Despite the fact that modern digital technology has firmly established itself in the home of a modern person, some household items remain constant helpers in everyday life. These include a thermometer for measuring body temperature or, if called correctly, a mercury medical thermometer. Even a child knows how to use it, but few people know what to do and how to behave correctly if the thermometer crashes.
Advantages and disadvantages of a mercury thermometer
In fact, a mercury thermometer accurately measures the temperature and has a very small error (not more than 0.1 degrees). Therefore, in many medical institutions, the preference is still given to an ordinary thermometer. In addition, using a mercury thermometer, body temperature can be measured in several ways (in the armpit, rectally, orally), the surface of the thermometer is easily disinfected, and the device itself does not require power from the network or replacing batteries. With careful handling, a mercury thermometer can last for more than one decade, and its rather low cost (only 20-25 rubles) makes it attractive to the buyer.
Along with the undeniable advantages, mercury thermometers also have several significant drawbacks, the main and most serious of which is its fragility. It is very easy to break up a mercury thermometer, and this will inevitably lead to poisoning of the air with vapors of toxic mercury.
Why is a broken thermometer dangerous?
It is worth breaking or breaking a thermometer, as microscopic glass fragments and balls of mercury instantly appear on the floor. And if glass can cause troubles in the form of cuts, then mercury vapors, being the strongest poison, carry a more serious danger. Due to its properties, the mercury leaked from the thermometer breaks up into many tiny droplets that roll into hard-to-reach places (under a sofa, cupboard, baseboard, in the floor gap) and evaporate, poison the air. If you do not remove all the mercury and the broken thermometer in time, then you can get severe poisoning. A pair of harmful metal accumulating in the kidneys, liver, lungs of a person causes chronic intoxication, which is manifested by skin rashes, stomatitis, diarrhea, vomiting, chills of the whole body. A prolonged exposure to mercury vapor can affect the human psyche and even cause insanity.
Therefore, it is very important to quickly and accurately collect the contents of the broken thermometer. For guaranteed cleaning of the premises, you should call the specialists of the Ministry of Emergencies, but you can independently carry out this procedure, taking all necessary precautions.
