SafetyVet

Solutions for the veterinary professions!

Looking for answers to OSHA Questions?  Check out our OSHA Center!

Sign up for our FREE Safety E-Newsletter!

Cleaning up a Broken Mercury Thermometer

Concerns about the health impacts of mercury are leading to mercury pollution prevention programs at the federal, state and local levels. Since mercury thermometers are a source of overall mercury contamination to the environment and a possible health risk to the user when broken, part of the program includes efforts to convince manufacturers to cease production of clinical mercury thermometers and to convince consumers to use one of the environmentally-friendly alternatives to mercury thermometers.

The bad news is that exposure to mercury causes some serious health problems in people, including chills, nausea, general malaise, chest pains, tightness in the chest, dyspnea, cough, stomatitis, gingivitis, salivation, diarrhea, and in chronic exposures, weakness, fatigue, anorexia, weight loss, and disruption of gastrointestinal function. There is also some belief that exposure to certain forms of mercury in humans and animals can be "cumulative" throughout one's life. Unless the liquid mercury is handled with bare hands and absorbed through the skin, the primary hazard is from inhaling the vapors as the liquid mercury evaporates.

The good news is that the amount of mercury in a clinical glass thermometer is usually less than 0.5 ml and not likely to create a serious health hazard in most veterinary practices. But, since the total amount of mercury contained in thermometers in use in the U.S. is significant, we must take special precautions when cleaning up broken mercury thermometers. (Becton Dickenson, a thermometer manufacturer, estimates that 4.3 tons of mercury are contained in the thermometers sold every year to hospitals and consumers in the United States.)

• Clean up the spill promptly. If spills are not promptly cleaned up, mercury may accumulate on surfaces and then vaporize and be inhaled later.
   

• Remove animals and other people from the area.
   

• Put on a pair of latex or nitrile gloves. Because of the very small amount of mercury involved, it is usually not necessary to use a respirator in these cases.
   

• Do not touch the liquid mercury with your hand.
   

• Because of the properties of liquid mercury, it will tend to form "liquid beads" on a hard surface like a counter or floor.
   

• Use a mercury absorption sponge to collect the "beads." Click here for a direct link to a suggested source or click here to view or print our Suggested Sources Sheet for mercury clean-up kits.
   

• Do not flush mercury down the drain.
   

• Do not use a broom or vacuum to clean up the mercury.
   

• BE CAREFUL of broken glass fragments. After all the mercury is collected with the mercury absorbing sponge, a broom and dust pan can be used to clean up the broken glass. Dispose of the glass in an appropriate trash container.
   

• Wash the affected area with a detergent soap and allow to air dry before it is safe to reuse the area.
   

• Remove and dispose of the protective gloves as regular trash.
   

• Thoroughly wash your hands with a detergent soap.

Perhaps the best strategy for most practices is to switch from mercury thermometers to less hazardous alternatives. Several types of non-mercury thermometers are available commercially. These include:

• digital electronic thermometers

• glass-alcohol thermometers

The above thermometers, like mercury thermometers, can be used in the veterinary practice very efficiently, effectively and affordably. Digital thermometers are readily available at most retailers and through veterinary distributors.

Back to OSHA Questions

The information on these pages is excerpted from
The Veterinary Safety & Health Digest,
Copyright 2002 Philip J. Seibert, Jr., CVT  All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced for distribution without prior permission from the publisher.