Re: mercury, possible ingestion

How toxic is elemental mercury?
Of all the forms of mercury, elemental mercury is the most commonly swallowed form of mercury, usually from a broken thermometer. Fortunately, elemental mercury from a thermometer is not absorbed from the stomach and will not cause any poisoning in a healthy person. In a healthy person, the slippery swallowed mercury will roll into the stomach, out in to the bowels and will be quickly eliminated without causing any symptoms. A person with severe inflammatory bowel disease or those with a fistula (hole or opening) in their gut may have problems with mercury if it is not all cleared out, resulting in prolonged exposure. Handling liquid mercury for a very short period of time usually does not result in any problems. An allergic rash is possible, though. Mercury is not well absorbed across the skin so skin contact is not likely to cause mercury poisoning, especially with a brief one-time exposure. Even if a person has cuts in their skin, mercury is too heavy to be contained by a cut. Merely washing the wound well will wash the mercury out of the wound.


Can elemental mercury be dangerous?
Inhalation of elemental mercury vapors is the main cause of toxicity, as mercury is well absorbed by the lungs. To develop problems by inhalation you need either a large one-time exposure or a long-term exposure. A small, one-time exposure is not likely to cause problems.

What never to do about a mercury spill:
Never sweep the area with a broom. Sweeping breaks the mercury into smaller droplets, further contaminating the room and the broom.
Never use an ordinary household vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury. Vacuuming vaporizes the mercury and increases the concentration of mercury in the air that can result in poisoning.
Never pour mercury down the sink drain. It may stay in the plumbing.
Never wash mercury contaminated clothes in the washing machine. Mercury can contaminate the washing machine.
Never walk around if your shoes or socks may be contaminated with mercury. That will spread the mercury droplets all over the house.
Never use household cleaning products to clean the spill, particularly products that contain ammonia or chlorine. These chemicals will react violently with mercury, releasing a toxic gas.


How do I clean up a spill from a broken thermometer?
Before beginning the clean up, change into old clothes and shoes that can be thrown away if they get contaminated with mercury. NOTE: If you are wearing gold jewelry, either remove the jewelry or wear good protective gloves. If the liquid mercury contacts the gold jewelry, the mercury bonds permanently to the gold and ruins it. Wearing gloves is a good idea to prevent mercury from lodging under the fingernails while cleaning.
Increase ventilation in the room with outside air and close the room off from the rest of the house. If available, use fans for at least one hour to help ventilate the room.
Pick up the mercury with an eyedropper or scoop up beads with a piece of heavy paper (e.g., playing cards, index cards).
Wide sticky tape such as duct tape can also be used to pick up any glass particles and mercury beads.
Powdered sulfur (which can be purchased at garden supply stores) can be used to bind any remaining mercury. When the sulfur combines with mercury the sulfur turns from the usual yellow color to brown. Continue to use sulfur until there is no longer a color change. Keep in mind that sulfur can be irritating to the skin, nose, throat and eyes. Sulfur may also stain fabrics.
Place the mercury, contaminated instruments (dropper/heavy paper) and any broken glass in a plastic zipper bag. Place this zipper bag in a second zipper bag and then in a third zipper bag (triple bag), tightly sealing each bag with tape. Place the bags in a wide-mouth, sealable plastic container.
Throw away everything that may have been exposed to the mercury including towels, bedding, clothes if they were contaminated.
Call your local health department for the nearest approved mercury disposal location. If disposal at such a location is not possible, dispose of the plastic container according to state and local requirements.
If weather permits, leave windows open for approximately two days to make sure the area is completely ventilated.
Wash hands very well with soap and water afterwards. Shower well if you think any mercury touched other parts of your body.


What if mercury falls into my sink?
If mercury enters into a sink full of water, the mercury will sink to the bottom. Remove as much water as possible without disturbing the mercury and them recover the mercury with an eyedropper. Place in a wide mouth container, close the lid and seal it with tape. Label it as mercury waste and call your state agency for appropriate disposal.
If mercury enters a drain it will get caught in your sink trap. Working over a tray, remove the trap and pour the contents into a large mouth container. Close the lid and seal it with tape. Label it as mercury waste and call your state agency for appropriate disposal.

Regardless of the method used for cleanup, there is very little risk of danger if the area is well ventilated. A spill of a large mount of mercury that is not immediately cleaned up can be a problem if family members breathe the mercury vapor.

From:
http://www.calpoison.org/public/mercury.html
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