What happens if you break a mercury thermometer?

If you break a mercury thermometer or light bulb, a small amount of liquid mercury may spill out. Liquid mercury can separate into small beads, which can roll some distance away. The mercury may also evaporate into vapour. However, this small amount of mercury is extremely unlikely to cause problems for your health.

Consequently, Are mercury thermometers worth anything?

The entire collection of 18th-century thermometers could be worth up to $50,000, but « antique thermometers are only rarely available for sale, so it’s hard to get a handle on the exact value, » she said. In a mercury thermometer, a glass tube is filled with mercury and a standard temperature scale is marked on the tube.

Also question is, Is mercury from broken thermometer dangerous?

Mercury is a shiny, silvery liquid metal that can cause serious health problems. … Even the small amount of mercury from a broken thermometer can cause harm, especially to children, unless it is properly cleaned up and removed.

Besides How would you dispose of the mercury if a thermometer breaks? Wipe the area with a damp cloth. Put collected mercury and the cloth in the same bag and seal it. In case mercury has been spilled over the cloth, dispose of them in a sealed bag. Do not wash them or put them in washing machine.

Also, Does mercury vapor go away?

They can go through small cracks or become strongly attached to certain materials. At room temperature, exposed elemental mercury can evaporate to become an invisible, odorless toxic vapor. This vapor has a very long life (up to one year) in the air.

Can I still buy a mercury thermometer?

While mercury thermometers can measure temperature within one degree Celsius, digital thermometers can be as accurate as 0.001 degrees C a difference of four orders of magnitude in accuracy. This changeover won’t be a big deal for the average person « In fact, you can’t buy [mercury thermometers] anymore, » Strouse said.

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23 Related Questions and Answers Found

How do you dispose of a mercury thermometer?

Drop off the thermometer at your local hazardous waste facility. Look up the hours for your local hazardous waste facility so you know what times they’re open for drop-offs. Put the thermometers in your vehicle and take them to the drop-off location.

Do they still sell old school thermometers?

The old mercury thermometer that we used when we were young, have been banned for medical use in most states. It is now almost impossible to buy them. There are liquid filled thermometers still available, but there are not the most common.

What happens if you breathe in mercury vapor?

The inhalation of mercury vapour can produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and may be fatal. The inorganic salts of mercury are corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested.

Can mercury in thermometer kill you?

Mercury is a neurotoxin, meaning it attacks the nervous system and brain. … In extreme cases, mercury poisoning can lead to coma and death. However, the symptoms of mercury poisoning can be reversed in adults. It takes about six months to a year for the body to naturally remove mercury once the exposure stops.

What happens if you drink mercury?

« Drinking mercury has a laxative effect, » explains the toxicologist Gebel. « Its density cleans the intestine wonderfully. » The effect is completely different when mercury is inhaled. As a vapor, the mercury is inhaled as individual atoms and quickly absorbed by the lungs where its poisonous effects begin to develop.

What gets rid of mercury?

The traditional treatment for mercury poisoning is to stop all exposures. In many cases, chelation therapy is also used. This involves giving a medication (the chelator) which goes into the body and grabs the metal (chelos is the Greek word for claw) then carries the metal out of the body, usually into the urine.

What organ is affected by mercury?

Mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Can the mercury in a thermometer kill you?

Which thermometer is better mercury or digital?

1. Digital thermometers provide faster results. Digital thermometers provide fast results as opposed to mercury thermometers whose readings are slower to realize because you have to wait for the mercury to heat and then slowly rise to display the temperature.

How long should you leave a mercury thermometer in your mouth?

With your mouth open, put the end with the red, blue, or silver-colored tip under your tongue. Close your lips gently around the thermometer. Do not bite the glass thermometer. Keep the thermometer under your tongue for 3 minutes.

Do mercury thermometers expire?

Mercury thermometer are extremely repeatable and accurate over many years. You could put a working mercury thermometer in a time capsule and bury it for 10,000 years and it would still be working accurately. As long as the glass has not been cracked it will continue to function accurately.

Is mercury illegal to own?

Effective January 1, 2003, the California Mercury Reduction Act banned the sale of many products containing mercury. Even though they are banned from California’s marketplace, these mercury containing products still are frequently found in homes.

How do you dispose of mercury at home?

Put the items that contains mercury in a zipper top bag and seal the bag. Place the sealed bag in a plastic container with a lid. Pack the container with kitty litter or newspapers to prevent breakage. Make sure the container is labeled “Mercury: Do Not Touch.”

Are Old School thermometers accurate?

“The most accurate thermometers were within 0.5 degree of our medical thermometer, and all but one were at least good at repeating a retaken temperature. … If you are looking for a way to get rid of that old standard thermometer, the EPA suggests giving it to your primary doctor since mercury is toxic.

How accurate are old mercury thermometers?

In clinical studies between 9 and 23% of repeated measurements using an electronic thermometer differ by 0.5 degrees C or more whilst the corresponding range for mercury thermometers is 0.6%.

What’s the normal range for body temperature?

The average normal body temperature is generally accepted as 98.6°F (37°C). Some studies have shown that the « normal » body temperature can have a wide range, from 97°F (36.1°C) to 99°F (37.2°C). A temperature over 100.4°F (38°C) most often means you have a fever caused by an infection or illness.

Editors. 18 – Last Updated. 25 days ago – Authors. 9