Can a broken thermometer cause mercury poisoning?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Vu Huu Thang - Emergency Resuscitation Doctor - Emergency Resuscitation Department - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital. The doctor has nearly 10 years of experience in Emergency Resuscitation.
Mercury thermometers are very useful medical devices, commonly used to measure body temperature. However, because it is made of glass, the thermometer is easy to break, causing the mercury in the thermometer to spread out. So is the mercury in the thermometer toxic? When a mercury thermometer breaks, how should it be handled?

1. Is it dangerous to swallow mercury in a thermometer?

Mercury in thermometers is a very toxic form of pure mercury, but if the thermometer breaks and children accidentally swallow mercury, parents do not need to worry too much. Because mercury is absorbed insignificantly from the gastrointestinal tract (about 0.01% through the healthy intestine), the amount of mercury in the thermometer is quite small, a few days later the mercury will be excreted without causing symptoms of poisoning. any. Worldwide, there have been many reports of children accidentally swallowing mercury without being affected.
Ingestion of mercury is only dangerous when the person swallowing is suffering from gastrointestinal diseases such as intestinal perforation, at this time mercury will be absorbed in large amounts into the blood and can cause acute poisoning.

2. The danger when mercury in the thermometer is released into the air

Although very little absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, mercury is very toxic when inhaled directly by children. In mercury thermometer breakage accidents, the most dangerous thing is that the mercury is released into the air and is inhaled into the lungs. When entering the lungs, mercury will pass through the alveolar membrane into the blood to the functional organs such as kidneys, liver and spleen, central nervous system causing severe pneumonia, memory loss, lethargy, convulsions, vomiting, enteritis. In some cases, exposure to large amounts of mercury can cause acute poisoning, respiratory failure, and even death.

3. Signs of mercury poisoning

When mercury poisoning, the patient will have a metallic taste in the mouth, then feel severe headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, bad voice, body aches, cold stomach. Because mercury vapor irritates the respiratory tract, there are symptoms of cough, cough with sputum, shortness of breath, pale skin. In the oral cavity, the gums are red and swollen, the mucosa is broken and bleeding. Mercury vapor penetrates through the skin causing allergic dermatitis, itching, often on the face, neck, armpits, thighs. Some patients have insomnia, mental panic, mood swings.

4. What to do to avoid poisoning when the mercury in the thermometer is broken?

When a mercury thermometer breaks, the mercury leaks out, forming mercury particles that roll onto the ground. To avoid poisoning when the mercury evaporates, the most important thing is to get children and loved ones to a safe area quickly. Then change into old clothes, put on rubber gloves, a medical mask and start collecting mercury.
Use a wet cotton swab or thin paper to collect the mercury, put the mercury particles in a sealed glass jar. The movement when collecting mercury must be very gentle to avoid the mercury particles dissociating into smaller particles, making it difficult to clean up. If possible, sprinkle some sulfur powder on it, because sulfur reacts with mercury to form compounds that are more difficult to evaporate. If sulfur is not available, egg yolks can be substituted for the same effect. After cleaning, you have to open all the doors to let the area air for a few hours, then you can go back to normal activities. After a mercury recovery, the glass jar containing the mercury must be sealed, wrapped in several layers of plastic, taped with tape and clearly marked with a label on the outside, and then placed in the sorted trash. Absolutely do not pour the collected mercury down the drains because it will contaminate the water source. Clothes that have been contaminated with mercury should be discarded. If you want to use them again, wash them thoroughly. It is recommended to soak in cold water for 30 minutes, then soak for 30 minutes in soapy water at a temperature of 770-80 degrees, and then soak for another 20 minutes in high-temperature water mixed with chemicals. Finally rinse with cold water. Take children to medical facilities for monitoring and treatment when children show signs of mercury poisoning or swallow mercury. To limit the risk of mercury poisoning in the thermometer due to a broken thermometer, after using the thermometer, store the thermometer in a safe location, out of the reach of children, do not let the child suck the thermometer, if conditionally, should switch to using an electronic thermometer because it gives fast, accurate and safe results.

With areas near Vinmec Health System hospitals that can immediately transfer patients to Vinmec hospital, the hospital always prepares enough human resources to cope in case of poisoning, to prevent further poisoning.
Vinmec International Hospital's Emergency Resuscitation Department operates 24/24 on all days of the week, including Saturdays and Sundays as well as holidays of the year. With diagnostic imaging equipment and Modern testing, especially specialized heavy-duty ambulances with a full range of supporting machines for severe patients traveling long distances in the subclinical field as well as in transporting serious patients on request. . The team of emergency doctors and nurses at the Emergency - Resuscitation Department of Vinmec International General Hospital are intensively and professionally trained, able to receive and handle urgent cases of patients, and at the same time always has coordinated with all specialties of the Hospital in a methodical and quick manner. At Vinmec Emergency and Resuscitation Department, patients will be examined, diagnosed, quickly and accurately treated and treated according to the priority of emergency until the critical condition is over.

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