Toxic metal in everyday life: why mercury is dangerous. The thermometer broke - is mercury as scary as it is made out to be?

Mercury (Hg, from lat. Hydrargyrum) - an element of the sixth period of the periodic system of chemical elements of D.I. Mendeleev with atomic number 80, belonging to the zinc subgroup (a side subgroup of group II). Simple substance mercury- a transition metal, at room temperature it is a heavy silvery-white liquid, the vapors of which are extremely toxic. Mercury is one of two chemical elements (and the only metal), the simple substances of which, under normal conditions, are in a liquid state of aggregation (the second such element is bromine).

1 History

Origin of the name

2 Being in nature

2.1 Deposits

3 In the environment

4 Isotopes

5 Receipt

6 Physical properties

7 Chemical properties

7.1 Characteristic oxidation states

7.2 Properties of metallic mercury

8 Use of mercury and its compounds

8.1 Medicine

8.2 Technique

8.3 Metallurgy

8.4 Chemical industry

8.5 Agriculture

9 Mercury toxicology

9.1 Hygienic regulation of mercury concentrations

9.2 Demercurization

Story

Astronomical symbol of the planet Mercury

Mercury has been known since ancient times. It was often found in its native form (liquid drops on rocks), but more often it was obtained by firing natural cinnabar. The ancient Greeks and Romans used mercury to purify gold (amalgamation) and knew about the toxicity of mercury itself and its compounds, in particular sublimate. For many centuries, alchemists considered mercury to be the main component of all metals and believed that if liquid mercury was restored to hardness with the help of sulfur or arsenic, gold would be obtained. The isolation of mercury in its pure form was described by the Swedish chemist Georg Brandt in 1735. To represent the element, both alchemists and today use the symbol of the planet Mercury. But the belonging of mercury to metals was proven only by the works of Lomonosov and Brown, who in December 1759 were able to freeze mercury and establish its metallic properties: malleability, electrical conductivity, etc.

Origin of the name

The Russian name for mercury comes from praslav. *rtǫ tь, associated with lit. rìsti"roll". The symbol Hg is borrowed from the Latin alchemical name for this element hydrargyrum(ancient Greek ὕδωρ “water” and ἄργυρος “silver”).

Being in nature

Mercury is a relatively rare element in the earth's crust with an average concentration of 83 mg/t. However, due to the fact that mercury weakly binds chemically to the most common elements in the earth's crust, mercury ores can be very concentrated compared to ordinary rocks. The most mercury-rich ores contain up to 2.5% mercury. The main form of mercury in nature is dispersed, and only 0.02% of it is contained in deposits. The mercury content in different types of igneous rocks is close to each other (about 100 mg/t). Among sedimentary rocks, the maximum concentrations of mercury are found in clay shales (up to 200 mg/t). In the waters of the World Ocean, the mercury content is 0.1 μg/l. The most important geochemical feature of mercury is that among other chalcophile elements it has the highest ionization potential. This determines such properties of mercury as the ability to be reduced to an atomic form (native mercury), significant chemical resistance to oxygen and acids.

Mercury is present in most sulfide minerals. Its especially high contents (up to thousandths and hundredths of a percent) are found in fahlores, stibnites, sphalerites and realgars. The proximity of the ionic radii of divalent mercury and calcium, monovalent mercury and barium determines their isomorphism in fluorites and barites. In cinnabar and metacinnabarite, sulfur is sometimes replaced by selenium or tellurium; The selenium content is often hundredths and tenths of a percent. Extremely rare mercury selenides are known - timanite (HgSe) and onofrite (a mixture of timanite and sphalerite).

Mercury is one of the most sensitive indicators of hidden mineralization not only of mercury, but also of various sulfide deposits, therefore mercury halos are usually detected above all hidden sulfide deposits and along pre-ore faults. This feature, as well as the low mercury content in rocks, is explained by the high elasticity of mercury vapor, which increases with temperature and determines the high migration of this element in the gas phase.

Under surface conditions, cinnabar and metallic mercury are insoluble in water, but in their presence (Fe 2 (SO 4) 3, ozone, hydrogen peroxide), the solubility of these minerals reaches tens of mg/l. Mercury dissolves especially well in sulfides of caustic alkalis with the formation, for example, of the HgS nNa 2 S complex. Mercury is easily sorbed by clays, iron and manganese hydroxides, shales and coals.

About 20 mercury minerals are known in nature, but the main industrial value is cinnabar HgS (86.2% Hg). In rare cases, the subject of extraction is native mercury, metacinnabarite HgS and fahl ore - schwatzite (up to 17% Hg). At the only Guitzuco deposit (Mexico), the main ore mineral is livingstonite HgSb 4 S 7. In the oxidation zone of mercury deposits, secondary mercury minerals are formed. These include, first of all, native mercury, less commonly metacinnabarite, which differ from the same primary minerals in greater purity of composition. Calomel Hg 2 Cl 2 is relatively common. Other supergene halide compounds are also common at the Terlingua deposit (Texas) - terlinguaite Hg 2 ClO, eglestonite Hg 4 Cl.

Mineral, natural metallic mercury. A transition metal, at room temperature it is a heavy, silvery-white liquid, the vapors of which are extremely toxic. Mercury is one of two chemical elements (and the only metal), the simple substances of which, under normal conditions, are in a liquid state of aggregation (the second such element is bromine). Sometimes it contains an admixture of silver and gold.

See also:

STRUCTURE

PROPERTIES

The color is pewter white. The shine is strong metallic. Boiling point 357 °C. The only liquid mineral at ordinary temperatures. It hardens, acquiring a crystalline state at −38°C. Density 13.55. Easily evaporates on fire to form toxic fumes. In ancient times, inhalation of these vapors was the only available means of treating syphilis (according to the principle: if the patient does not die, he will recover. It is diamagnetic.

RESERVES AND PRODUCTION

Mercury is a relatively rare element in the earth's crust with an average concentration of 83 mg/t. However, due to the fact that mercury weakly binds chemically to the most common elements in the earth's crust, mercury ores can be very concentrated compared to ordinary rocks. The most mercury-rich ores contain up to 2.5% mercury. The main form of mercury in nature is dispersed, and only 0.02% of it is contained in deposits. The mercury content in different types of igneous rocks is close to each other (about 100 mg/t). Among sedimentary rocks, the maximum concentrations of mercury are found in clay shales (up to 200 mg/t). In the waters of the World Ocean, the mercury content is 0.1 μg/l. The most important geochemical feature of mercury is that among other chalcophile elements it has the highest ionization potential. This determines such properties of mercury as the ability to be reduced to an atomic form (native mercury), significant chemical resistance to oxygen and acids.

One of the world's largest mercury deposits is located in Spain (Almaden). There are known deposits of mercury in the Caucasus (Dagestan, Armenia), Tajikistan, Slovenia, Kyrgyzstan (Khaidarkan - Aidarken) Ukraine (Gorlovka, Nikitovsky mercury plant).

There are 23 mercury deposits in Russia, industrial reserves amount to 15.6 thousand tons (as of 2002), of which the largest have been explored in Chukotka - West Palyanskoye and Tamvatneyskoye.

Mercury is obtained by roasting cinnabar (mercury(II) sulfide) or by the metallothermic method. Mercury vapor is condensed and collected. This method was used by ancient alchemists.

ORIGIN

Mercury is present in most sulfide minerals. Its especially high contents (up to thousandths and hundredths of a percent) are found in fahlores, stibnites, sphalerites and realgars. The proximity of the ionic radii of divalent mercury and calcium, monovalent mercury and barium determines their isomorphism in fluorites and barites. In cinnabar and metacinnabarite, sulfur is sometimes replaced by selenium or tellurium; The selenium content is often hundredths and tenths of a percent. Extremely rare mercury selenides are known - timanite (HgSe) and onofrite (a mixture of timanite and sphalerite).

APPLICATION

Mercury is used as a working fluid in mercury thermometers (especially high-precision ones), since it has a fairly wide range in which it is in the liquid state, its coefficient of thermal expansion is almost independent of temperature and has a relatively low heat capacity. An alloy of mercury and thallium is used for low-temperature thermometers.
Fluorescent lamps are filled with mercury vapor because the vapor glows in a glow discharge. The emission spectrum of mercury vapor contains a lot of ultraviolet light, and in order to convert it into visible light, the glass of fluorescent lamps is coated from the inside with a phosphor. Without a phosphor, mercury lamps are a source of hard ultraviolet light (254 nm), which is what they are used for. Such lamps are made of quartz glass, which transmits ultraviolet light, which is why they are called quartz.
Mercury and its alloys are used in sealed switches that turn on at a certain position.
Mercury is used in position sensors.

Mercury(I) iodide is used as a semiconductor radiation detector.
Mercury(II) fulminate (“mercury fulminate”) has long been used as an initiating explosive (Detonators).
Mercury(I) bromide is used in the thermochemical decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen (atomic hydrogen energy).
The use of mercury in alloys with cesium as a highly efficient working fluid in ion engines is promising.
Until the mid-20th century, mercury was widely used in barometers, pressure gauges and sphygmomanometers (hence the tradition of measuring pressure in millimeters of mercury).

Mercury compounds were used in the hat industry to make felt.

Mercury - Hg

CLASSIFICATION

Everyone knows such a useful and convenient item for measuring body temperature as a mercury thermometer. There are cases when, due to carelessness, it is dropped on the floor, as a result the thermometer is broken and the mercury from it can leak onto the floor. What to do in this case? There are many answers, and very different. How to choose the right one?

The dangers of mercury

Everyone went to school, studied chemistry, so they heard about mercury. But apparently they didn’t study well, that they don’t really know anything about it. It is an element from the periodic table of chemical elements with atomic number 80. It is a transition metal of the sixth period, ranking after gold and platinum. Under normal conditions, its state of aggregation is liquid. It has a very high density and atomic mass. The boiling point of mercury is 356.7 degrees Celsius. Liquid mercury is a very stable and heavy metal that does not dissolve in water, does not wet glass, and oxidizes very poorly. This is a low-active metal that many acids cannot dissolve, only in a mixture of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids. It dissolves with difficulty in sulfuric acid, only when heated. It reacts with other metals only at high temperatures. Mercury interacts with oxygen, but only at temperatures above 300 degrees.

Mercury itself does not pose a danger to humans, only its vapors are harmful.

But under what conditions are they formed? The rate of mercury evaporation is unknown. At enterprises that produce devices using mercury, a slight increase in the concentration of its vapors was recorded only in places of 5 technological processes out of 20, but only in the work area. Mercury vapor exceeded the maximum permissible concentration only three times, and this was with constant monitoring. To obtain mercury vapor under normal conditions, it must be heated to a temperature of more than 350 degrees. In other words, steam can form only after significant energy is applied to mercury; in any other case, the atoms will not be able to break away from the very dense structure to change the state of aggregation. So where did the data on mercury evaporation come from, and calculations about the increase in vapor concentration in the room from a broken thermometer.

As for the influence of mercury and its biological effects on the human body, everything here, too, has not been fully studied. The data obtained is not enough to draw any conclusions. Many publications omit true data about the real physical and chemical properties of mercury. It turns out that the danger of mercury is deliberately exaggerated, for what purpose?

Most of the properties attributed to mercury are based on the ignorance of people and environmentalists. Adding to the hype around this element is its physical state - liquid metal. Someone very successfully took advantage of this physical characteristic, with the help of which he unreasonably declared mercury to be a toxic and extremely dangerous element. This was done with one simple goal, to oblige enterprises operating fluorescent lamps to hand them over to recycling organizations and pay money for it. For the same purpose, it was planned to reduce the production of incandescent lamps, and instead increased the production of energy-saving lamps.

But those organizations that accept, of course for money, lamps and devices containing mercury, do not really believe in its danger. They know well that mercury is a very heavy metal. Therefore, in the recycling process, which is the usual crushing of lamps with a press, heavy mercury will not evaporate anywhere, but will all accumulate at the bottom of the containers.

So what to do if your mercury thermometer breaks?

Having assessed all the physical and chemical properties of mercury, one single conclusion suggests itself - the most dangerous substance in a broken thermometer is glass fragments, which can really cut you badly. Therefore, you need to collect all the glass in a trash can, and droplets of mercury in any container, that’s all. There is no need to cover or water the mercury with anything; this is an absolutely useless exercise. This way you will only ruin the floor, carpet and other things. Simply collect the mercury in a jar, and then do whatever you want with it.

Using a vacuum cleaner to collect it is also absolutely safe and effective. Be literate people, because knowledge is power.

There is a thermometer in every house and apartment. It can be called an essential item, which is indispensable for any ailment. And since most of this device contains mercury, and the body is made of glass, there is a high probability of breaking it due to negligence. And here it is important to know how long it takes for mercury to evaporate, what its danger is and how to eliminate the consequences.

Properties of mercury

Mercury is a metal that is listed as element 80 in the periodic table. Being a cumulative poison, it belongs to hazard class I. This is the only metal that does not turn into a solid state at room temperature, remaining in liquid form. The release of toxic substances begins when the temperature rises to +18 ° C, and since mercury takes a long time to evaporate, this makes it especially dangerous.

An ordinary thermometer contains from 1.5 to 2 g of liquid metal - this amount is very large, and if it evaporates completely in a closed living space, the area of ​​which does not exceed 20 m2, the concentration of toxic vapors will exceed the permissible limit of 0.0003 mg per 1 m 3.

Mercury evaporation rate

In one hour, 0.002 mg of mercury evaporates per square meter. Thus, it is easy to calculate the rate of its evaporation in a living room at room temperature by multiplying this indicator by the total area (90 cm 2) of scattered balls: 0.002 x 90/10000 = 0.000018 mg/hour.

But at the same time, the speed of this process will always be influenced by certain factors: temperature fluctuations, quality of air circulation, surface area of ​​scattered particles and the total amount of toxic substance. After all, it is not always possible to collect all the mercury. Some of it may roll under baseboards, into cracks and small chips in floors.

One small ball of mercury from a broken thermometer takes a long time to evaporate - at least 3 years. If the house has warm floors and rare ventilation, then this period will noticeably decrease, and, conversely, increase with constant ventilation.

You can also roughly determine how long it takes for 2 grams of mercury to evaporate in a normally ventilated living space. Having made simple calculations, we get a period of 30 years. But remember that everything is conditional.

If we talk about how long it takes for mercury to evaporate outdoors, then this period will also depend on environmental conditions. It is known that under the influence of direct sunlight and air temperatures from +35 ˚С to +40 ˚С, the evaporation rate increases 15-17 times. In the cold season, it correspondingly decreases.

And don’t forget that over time, the rate of mercury evaporation drops - after a couple of weeks it approximately doubles, and so on.

How dangerous is mercury?

So, we have found out how long it takes for mercury to evaporate in a room and at what speed this process occurs, from which it follows that 0.18 mg of toxic vapor is released in one hour. Comparing this indicator with the maximum permissible concentration (0.0003 mg/m 3), we see a rather strong excess. But this still doesn’t say anything. The fact is that the maximum permissible concentration is calculated taking into account the initial criteria - the threshold concentration for a long time - from six months to a year, and plus a guarantee amendment is applied, which reduces this value several times.

There is another value, which is defined as the weekly dose of mercury for a person. It is 5 mg per 1 kg of weight. Thus, it is easy to calculate the maximum permissible dose for each family member. And taking into account the volume of air consumed by a person (25 m 3 per day), we can calculate the maximum permissible dose. To do this, we multiply this value by the permissible level of mercury vapor (0.0003). We get 0.0075 mg per day. We calculate the weekly dose by multiplying the result by 7.

And in order to understand how dangerous mercury from a broken thermometer is, you should determine the volume of air in the room that absorbs the fumes. You can make calculations by multiplying the length of the room by the width and height of the ceilings. In general, it’s worth immediately finding out the volume of air in the entire apartment. This is due to the fact that the vapors of this substance are volatile, and since mercury in the room takes a long time to evaporate, they will certainly spread throughout all rooms. So, with a total area of ​​60 m2 and a ceiling height of 2.7 m, we obtain a volume of 160 m3. We remember that the air is not static; with normal ventilation, 80% of the obtained indicator is replaced in one hour. Thus, circulation automatically increases the volume of air that consumes mercury vapor to 300 m3.

Now you can calculate the mercury concentration. To do this, divide the amount of evaporation (0.18) by the volume (300). The result is 0.006 mg per 1 m 3. We compare it with the acceptable level (0.0003) and understand that not everything is as bad as it might seem at first glance. We have a double dose, which is not critical. However, it should not go unnoticed.

Thus, knowing in what quantity and for how long mercury evaporates and disappears, you can easily determine its potential harm for a particular room and the people living in it.

Symptoms of poisoning

Mercury from one broken thermometer will not cause irreversible changes in the functioning of organs, paralysis or death. But still, the body is able to respond to harmful fumes with general weakness, loss of appetite, headaches, nausea, metallic taste in the mouth and vomiting. And if such symptoms are observed, then the victim must urgently receive medical assistance. In addition, since mercury from a thermometer takes a long time to evaporate, it will continue its effect on the body of a weakened person. And this, in turn, will worsen the signs of poisoning, which will lead to bleeding gums, abdominal cramps, a sharp increase in body temperature and loose stools with blood and mucus. This condition requires urgent hospitalization.

Information about how long it takes for mercury to evaporate and why it is dangerous is especially important for parents and women during pregnancy. The main risk group is children, who may develop kidney problems after short-term inhalation. Pregnant women should also beware - there is a risk of intrauterine damage to the fetus.

How to collect mercury?

Understanding how long it takes for mercury to evaporate and what consequences this brings, everyone should be able to collect it. First you need to lower the air temperature in the room by turning off all heating devices. If it’s cold outside, you can open a window, but only one, so that the draft does not break the scattered balls into smaller particles. In summer it is advisable to turn on the air conditioning. These measures will stop the process of evaporation of toxic metal.

Directly for the cleaning itself, you will need thin copper wire, metal filings or powder, a sheet of sandpaper, a sheet of plain paper and a hermetically sealed jar.

Removing mercury using copper wire

Since mercury evaporates for a long time, and at high air temperatures it also evaporates intensely, before you start cleaning, it is advisable to protect the respiratory tract with a gauze bandage.

Then we take the wire and wind it so that we get a rope about 1.5 cm wide and 15 cm long. To prevent it from falling apart during the cleaning process, we tie it in the middle with thread or a small piece of the wire itself. We cut off the ends on both sides so that they look like brushes. Using sandpaper, remove all the varnish and bend the bundle in half. As a result, both ends should be on the same side.

We make several turns of tape around the loop. This will make it much more convenient for you to hold the resulting brush in your hand. Then use your fingers to slightly open the cleaned area and bring it to the mercury balls. The copper will begin to amalgamate the metal particles, and soon they will all end up at its ends. Upon completion of the procedure, you need to put everything in a jar (along with the wire) and close the lid tightly.

How to use metal filings for cleaning?

To do this, they should be scattered on the infected area and thoroughly rubbed into the surface with a dry cloth. As a result, all the scattered particles of mercury will appear on it. We place them in a jar along with sawdust and seal it tightly.

This method of cleaning mercury is quite simple, but it is only suitable for smooth surfaces, for example, linoleum, plastic, marble, etc. For surfaces with cracks and grooves, a different method should be chosen.

Mercury on shag carpet

It is important to carry out thorough cleaning here, since mercury from a broken thermometer takes a long time to evaporate. If it is not all collected, toxic substances will continue to be released, gradually accumulating in the human body. At the same time, the symptoms of poisoning are not noticeable at first, but the consequences can be felt after a few weeks. And this, in turn, will make diagnosis very difficult.

It is most difficult to collect all the mercury from soft surfaces, especially if they have long piles. But you need to try, otherwise the carpet will simply have to be thrown away.

We pour metal filings in the place where the thermometer broke and roll up the carpet to this area. We wrap the area with mercury in polyethylene, carefully knock it out and leave it to ventilate. Place the fallen mercury balls together with the film into a jar and close it well.

Cleaning carpet without lint

It is much easier to remove mercury from such a coating than in the previous version. It is convenient to use a metal brush here, but you can also use a small syringe or syringe. Using the chosen tool, we collect all the droplets of the substance and pack everything hermetically.

What should you not do with mercury?

Sweeping mercury with a broom, especially from the carpet, is strictly prohibited. This way you will only break up the particles of the substance, expanding the volume of evaporation. You should also not vacuum the contaminated area, otherwise a warm motor will increase the rate of evaporation, and the vacuum cleaner itself will subsequently have to be thrown away.

If mercury balls get on things, they should be destroyed. Machine washing is prohibited, as it will not save clothes - they will become dangerous in the future.

It is not allowed to flush the collected substance down the sink or toilet, as it is heavy and will most likely remain in the water pipe. How long does it take for mercury to evaporate under such conditions? Both long and intense. Thus, you will be constantly exposed to toxic fumes.

Even if a jar containing particles of toxic metal has been carefully sealed, you should not throw it into a trash container or garbage disposal. Sooner or later it will break and other people will be in danger.

Where is mercury disposed of?

In general, if the mercury is on a flat, smooth surface or on a lint-free surface, then collecting it will not be difficult. In addition to the above methods, you can use a sheet of plain paper. But what to do next with this jar if you can’t throw it away? Special organizations can help in this matter, such as:

• sanitary-epidemiological service;
• management of the Ministry of Emergency Situations;
• mercury recycling service.

You need to call one of them and take the jar with the collected mercury to the specified address. Just be sure to ensure that it was carefully packaged. By the way, it is also advisable to recycle the clothes and shoes you wore for cleaning. For this reason, mercury collection is carried out wearing gloves and a special suit.

If it was not possible to collect mercury

When a thermometer breaks, mercury particles often fly quite far. They can get on upholstered furniture, in places where clothes and other things are stored, roll under the baseboard or end up in floor crevices. In such a situation, it is very difficult to collect every last drop. And only specialists can help here. Before the brigade arrives, you need to remove all people and pets from the contaminated room and open the window.

Upon arrival, special services workers will determine the level of mercury vapor concentration, conduct a thorough cleaning and identify items that will need to be disposed of.

MERCURY IN THE APARTMENT

There is no need to talk about what mercury looks like.

Everyone has seen the mysterious liquid metal behind the thin glass of a medical thermometer, or, worse, small silver balls scattered across the table or floor. A broken thermometer is the most common cause of mercury vapor entering indoor air. If the metal is collected in a timely manner and completely, then you can forget about the unfortunate incident. If collected, but not immediately, then it’s also not very scary - 1 gram, which is exactly how much mercury is contained in a regular domestically produced medical thermometer (up to 2 grams in an imported thermometer for a similar purpose), in a normal situation it’s still not such a large amount to cause severe poisoning. Mercury vapor concentrations reach critically dangerous levels only under certain conditions (liquid mercury is dangerous primarily due to its volatility). Intensive ventilation for 1-2 months - and the air is almost clean: mercury concentrations “by themselves” are reduced to insignificant values. Danger exists in the following cases:

• mercury got on upholstered furniture, carpet, children's toys, clothes, rolled under the baseboard or into the cracks of the parquet;
• the mercury was not collected, and it was spread on the soles of slippers and furry paws throughout the apartment;
• mercury has entered the digestive tract of a person (usually a child).

The most serious case is not the third one. Symptoms of mercury poisoning (if it enters through the esophagus) are immediately visible - bluishness of the face, shortness of breath, etc. The first thing to do in such a situation is to dial the ambulance number and induce vomiting in the patient. With timely medical care, a person’s life and health are saved. But the most dangerous thing is when mercury remains undetected and enters the body by inhaling vapors. Mercury is a substance of hazard class I (according to GOST 17.4.1.02-83), a thiol poison. The degree of toxic effect of mercury is determined primarily by how much of the metal managed to react in the body before it was removed from there, i.e. It is not the mercury itself that is dangerous, but the compounds it forms. When mercury enters the body in high concentrations, it has the ability to accumulate in internal organs: kidneys, heart, brain. Intoxication occurs mainly through the respiratory tract; about 80% of inhaled mercury vapor is retained in the body. Salts and oxygen contained in the blood contribute to the absorption of mercury, its oxidation and the formation of mercury salts. Acute poisoning with mercury salts manifests itself in intestinal upset, vomiting, and swelling of the gums. Characterized by a decline in cardiac activity, the pulse becomes rare and weak, fainting is possible... With chronic poisoning with mercury and its compounds, a metallic taste in the mouth, loose gums, severe salivation, easy excitability, and weakened memory appear. The likelihood of such poisoning exists in all rooms where mercury is in contact with air. Particularly dangerous are the smallest drops of spilled mercury that have clogged up under baseboards, linoleum, in floor crevices, in the pile of carpets and upholstery. The total surface of small mercury balls is large, and evaporation is more intense. If mercury balls fall on heated floors, evaporation is significantly accelerated. With prolonged exposure to even relatively low concentrations (on the order of hundredths and thousandths of mg/m3), damage to the nervous system occurs. Main symptoms: headache, increased excitability, irritability, decreased performance, fatigue, sleep disturbance, memory impairment, apathy (mercurial neurasthenia). At the same time, catarrhal phenomena of the upper respiratory tract occur. There is even a term: Mercurialism - “general poisoning of the body due to chronic exposure to mercury vapor and its compounds, slightly exceeding the sanitary norm, for several months or years.”

The concentrations of mercury vapor that can lead to severe chronic diseases range from 0.001 to 0.005 mg/m3 when exposed for several months. Acute poisoning can occur at 0.13 - 0.80 mg/m3. Fatal intoxication develops when 2.5 g of mercury vapor is inhaled. The maximum permissible concentration of mercury vapor in the atmospheric air is 0.0003 mg/m3 (GN 2.1.6.1338-03 “Maximum permissible concentrations (MAC) of pollutants in the atmospheric air of populated areas”). The “Sanitary and Epidemiological Requirements for Residential Buildings and Premises” (SanPiN 2.1.2.1002-00) contains a ban on exceeding this value.

A broken thermometer immediately creates up to 100-200 MPC in the room where the drops remain (data from “Ecospace” 2014). With such a concentration of mercury vapor in the indoor air, a healthy adult after some time (from several days to several months) begins to show signs of chronic mercury poisoning. For violations of a child’s health, 1.5 times the maximum permissible concentration in the same period is sufficient. However, mercury concentrations intensively decrease by the 3rd day to 50-80 MPC due to weathering of atomic mercury (not metallic)

It is necessary to take into account that if the apartment you live in is not new, then there is a possibility that the thermometers in it have already been broken. And where your office is now located, warehouses or workshops of enterprises whose activities could be associated with the use of mercury were previously located. A characteristic feature of mercury pollution is its hidden, local nature. Such contamination can only be detected using special equipment. The data we obtained indicate that the presence of mercury vapor, including in concentrations exceeding the MPC in public, Fig. 1, and residential, Fig. 2, indoors, is not at all uncommon. Therefore, examining an apartment or office for the presence of mercury vapor in the air is a necessary condition for your peace of mind. Modern equipment allows you to quickly and reliably establish the presence of sources of mercury vapor in rooms and on the ground. Typically, an inspection of an apartment or office takes no more than an hour.

Below, for example, are tables showing the frequency of detection of mercury vapor by our specialists in residential and office premises for 9 months of 2007 (in figures, the number of premises examined):

Fig.1. 1 - mercury was not detected, 2 - mercury was found in concentrations not exceeding the MPC, 3 - mercury was detected in concentrations exceeding the MPC.

Rice. 2. 1 - mercury was not detected, 2 - mercury was found in concentrations not exceeding the MPC, 3 - mercury was detected in concentrations exceeding the MPC.

It is worth considering that if calls from our specialists to residential premises to analyze the air for mercury were mainly associated with a reasonable suspicion of the presence of mercury in the air, then in the case of offices, mercury analysis was carried out for preventive purposes.
The question often arises: is it possible to poison the air in the entire apartment with one broken thermometer? According to our research (Ecospace), if a thermometer is broken in an apartment and visible mercury balls are removed, then the concentration of vapors usually does not exceed the maximum permissible concentration. Under ideal conditions (good ventilation, large apartment volume), mercury in such an amount (less than 1 gram) will evaporate in a few months without causing significant harm to the health of residents. In half of the cases, mercury vapor was detected (in concentrations 5-6 times lower than the MPC), even if all the visible part of the metallic mercury, according to residents, was collected. Several times we have recorded significant excesses of permissible concentrations of mercury vapor in the internal air of an apartment (2-4 times). However, here there was repeated release of mercury into the room from broken thermometers (2-3 times), most often on carpets and/or upholstered furniture. In any case, mercury vapor, even in low concentrations, is not what a person should breathe in the already unhealthy atmosphere of a metropolis.

What to do if the thermometer breaks? The first thing is not to panic; in everyday conditions, competent demercurization can be carried out independently. Next:

1. Open the windows to allow fresh air to enter and lower the temperature in the room (the warmer the apartment, the more active metal evaporation occurs).
2. Restrict access of people to the room where the thermometer broke (close the doors) in order to prevent the spread of mercury into adjacent rooms and the spread of vapors throughout the apartment, lay a rug soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate at the entrance.
3. Start the demercurization process. Currently, several companies produce kits for neutralizing household mercury contamination.

Usually the kit comes with detailed instructions. It is useful to have it in your home medicine cabinet, but we assume that you do not have such a kit. Therefore you need to do the following:

• Carry out a thorough inspection of things and surfaces on which drops of mercury may have fallen. When inspecting things and surfaces, you can illuminate them with a lamp, then even the smallest drops will be clearly visible. All contaminated items should be placed in plastic bags and removed from the premises.
• Using rubber gloves, carefully and carefully collect all thermometer fragments and mercury balls into any sealed container (for example, a glass jar with a plastic lid). A medical bulb with a thin tip, an enamel scoop, a sheet of thick paper, and an adhesive plaster will help well in this work. We strongly do not recommend using a vacuum cleaner, although professional demercurizers often use this technique. Firstly, when collecting mercury with a vacuum cleaner in a room, the concentration of vapors sharply increases and when working without protective equipment, you can get noticeable poisoning. Secondly, after such a procedure, a regular vacuum cleaner can no longer be used for its intended purpose due to severe contamination. Washing vacuum cleaners can only be restored after thorough washing with special solutions.
• Treat the floor and objects on which mercury has come into contact with a solution of potassium permanganate or a chlorine-containing preparation. Complete chemical demercurization takes place in 2 stages. Stage 1: in a plastic (not metal!) bucket, a solution of chlorine-containing bleach “Belizna” is prepared at the rate of 1 liter of product per 8 liters of water (2% solution). The resulting solution is used to wash the floor and other contaminated surfaces using a sponge, brush or cloth. Particular attention is paid to the cracks of parquet and baseboards. The applied solution is left for 15 minutes, then washed off with clean water. Stage 2: the clean floor is treated with a 0.8% solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate): 1 gram per 8 liters of water. These solutions are safe for parquet and linoleum and do not change their color and texture. Chemically bound mercury is a black salt.
• In the future, it is advisable to regularly wash the floor with a chlorine-containing preparation and intensive ventilation.

The essence of this type of demercurization is that instead of liquid mercury, its compounds are formed - mercury salts, which do not release toxic fumes into the air and are dangerous only if they enter the esophagus. Experience shows that as a result of timely demercurization, the concentration of mercury vapor in the internal air of an apartment drops by 5-10 times!

4. Think about your own health:

a) wash gloves and shoes with potassium permanganate and soap-soda solution;
b) rinse your mouth and throat with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate;
c) brush your teeth thoroughly;
d) take 2-3 tablets of activated carbon.

5. Regarding the disposal of mercury (it cannot be poured down the drain, thrown out the window or along with household waste), you must contact the regional Ministry of Emergency Situations. There you are required to take mercury, although sometimes you need to be persistent. However, you can do without the Ministry of Emergency Situations - just collect the mercury in a plastic bag, cover it with bleach (or other chlorine-containing preparations), and wrap it in several plastic bags. You can be sure that the mercury is securely isolated.

If there are any doubts about the correctness of the actions for collecting mercury, its presence and location in the apartment, it is advisable to call specialists. Ecologists will carry out the necessary measurements and search for mercury residues, and give recommendations on removing the metal from the premises.

Maksimova O.A.
Candidate of Geological and Mineralogical Sciences.
"Ecology of living space"