If the spill is more than about two tablespoons, call the National Response Center (NRC) hotline at (800) 424-8802 immediately. You can easily tell if the thermometer that you are using is mercury or spirit filled by looking at the color of the fluid in it: mercury is red, hydrocarbon is blue. Unlike mercury in the mercury thermometer, alcohol is less toxic and evaporates quickly. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. This amount clean mercury out of the glass tube is enough to poison a human body of varying severity. Along with this important advantage, thermometers based on mercury are very harmful, and even dangerous drawback is the toxicity of the substance and tendency to accumulate in the body, which can even lead to fatal cases of poisoning. What You Should Know About Mercury Thermometers The small silvery ball in a mercury thermometer can be dangerous if the glass breaks and the mercury is not cleaned up properly. Place all broken objects on a paper towel. Liquid crystal thermometers aren’t as accurate but are safe and easy to use and give you enough of a general idea to allay anxieties. Mercury is a dangerous metal. How dangerous is mercury from a thermometer for people. These are similar to mercury thermometers in both price and use. Digital thermometers are safer than glass thermometers because these do not contain mercury. Secure the bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department. We carry a full range of spirit filled thermometers. Don't wash mercury-contaminated clothing. The above properties make the metal indispensible in the manufacture of thermometers. If you have a mercury thermometer, replace it with a digital thermometer. The typical "fever thermometer" contains between 0.5 and 0.3 g (0.28 and 0.17 drachms) of elemental mercury. Remove contaminated clothing and flush skin with water for 15 minutes to remove as much mercury as possible. Safe handling tips where its use is unavoidable include the following. Carbamazepine overdose: symptoms and treatment, Bromism – what it is, symptoms, treatment, Tablets chloramphenicol and alcohol: compatibility and interoperability, Mercury: lethal dose, and effect on human health, Chronic mercury poisoning: symptoms of intoxication, What happens if you drink mercury from a thermometer, How dangerous radiation is to humans and what it is, What kind of radiation most dangerous to humans, Harmful if a doctor and than it is dangerous to humans, Poisonous plant cow parsnip: what is dangerous to humans, Flower Euphorbia poisonous room: how dangerous to humans. The first thing to remember if you break a mercury thermometer is that the silvery substance contained within those glass tubes has the potential to be highly toxic. Mercury thermometers are no longer recommended because they can break and allow mercury — which is toxic — to escape. However, mercury and any connections with it are quite toxic and poisonous. Wearing Shoe covers, rubber gloves, a respirator or moistened cotton-gauze bandage, which was moistened with water or strong solution of soda for respiratory protection from the action of vapors. Do not clean up spilled mercury with bare hands. To prevent the access of people in the room, which is poisoned with mercury. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature. Swallowing this amount of mercury would pose little danger but the inhaling of the vapour could lead to health problems. To treat mercury poisoning only in the hospital. The element affects reproductive organs and can damage a fetus. Some effects of mercury contact can be immediate, but the effects of mercury exposure also may be delayed. In addition to the mercury, the broken glass poses an issue on its own and can be harmful to anyone who comes into contact with it. 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