PHOTO: The Haz-Mat team from Berkeley was called in to Lakewood today after a thermometer broke and leaked, an official tells TLS.
The homeowner reportedly called Poison Control after noticing the substance leaking from the broken device.
The Health Department reached out for the Haz-Mat team, being that the older thermometer contained mercury – a potentially very hazardous chemical, the official said.
The Coventry Square home was evacuated as Haz-Mat officials removed the mercury.
seems like a bit overkill for a leaky mercuy thermometer, as long as you dont eat it you should be okay to just wipe it up, but I could be wrong..
Mercury is a hazardous material.
What do you plan on doing with it once you “wipe” it up? Throw it the the trash or flush it? So you contaminate our drinking water?
Welcome to The United Nanny-States of America.
Listen Steve, Our drinking water is not from the same source as the sewer water.
http://www.epa.gov/hg/spills/#thermometer
What to Do if a Mercury Thermometer Breaks
NOTE: these instructions also apply to spills from other sources, if the amount spilled is less than or similar to the amount in a thermometer (see specific information about how to clean up broken fluorescent bulbs)
Have everyone else leave the area; don’t let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out. Make sure all pets are removed from the area. Open all windows and doors to the outside; shut all doors to other parts of the house.
DO NOT allow children to help you clean up the spill.
Mercury can be cleaned up easily from the following surfaces: wood, linoleum, tile and any similarly smooth surfaces.
If a spill occurs on carpet, curtains, upholstery or other absorbent surfaces, these contaminated items should be thrown away in accordance with the disposal means outlined below. Only cut and remove the affected portion of the contaminated carpet for disposal.
Items needed to clean up a small mercury spill
1. 4-5 ziplock-type bags
2. trash bags (2 to 6 mils thick)
3. rubber, nitrile or latex gloves
4. paper towels
5. cardboard or squeegee
6. eyedropper
7. duct tape, or shaving cream and small paint brush
8. flashlight
9. powdered sulfur (optional)
Cleanup Instructions
Put on rubber, nitrile or latex gloves.
If there are any broken pieces of glass or sharp objects, pick them up with care. Place all broken objects on a paper towel. Fold the paper towel and place in a zip lock bag. Secure the bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
Locate visible mercury beads. Use a squeegee or cardboard to gather mercury beads. Use slow sweeping motions to keep mercury from becoming uncontrollable. Take a flashlight, hold it at a low angle close to the floor in a darkened room and look for additional glistening beads of mercury that may be sticking to the surface or in small cracked areas of the surface. Note: Mercury can move surprising distances on hard-flat surfaces, so be sure to inspect the entire room when “searching.”
Use the eyedropper to collect or draw up the mercury beads. Slowly and carefully squeeze mercury onto a damp paper towel. Place the paper towel in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.
After you remove larger beads, put shaving cream on top of small paint brush and gently “dot” the affected area to pick up smaller hard-to-see beads. Alternatively, use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments. Place the paint brush or duct tape in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.
OPTIONAL STEP: It is OPTIONAL to use commercially available powdered sulfur to absorb the beads that are too small to see. The sulfur does two things: (1) it makes the mercury easier to see since there may be a color change from yellow to brown and (2) it binds the mercury so that it can be easily removed and suppresses the vapor of any missing mercury. Where to get commercialized sulfur? It may be supplied as mercury vapor absorbent in mercury spill kits, which can be purchased from laboratory, chemical supply and hazardous materials response supply manufacturers.
Note: Powdered sulfur may stain fabrics a dark color. When using powdered sulfur, do not breathe in the powder as it can be moderately toxic. Additionally, users should read and understand product information before use.
If you choose not to use this option, you may want to request the services of a contractor who has monitoring equipment to screen for mercury vapors. Consult your local environmental or health agency to inquire about contractors in your area. Place all materials used with the cleanup, including gloves, in a trash bag. Place all mercury beads and objects into the trash bag. Secure trash bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
Contact your local health department, municipal waste authority or your local fire department for proper disposal in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
Remember to keep the area well ventilated to the outside (i.e., windows open and fans in exterior windows running) for at least 24 hours after your successful cleanup. Continue to keep pets and children out of cleanup area. If sickness occurs, seek medical attention immediately. View information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury. For additional information on health effects, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provides a Mercury Fact Sheet that also presents information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury.
Recommendation: If there are young children or pregnant women in the house, seek additional advice from your local or state health or state environmental agency.
how did they deal with all the thousands of broken mercury thermometer’s for over a hundred years – before they were banned? Did they call the Haz- Mat team every time then too?
mercury is a deadly poison which gives off a vapor which is hazardous. The hat making industry used to use mercury in making hats, thus the expression mad as a hatter came about because hat makers became insane from the poisonous mercury vapor. My question is how the dental industry allows the use of mercury and silver amalgam in tooth fillings, even nowadays when it is well know how toxic mercury is. By the way, when I was a kid and a thermometer broke, I thought it rather fun to play with the beads of mercury. B”H I am not mad as a hatter. I don’t think I’d call poison control if I broke a mercury thermometer. I would quietly dispose of it without any fanfare.
To #5 Anonymous,
If you think the water you flush in your toilet or that goes down the drain, doesn’t come back to your tap, you are mistaken. Why do you think they tell you not to flush medication? Your sewage goes to a treatment plant where it treats the water to remove bacteria and such. Once the treatment is completed, its goes back into lakes and streams and eventually makes its way back to your sink where you drink with it and cook with it. Now, if you flush chemicals and medication, there is still residual left over, even after all the treatment. So don’t flush your mercury or medication. Did you ever wonder why fish has mercury in it? Mercury doesn’t occur naturally in fish. Its from contaminated water.
@ 8
mercury is only toxic vapor when vaporized which only occurs when it is boiled. In fact it is one of the few elements that are liquid at room temp. so unless you leave it out in the sun you don’t really stand much of a risk.