Mostly mercury vapor intoxication leads to pneumonia, paralysis and blindness. Historically, mercury thermometers have been used for nearly all temperature measurements because of their accuracy and low cost. If you have an old mercury thermometer that you decide to use, shake it to get the mercury down to below 96 degrees F. Smartphone app thermometers. If you have a larger mercury spill than the drop or two from a thermometer and up to about two tablespoons, open the windows, leave the room, shut the door behind you, and call your local health authority immediately. In addition to the mercury, the broken glass poses an issue on its own and can be harmful to anyone who comes into contact with it. May manifest after a couple of years. As practice shows, mercury thermometers show the accurate temperature readings of the body, due to the high conductivity of mercury and almost linear expansion coefficient of the metal. Mercury thermometers are the most accurate means of measuring but rarely used now. For a long period of penetration into the body is small, but dangerous doses of mercury may provoke a severe inflammatory processes in organs and systems. These types of thermometers were found in nearly every house and hospital at one time before digital thermometers were available. In that case, if damaged mercury thermometer in a hospital, at work or at home, it is necessary to call the emergency services and implement the following recommendations: The collection of toxic metal need to carry out promptly, especially if the room is warm. The thermometer must be washed with ordinary soap or other body wash after each use. Alcohol thermometers are used in the place of mercury thermometers considering the safety of the chemical compound. to organize the supply of fresh air into the room; No need to panic, it is precisely to determine what crashed it mercury thermometer and place of the incident. It's never safe to touch mercury. Though you might not have any mercury thermometers in your home, chances are good you have other items that contain mercury, such as fluorescent or other mercury-containing light bulbs, or mercury-containing thermostats. Don't wash mercury-contaminated clothing. Mercury is a liquid metal that has been used in thermometers for many years, but it is toxic if swallowed or inhaled. Like all metals, the mercury in the thermometer when the temperature increases it expands, and when the temperature is reduced. However, their use is increasingly being restricted to industrial and scientific applications, as safety and environmental issues are demanding stricter laws on the disposal of products containing mercury. What You Should Know About Mercury Thermometers The small silvery ball in a mercury thermometer can be dangerous if the glass breaks and the mercury is not cleaned up properly. They pose a danger if they break and release the mercury, which is toxic. However, glass is very fragile, which means it can easily crack or break. Several other symptoms are possible, depending on the route and duration of exposure. If a person exposed to mercury stops breathing, use a bag and mask to give them air, but don't perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, since this contaminates the rescuer, too. When it comes to large spill of mercury, poisoning can also occur through mucous membranes and pores of the skin. Do not clean up spilled mercury with bare hands. It is to alleviate the condition poisoned and consists of events: Given measures should be carried out if victim is fully conscious. However, there was a time when mercury thermometers were the only and most reliable way of measuring body temperature. Very toxic are a pair of liquid mercury, as in the inhalation vapours reach the lungs, further, the mercury is oxidized and in the oxidized state negatively affects the condition of the body. Considering all the aspects of the negative impact of substances on the human body, it is necessary not only to detect the symptoms of mercury exposure, right remove and dispose of spills, but to provide emergency assistance. No, you should not use your old glass thermometer that contains mercury. But when all has crashed a thermometer with mercury, a danger for the human body are like shards of glass and spilled mercury from the glass tube. Bear in mind that these thermometers have mercury inside, a substance that can be dangerous if the thermometer breaks. If the thermometer is accidentally broken, do not panic, it is crucial to collect all metal balls. To prevent the access of people in the room, which is poisoned with mercury. The best action to do if you touch mercury is to seek immediate medical attention, even if you feel fine and aren't experiencing any obvious effects. You may have heard older people remark that it used to be common to use liquid mercury in labs and as students, they often poked at it with fingers and pencils. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. This allows to achieve high precision of the measuring instrument by the use of glass tubes of very small cross-section. Possible immediate effects may include dizziness, vertigo, flu-like symptoms, burning or irritation, pale or clammy skin, irritability, and emotional instability. In addition, exposure to mercury affects the central nervous system, damaging the brain, liver, kidneys, and blood. Expressed metallic taste, pain in the abdomen, head and swallowing and lack of appetite. The first thing to remember if you break a mercury thermometer is that the silvery substance contained within those glass tubes has the potential to be highly toxic. Mercury thermometers are no longer recommended because they can break and allow mercury — which is toxic — to escape. For this reason in some countries even refused to use thermometers on a mercury-based. These thermometers are filled with a hydrocarbon fluid that is environmentally safe. At home and even a hospital setting is widely used mercury thermometers, as they give a error of only 0.01°C. Using a glass-stem mercury- or spirit-filled thermometer at different immersion depths, or at significantly different ambient temperatures from which it was calibrated, might require the application of emergent-stem corrections that can be tedious but necessary to calculate an accurate measurement. If you have them, sulfur or zinc can be sprinkled onto mercury to form an amalgam, binding the mercury into a less reactive form. This prohibits the sale of measuring devices containing mercury, including thermometers and thermometers. You need to open the Windows and close all doors to ensure fresh air and exclude the draughts that can spread mercury vapor in the neighboring rooms. You may also replace it with a glass thermometer having alcohol or galinstan instead of mercury in it. Of course, identifying whether it is really mercury in your thermometer is an important step, however, it is always better to be safe than sorry. Although it has been removed from most thermometers because of safety concerns, you can still find it in thermostats and fluorescent lights. The element affects reproductive organs and can damage a fetus. Mercury spills are rare but can happen if you break a mercury thermometer, thermostat, or fluorescent bulb. Call your local health department, municipal waste authority or fire department for information on the proper disposal of the jar and contaminated clothing or carpets in accordance with local, state and federal laws. Liquid crystal thermometers aren’t as accurate but are safe and easy to use and give you enough of a general idea to allay anxieties. You should also exclude the ceasing of the language and to ensure supply of fresh air. Mercury thermometers have special issues for use and proper cleaning. It is important to remember that mercury is nothing like a highly toxic poison and belongs to the 1st class of very toxic substances. First aid for poisoning by mercury and its vapors. If scientific procedures cannot be performed with non-mercury thermometers, Teflon coated mercury thermometers should be used. Is my old mercury glass thermometer okay to use? Swallowing this amount of mercury would pose little danger but the inhaling of the vapour could lead to health problems. Chronic poisoning: in constant contact with metal, with long hours of work in a closed room with the vapor concentration is slightly higher than the MPC. If you have a mercury thermometer, replace it with a digital thermometer. Mercury Thermometers are dangerous. Depending on the duration of exposure and concentration of mercury there are the following types of poisoning: In most mercury toxic vapors enters the human body through the lungs. 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