In day to day use, Mercury is one of the most damaging elements.Federal, state, and local laws are involved in the disposal of liquid metal.Most household objects that contain mercury can be safely dealt with at home, then brought to a recycling center or some hardware stores for disposal.A crew that cleans spills larger than a pea is recommended.
Step 1: While you plan, leave the room.
Don't go to areas where mercury has been spilled until you are prepared to clean it up.All doors, windows, and vents in the building should be closed.Leave a sign on the door or let everyone know that the room is off-limits.Special efforts should be made to make sure children stay away.If you can blow the air to an outdoor window, you should turn on a fan.If possible, lower the temperature in the room.
Step 2: If there is a large spill, call a professional.
When possible, the spill should be handled by a professional.It's about the size of a pea, or the amount in a mercury thermometer.If the spill is small or not possible, skip the next step.If you want to hire environmental engineers or engineering services in your area, you should check your local yellow pages.Call our local, state, or national environmental response team if mercury was spilled outdoors.You can call in the US.
Step 3: Remove jewelry by removing gloves, clothing, and shoes.
When handling mercury, wear rubber, nitrile, latex, or vinyl gloves.It's a good idea to wear old clothes and shoes.All jewelry and piercings should be removed because of mercury's reaction with metals.If you don't have a spare pair of disposable shoes, you can use sturdy plastic bags and rubber bands to fix them.Put safety goggles on if you have them.It's not important for cleaning up a small mercury spill, but a large spill may require professional-quality eye protection.
Step 4: The area can be sprinkled with powdered sulfur.
If you find a mercury removal kit at a hardware store, powdered sulfur will make it easier to clean up spills.Detection of small spills is made easier by the fact that the yellow powder turns brown in contact with mercury.
Step 5: Small objects and fragments should be placed in a puncture-proof container.
Pick up pieces of broken glass and other small objects that have come into contact with mercury.Place them in a container that is puncture-proof.If no puncture-proof container is available, place a zip-locked bag inside a second bag and fold all broken material into a paper towel before putting it in the bag.For now, leave broken glass alone.We will handle them later.
Step 6: Bag carpet, clothing, or other soft contaminated material
You can't save the mercury on your own if it's spilled onto the absorbent surface.If you are cleaning up a spill at home, all you can do is cut out the affected area and discard it in a double trash bag, because a trained professional may be able to help.It's a good idea to never wash this material as it can ruin your washing machine.
Step 7: Pick up beads that are visible.
Use index cards, small pieces of cardboard, or a disposable squeegee to slide beads of mercury along hard surfaces, pooling them into one location.To find more mercury, dim the lights and hold a flashlight low to the floor.Check the entire room because Mercury can scatter.
Step 8: Use an eyedropper to transfer mercury.
You can use an eyedropper to pick up mercury.Slowly squeeze each bead onto a damp paper towel and place it inside a zip-locked bag.
Step 9: Pick up tiny beads.
There are small pieces of broken glass that can be picked up with sticky tape.Wrap the sticky tape around your fingers and put the tap inside a zip-locked bag.If you want to pick up the mercury, use a disposable paint brush.The bag should hold the paint brush and mercury.Don't apply shaving cream to the brush.
Step 10: All contaminated clothing and tools should be put in a bag.
shoes that walked over the contaminated area, clothing that mercury dripped on to, and any tools that came into contact with mercury are included.
Step 11: Continue to breathe outside for 24 hours.
It is possible to leave windows to the outside for 24 hours.Children and pets should not be in the contaminated room.Continue to the next section for more information on getting rid of contaminated materials.
Step 12: All trash containers should be sealed and labeled.
All containers used for mercury disposal need to be tightly sealed.They should be labeled as "Mercury Waste Disposal - Do Not Open".
Step 13: Check to see if the waste has mercury.
Mercury is found in many household products.These need to be thrown out as hazardous waste because they are harmless unless the product breaks.You can find a long list of these products at epa.gov/mercury/mgmt_options.html.
Step 14: You can find a recycling location by searching Earth911.
You can enter your zip code and type of object you are recycling at search.earth911.com.There is a list of nearby addresses that can recycle mercury waste.Some international cities are included in Earth911's best results for the United States.
Step 15: You can contact the manufacturer.
Some companies will reuse their products.Lowes, Home Depot, and IKEA are included.
Step 16: Call the local environmental regulation office.
If you can't find a nearby recycling center, look for an environmental regulation office or environmental health department in your area that can inform you about legal disposal requirements.If you have a lot of mercury, you may be required to dispose of it through a government service.