|
|
| |
 |
|
| Mercury |
|
| 
General Information about
Mercury
How to Identify Mercury
in the Home
Proper Cleanup and Disposal
of Spilled Mercury
Environmental and
Health Concerns Related to Mercury
|
General Information about Mercury |
Mercury
(Hg) is a common element found naturally in
a free state or mixed in ores. It may also be
in rocks and released during a volcanic eruption.
Mercury is very dense, expands and contracts
evenly with temperature change and has high
electrical conductivity, which is why mercury
is used in so many applications.
|
How to Identify Mercury
in the Home |
 Mercury
is commonly identified in the household by a
silver line in a fever thermometer or a capsule
of mercury in an electrical switch. Mercury
is in fluorescent light tubes; thermostats;
barometers; and fever, basal, candy, deep fry
and oven thermometers. Mercury filled thermometers
are made of glass and have a silvery-white liquid
inside, which is the mercury. Other home thermometers
with a red or blue line commonly used to measure
outdoor temperature are alcohol based and do
not contain mercury. |
Proper Cleanup and Disposal of Spilled Mercury |
If
a silver-white mercury thermometer should
break, the mercury inside will evaporate,
posing the potential of mercury poisoning.
If
the mercury should spill from the thermometer,
keep people and pets away from the area. Turn
off any fans, air conditioners or heaters,
but open the windows to ventilate the area.
Never use a vacuum to clean up spilled mercury.
The heat and blowing air from the vacuum will
spread the mercury throughout your home. Do
not use a broom, either, as the broom will
spread the beads of mercury and also contaminate
the broom.
To
clean up any mercury that has spilled, use
gloves, an eyedropper and two pieces of paper
or cardboard. Take off any jewelry that may
come into contact with the mercury and put
on rubber gloves. If the mercury is on a hard
surface, use the paper to push the mercury
together into a pile and use the eyedropper
to suck it up. Place the mercury in a wide
mouth container and seal it closed. Small
beads of mercury can be picked up with sticky
tape and placed in a sealed plastic bag along
with gloves, eyedropper and paper. Bring these
items to the Otter Tail County Household Hazardous
Waste Facility or to a Scheduled Household
Hazardous Waste Mobile Collection. If mercury
should spill on a carpet, cut that section
out and place it in a sealed bag. If a thermometer
should break in a sink of water, the mercury
will sink to the bottom. Remove as much water
as possible without disturbing the mercury
and then recover the mercury with an eyedropper
and follow the same procedures as listed above.
|
|
Environmental and Health Concerns Related
to Mercury |
It
is important to know that if mercury containing
devices are improperly disposed of into the
trash, the mercury will find its way into
the environment and into the air, eventually
reaching Minnesota's bodies of water resulting
in fish consumption advisories. Mercury is
harmful to fish, waterfowl, wildlife and people.
Remember
the Mad Hatter in the story of Alice in Wonderland?
He was a hat maker. Hat makers used mercury
to make hats - and many hat makers suffered
from shakiness and insanity. In the 19th century,
hatters in Danbury, Connecticut suffered from
a disease that they call the Danbury Shakes,
a disease caused by mercury, a neurotoxin.
Here
are some of the health concerns and hazards
associated with mercury:
Mercury can be absorbed through the lungs;
mouth or skin as well as from eating mercury
contaminated fish.
Mercury affects the brain, spinal cord, kidneys
and liver; the nervous system and one's ability
to feel, taste and move.
If
you would like to learn more about mercury
or would like to have a presentation on mercury,
please contact the Otter
Tail County Solid Waste Department. |
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
©Copyright 2001- County of Otter Tail, Minnesota. U.S.A.
All Rights Reserved.
This web site is maintained by the Otter
Tail County GIS Office.
|
|
|
|
