Some people accidentally broke the thermometer when using a mercury thermometer to measure their body temperature, and the mercury flowed out. The mercury in the thermometer is a toxic liquid metal. Will it be poisoned if the thermometer is accidentally broken by us? Therefore, many people are more panicked. Don’t panic and don’t be anxious. These methods will help you solve your questions and answer questions. Let’s take a look with the editor below.
Is it toxic if mercury is broken? mercury is commonly known as mercury, a silver-white liquid metal, which is corrosive and health hazards. If the thermometer is broken, the mercury concentration in the room can exceed the standard several times, and may even lead to mercury poisoning.
At room temperature, mercury will evaporate. Only when a large amount of mercury vapor is inhaled in a short period of time can mercury be poisoned. It is generally manifested as symptoms such as fever, dizziness, headache, etc., accompanied by oral inflammation and gastroenteritis, which will damage the lungs, kidneys, and central nervous system. Mercury is indeed a potentially harmful heavy metal. The damage is mainly volatile mercury vapor, but as long as it is handled properly in time, it will not have a significant impact. Therefore, there is no need to panic too much.
What to do if the mercury thermometer is broken?
1. If the water thermometer is broken, you cannot simply wipe it with napkins or other napkins. Instead, you will immediately open the window for ventilation and clean it in time to speed up the spread of mercury vapor. Generally speaking, as long as it is not direct contact, a mercury thermometer will not cause too much damage.
2. In case of accidentally breaking the mercury thermometer, the small mercury beads on the ground can be collected with small shovels, syringes, wet cotton swabs, etc., and do not discard them at will. If mercury enters the body, or has symptoms of mercury poisoning, it must be sent to the hospital for treatment immediately.
3. The best way to deal with the thermometer breaking is to sprinkle some sulfur powder on the mercury, so that the mercury will undergo a chemical reaction, and combine it with the sulfur in the sulfide powder to form black agglomerated mercury sulfide.
4. If there is no sulfur powder, you can also use a rubber-headed dropper to suck the mercury into the pipe and bury it deep into the soil with the dropper so that the mercury will not evaporate and cannot be poured directly into the sewer or into the trash can with other garbage.
What should I do if the thermometer is broken and the mercury cannot be found?
Open the doors and windows to let the mercury evaporate with the wind. At the same time, try to clean and clean the ground. Don't touch it with your hands, because mercury is highly toxic. After cleaning, don’t care about the mercury you can’t find anymore, because the mercury will evaporate, so that it will evaporate cleanly after a period of time. However, you must ensure moderate ventilation in the room, because volatile mercury is also toxic. The room with mercury leak should be isolated from other rooms to maintain the best ventilation conditions for the mercury leak room, and if possible, increase the room temperature. If other rooms are also inhabited, it is best to maintain good ventilation.
What to do if the thermometer is broken and your hand touches mercury?
Liquid mercury is basically non-toxic, and it will not cause any special damage if it is accidentally touched by skin. Liquid mercury will only turn into highly toxic mercury steam under direct ultraviolet rays. Therefore, as long as you don’t play with mercury in the outdoor sun for a long time, there is basically no risk of mercury poisoning.
If you only get in touch with a little bit, it will usually be fine. It is recommended to apply some milk on the skin, wash off the part with clean water, and observe that there is nothing to do for a few days. Then, I have closely observed the changes in my body in the past two days and contacted the doctor in time if there are any problems.
If you swallow mercury accidentally, you can drink milk in large gulps
Generally speaking, daily necessities contain mostly metal mercury, and the content is very small. Even if they enter the body, they will not be absorbed by the digestive tract. It can be excreted from the feces from a few hours or as many as ten hours. If you accidentally swallow mercury, you should be taken to the hospital immediately and take a lot of milk or egg whites to combine the protein and mercury to protect the gastric mucosa. If the wound encounters mercury, you should also go to the hospital's poisoning prevention and treatment department for examination, and then treat it after poisoning occurs.
How to use a mercury thermometer
It is very important to use a thermometer correctly. First, to avoid mercury poisoning caused by breaking the thermometer, and second, to maintain the temperature accuracy of the thermometer. There are three commonly used parts to measure body temperature, namely the mouth, armpits and anus.
1. Methods for measuring axillary. We first throw the mercury thermometer to below 35℃, and then put the mercury end of the thermometer on the top of the armpit and clamp it. Make sure the thermometer is in close contact with the skin and remove the thermometer after about 5 minutes. After reading the degree, wipe it clean with a draw paper so that it will be used again next time. The armpits are more likely to sweat. When measuring, you must first wipe the sweat under the armpits. When measuring body temperature in the axillary, it is important to note that the time should be controlled between 5-6 minutes.
2. Oral measurement method. First, throw the meter of the mercury thermometer below 35℃, place the thermometer under your tongue and press it slightly with a little force. Before this, remember to disinfect the surface of the thermometer before placing it in the mouth. The time is 3 minutes, remember not to talk in the middle. When measuring the mouth, be careful not to bite the thermometer too hard. If it is broken, it will be risky of poisoning. It is best not to use this measurement method for patients and children who are not aware of it. After the oral temperature measurement is measured, wipe it clean with a paper, then wipe the entire mercury thermometer with an alcohol cotton ball and put it back in place for use next time.
3. Anal measurement method. It is generally used for coma patients or children. The patient is lying on his back, lubricates the head of the anus with oil, and slowly inserts it into the anus until it reaches 1/2 of the anus. It is left for 3 minutes before reading.
The body temperature of the human body is generally relatively constant in a healthy state, that is, it is maintained around 37℃ (approximately 36.2℃~37.3℃), and will not change due to changes in the external ambient temperature. So for most normal people, the oral temperature range is between 36.7℃ and 37.7℃, the axillary temperature range is between 36.0℃ and 37.4℃, and the rectal temperature range is between 36.9℃ and 37.9℃.
The body temperature of a normal person fluctuates slightly within 24 hours, and generally does not exceed 1℃. Under physiological conditions, it is slightly lower in the morning and slightly higher in the afternoon or after exercise and eating. The temperature in the elderly is slightly lower, while that in women is slightly higher before menstruation or during pregnancy. Generally, women during pregnancy will take daily measurements to observe their basal body temperature.