to spill site. Mercury sticks to surfaces and can easily be carried on soles to other areas of the room;
- start collecting mercury: collect large balls with a syringe and immediately drop them into a glass jar with a solution (2 g of potassium permanganate per 1 liter of water). Water is needed so that the mercury does not evaporate.
- keep the jar away from heating devices. WARNING! Remember that mercury drops and fragments must be collected from the periphery to the center of the room;
- small droplets can be collected using a syringe, a rubber pear, two sheets of paper, adhesive plaster, tape, wet newspaper and also thrown into the jar;
- wash contaminated areas with a soap-soda solution (400 grams of soap and 500 grams of soda ash per 10 liters of water);
- close the room after treatment so that there is no connection with other rooms and ventilate it;
- if it is a matter of spilling a larger amount of mercury, all safety precautions should be followed, and the specialists of the rescue service “101” should be called immediately.