Handle when the thermometer breaks to avoid mercury poisoning

When the thermometer breaks, collect pieces of metal and mercury particles by using a wet cotton pad or thin paper placed close to the ground to scoop up the mercury and pour it into a tightly-closed container, avoiding pouring down the drain to contaminate the water source.

Doctor Tong Thanh Sika, Emergency Department, Saigon Mind General Hospital said mercury is a chemical element with the symbol Hg in the periodic table, exists in many forms: elemental, inorganic and organic . This metal is insoluble in water, can be evaporated relatively easily at room temperature. Mercury is used in designs, manometers, mercury sphygmomanometers and other scientific devices.

Mercury in liquid form is less toxic but its compounds, vapors and salts are very toxic. Can cause brain and liver damage if people are exposed, breathing or eating. It also attacks the central and endocrine nervous system, affecting the mouth, jaw muscles, teeth, and even fetal defects.

This is a bioaccumulative toxin , easily absorbed through the skin, respiratory and digestive organs. Its inorganic compounds are less toxic than organic compounds but still cause significant environmental pollution because they produce organic compounds in the organism. One of the most unique compounds is Demetyl mercury , so dangerous that only a few microlides fall into the skin can be fatal.

When the thermometer breaks, be careful to collect mercury to avoid poisoning.(Photo: Health).

Mercury poisoning for humans is often the result of consuming some foods and foods contaminated with this substance for a long time. Accumulated mercury gradually increases with the food chain, such as large fish such as tuna or swordfish often contain more mercury than small fish.

Symptoms of acute mercury poisoning depend on the type of poisoning, exposure time, concentration . For example, if inhalation of mercury can lead to severe acute lung disease causing the victim to cough, breathless, and hurt chest pain, fever, chills . In addition, memory loss, stomatitis, lethargy, convulsions, vomiting, enteritis are also caused. These symptoms usually subside within a week. However, in some cases, it may be more severe, leading to acute pulmonary edema, respiratory failure and death. Chronic poisoning due to inhalation of mercury causes gingivitis, tremor in the hands, neurological disorders, metallic taste, difficulty breathing, vomiting.

So to avoid being poisoned, Dr. Sika advised everyone to be very careful, not to let mercury-containing devices such as a thermometer fall apart. In case of unfortunate breakage, attention should be paid to the following steps:

1. Check if mercury is attached to people and clothing.If it is necessary to remove it immediately, it is best to replace all clothes, wash skin with soap and water, wash eyes with physiological saline.
2. Clean the scattered mercury seeds by using a wet cotton ball or thin paper to lay the ground against the mercury base.Either way, mercury must be put in a sealed lid.Absolutely do not pour mercury, which has been collected into drains to avoid polluting the water source.
3. To clean mercury-stained clothes, it is necessary to soak in cold water for about 30 minutes.Soak for another 30 minutes in soapy water at 70-80 degrees Celsius. Then soak for 20 minutes at high temperatures in the bleach water.Finally rinse with cold water.
4. When there are signs of mercury poisoning such as headache, nausea, sore throat, fever . quickly bring the victim to the nearest medical facility to be promptly detoxified by a medical doctor to intervene.