LovesTheTeam.com

Why is mercury removal called demercurization? From ancient Roman word "mercury" is translated as "mercury", and the prefix "de" denotes an action opposite to what is called the motivating noun of "mercury".

Before You Begin

If you broke a thermometer, you must immediately open itAll the windows in the room where this happened, as well as close all the doors. Mercury vapor should not penetrate into other rooms. Limit the place where you found the mercury drops. This metal sticks to different surfaces and can easily be in the next room.

How to collect mercury correctly

If you yourself decided to conduct demercurization,you need to follow some recommendations. These rules are necessary so that you do not poison yourself with poisonous vapors. The first stage of demercurization is the collection of mercury. Before this, it is necessary to wear rubber gloves and polyethylene shoe covers. Do not forget about the protection of the respiratory system, wear a gauze bandage moistened in a solution of baking soda or plain water. First, collect all the fragments of the thermometer in a jar of water. Water is needed to prevent mercury from evaporating further. Do not miss a single small fragment, as it can contain a drop of poisonous metal. Take this seriously. The mercury droplets that are on the floor can be collected with a syringe or a rubber pear. Then they need to be sent to the same jar of water. If mercury could be behind the baseboard or under the parquet, you need to remove them and check it. Often, the collection of droplets is delayed, so every 15 minutes to take a break and go out into the fresh air, not forgetting to close the door to the room. The bank in which you collected mercury should be tightly closed with a lid and stored away from heat sources. Do not throw it away! Call the Emergency Ministry or a special mercury recycling company and you will be taken away from it. Once the mercury collection is completed, you need to treat the accident site with a solution of potassium permanganate or bleach. It is better to use lime, since chlorine reacts much better with mercury.

Errors in demercurization

Many people incorrectly collect mercury andthey endanger not only themselves, but also their neighbors. Never collect mercury droplets with a vacuum cleaner! In most cases, it only increases the area of ​​evaporation. Even if you have a state-of-the-art vacuum cleaner with filters of the latest generation, some part of the mercury will still settle on the hose. Never flush mercury in the toilet. This is the most common mistake demercurizers-lovers. Just a few grams of mercury can pollute a huge amount of water.