My friend, another Lymie, dropped and broke a mercury thermometer in her bedroom this morning.
Since then she has had the door closed and the AC fan on all day. She said she tried to clean up the stuff with a stiff piece of cardboard, rolling some of the beads on, and after that she mopped the floor.
But her floors are wood, and her house is old, and the mercury instantly broke into dozens of teeny-tiny balls that lodged in the cracks between the floorboards (hence the name quicksilver, I guess).
What should she do?
I am not sure if it is safe to sleep in that room now. Does anyone know for sure? Will the vapors escape, and will that amount be sufficient to cause her more problems?
Are there any chemicals that can be spread out to render the stuff harmless -- I sort of remember hearing that powdered sulfur was used for that?
Another friend suggested an air purifier -- would this help? Be necessary?
Should she avoid sleeping in the room, and if so for how long?
She really is not strong enough to do too much in the way of cleaning or anything.
What should she do? (Besides move.)
Thanks.
Posts: 845 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2006
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Jill E.
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9121
posted
Most cities have a Hazardous Materials (HazMat team is what it's called here) team and department. Maybe she can call them, explain she is sick and ask for help.
Jill
-------------------- If laughter is the best medicine, why hasn't stand-up comedy cured me? Posts: 1773 | From San Diego | Registered: Apr 2006
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She called the special number and they were very helpful. (She feels much relieved now.)
They said that if she got up most of it, that it really was not that much to worry about. Also, they said that a thermometer has such a small amount of mercury that basic cleanup should be fine. But when she told them about her chronic-neuro Lyme they understood her concern and made a few additional suggestions.
For future reference, for anyone who's interested here they are:
Wearing gloves, use a couple of pieces of thin cardboard, and roll the beads onto one with the other, then throw the mess into a zip-lock bag.
Vent the room, with the door closed. Windows open.
To get the teeny-tiny bb-like pieces that roll between the floorboards, use any sticky tape.
The vapor is heavy and will stay near the floor, so use a fan to blow it toward the window.
The warmer it is the more vapors are produced (the vapor does not rise until 55 degrees F), so it is a good idea to crank the heat -- with the fan on and the window open -- for a few days to let the vapors escape and blow out the window. They did not know how long it took to gas out, but based on the amount they seemed to think it would be fairly soon. (They said for her to check with doc.)
Cover the contaminated area of the floor with flour of sulfur which will bind the vapors -- and then, much later, use a shop vac (shop vac is preferred because there are no metal parts) to suck up the mess. Afterwards run the vac outdoors for a half hour or so to clear it.
She said she is planning on doing all that, and sleeping in another room for a few days.
Posts: 845 | From Eastern USA | Registered: Jul 2006
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david1097
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 3662
posted
If you can find some cheap gold plated metal, the mercury will literally jump on to the gold. When I say cheap,there is a plating process call gold flashing where a very small amount of gold is deposited on the base metal. It usually will rub off if you handle it too much.
Some other harder to find metals like rhodium also display this effect.
Once the mercury binds to the gold, it will NOT unbind. This is one reason why it has been found that people with gold fillings can't be reliably tested for mercury... or at least the theory goes.
Posts: 1184 | From north america | Registered: Feb 2003
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posted
Thanks for the information. I do still have mercury thermometers.
Glad she will be safe after taking those precautions!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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charlie
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 25
posted
really I'd think that if the house is old there would be more of a problem with lead paint than a few drops of Hg. after all, all of your quiet switches and mercury vapor yard lites and thermostats contain mercury.
A few little beads down the floorboards shouldn't be a problem, I imagine you could silicone caulk the joints if it worries you.
Mercury in the cracks in the floor is in no way comparable to cramming it in your teeth or shooting it up in the form of thimerosal.
Charlie
Posts: 2804 | From Texas | Registered: Oct 2000
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