Potassium permanganate neutralizes mercury. Self-demercurization (elimination of mercury pollution)

Removal, processing and disposal of waste from hazard classes 1 to 5

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If ), it is important to dispose of it correctly. Otherwise, harmful vapors will enter the human body, which can lead to poisoning. Demercurization is an event carried out with the aim of neutralizing mercury pellets for further disposal. The slightest exposure to mercury vapor cannot lead to serious pathologies, but every person should have at least the slightest idea of demercurization.

Demercurization of mercury - stage one

To understand the full extent of the health threat, you need to know what mercury is and what it can do when it enters the body. There is a reason why mercury is classified as a hazard class 1 waste. Neutralization must be carried out immediately, since its vapors do not have a particular odor or color. The neutralizing event includes two main stages. Demercurization at home requires certain knowledge and careful preparation.

You will need the following attributes:

Rubber gloves to prevent direct contact. The metal itself is not as harmful as its fumes, but it is still better not to touch it again.
Scotch tape, medical plaster, cotton wool or paper.
A flashlight if the balls have rolled into hard-to-reach places.
Syringe and needle.
Plastic bags to dispose of items that have been in contact with mercury beads.

The first step is to collect the spilled metal. Carefully inspect the room and note items that have been exposed to mercury. If there are children or pets in the room, they are immediately taken to another room. The balls roll out quickly on any surface, and small child may well swallow them.

Demercurization of mercury usually begins with the removal of large globules of mercury from broken thermometer so that they do not have time to split into small ones. The easiest way is to use a sheet of paper folded in half onto which the particles will roll. Do not touch them with your hand, it is better to use a knitting needle or needle. You can also place them in a small glass jar that needs to be tightly sealed. To make it easier to assemble small balls, you can carefully connect them together to form a large drop. It is also convenient to collect this metal using tape or an adhesive plaster, carefully placing the piece on the scattered particles.

Do not leave mercury in floor cracks! In the area where the thermometer broke, be sure to check them by shining a flashlight through all the holes. If you find even the smallest particles, remove them using a needle with cotton wool wrapped around it. It can also be moistened with potassium permanganate so that they do not fall during transportation. If there is a suspicion that balls have also gotten under the baseboard, it must be carefully removed and the area carefully inspected.

Demercurization of mercury - stage two

Neutralization of mercury may take several hours. Remember to take short breaks and breathe fresh air. It's best to go outside for a few minutes. But under no circumstances leave windows open. This will only speed up the process of evaporation of the metal, and a possible draft will roll the elastic particles of the broken thermometer throughout the room.

Only after the collection is complete, when the metal is placed in a sealed container, can you begin to neutralize mercury vapor using chemicals and ventilate the room. The second part of mercury demercurization is the neutralization of the consequences of a broken thermometer.

Potassium permanganate is an excellent mercury demercurizer. It is required to dilute potassium permanganate in water until it reaches a dark brown color. TO concentrated solution add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar, salt and 0.5% hydrochloric acid. Stir the entire mixture until the particles are completely dissolved and begin treating all surfaces on which mercury was found.

It is recommended to rinse the floor with this solution twice, but after drying, it is advisable to moisten it with water periodically for 8 hours. For at least a week, it is necessary to carry out daily ventilation and wet cleaning so that the neutralized metal is completely removed from the room.

How to neutralize mercury at home, besides potassium permanganate? For this purpose, look for bleach, or make a solution of soda and laundry soap (30g and 40g, respectively), and then wipe the surfaces with it. It must be remembered that if mercury, having got on metal parts, spreads, forming some kind of film, then it is easier to dispose of such a thing than to try to process it - this is too labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Mistakes in mercury cleaning

Often mercury is removed from a broken thermometer, allowing serious mistakes. What is absolutely forbidden to do?

Use a vacuum cleaner of any model for cleaning - by vacuuming surfaces, you will only contribute to the spread of vapors onto large area, but it will not be possible to neutralize mercury in this way. In addition, its particles will remain in the vacuum cleaner itself. Even powerful filters will not be able to cope with the vapors of this metal.
Sweep away metal balls with a broom - even if you plan to throw it away afterwards. Hard rods will only crush them, causing them to evaporate faster or roll into cracks. The ban also applies to the use of wet rags for cleaning, as they can crush small particles.
Throwing a broken thermometer into the sewer, garbage chute or trash heap - you will not solve the problem, but will only worsen the air condition in the entrance, on the street or in your bathroom if you decide to flush everything down the toilet.
Leave or wash clothes, objects or shoes that have been in contact with mercury - after collection for disposal, it is better to contact the DEZ, sanitary and epidemiological station or management company.

Demercurization of premises from mercury should ideally be carried out by qualified specialists. However, small communities may not have companies that collect mercury. In this case, dispose of it yourself: take the metal collected in a sealed jar outside of residential areas, and then bury it in the ground.

If mercury does enter the human body, an urgent gastric lavage is required using activated carbon dissolved in water. Next, you need to drink a glass of milk and eat rice or oatmeal, which has excellent absorbent properties. The result is consolidated with a course of a laxative drug. Severe poisoning You cannot try to cure it yourself - be sure to call an ambulance.

It is better for people who were indoors at that moment to supplement their diet with vitamins and drink plenty of fluids so that mercury vapors that enter the body can be eliminated as quickly as possible naturally. All the information provided is necessary and extremely important to know so that subsequent disposal can be carried out correctly and quickly.

It is worth noting that this metal is the only one that retains liquid. physical state at room temperature. And its use in everyday life is not at all limited to medical thermometers. Moreover, until recently, this component was part of dental fillings and was even prescribed as a medicinal product. Mercury vapor can also be found in fluorescent lamps ah, which are still actively used in residential, commercial and industrial premises.

Toxic hazard: how big is it?

If mercury is freely available indoors, it must be contained to avoid possible contamination. Poisoning by the vapors of this heavy metal is especially dangerous for young children and pregnant women, whose bodies are more vulnerable to the effects of toxic substances.

The main danger of contact with the substance lies in the vapors, which can occur over a long period of time.

The main effect in this case is on organs that have a mucous membrane: the gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, eyes. The danger of contact with the toxin has also been identified for:

nervous system;
skin;
immune defense of the body.

But it’s not even the couples that pose the greatest danger, but aqueous mercury compounds with accumulative effects. They are not excreted from the body, accumulating in organs and tissues, gradually affecting negative impact on general condition body.

If precautions are not taken immediately, mercury demercurization should be carried out as soon as possible. Moreover, it is necessary to call specialists regardless of whether the metal was assembled independently or not, because otherwise the evaporation dangerous substance will continue to pose a danger.

What is demercurization?

The chemical element contained in thermometers and fluorescent lamps, when released into the air, can pose a significant danger to human health. That is why, in the event of a danger, it is necessary to ensure prompt removal of the resulting environmental pollution using specialized means and compounds.

Experts use various ways neutralization of dangerous chemical compound. But ordinary cleaning - especially using a household vacuum cleaner or a banal broom and dustpan - is absolutely contraindicated in this case.

Demercurization or removal of mercury involves changing chemical composition dangerous substance. For example, specialists use chemicals that convert pure mercury into compounds that are safe for health. The site is cleaned using all necessary safety measures.

And professionals prefer to collect mercury drops by immediately immersing them in sealed vessels, which prevent further contact of the substance with the air. In this case, it is possible to provide the necessary level of protection from external threats and prevent further evaporation of the toxin.

Chemical methods of neutralization

Carry out demercurization in residential and non-residential premises Destroying station specialists have to do this quite often. This is usually due to careless handling of household thermometers or lamps or violation of the rules for their disposal.

How is mercury chemically demercurized? The properties of this metal are such that its successful collection and disposal requires not only mechanical action, but also transformation dangerous compounds to less active ones.

In this case, specialists use the following methods and means:

ferric chloride- when metal comes into contact with it pure form decomposes into oxides and chlorides, losing concentration and acquiring a finely dispersed structure;
potassium permanganate mixed with hydrochloric acid - one more thing effective remedy, which allows you to turn dangerous mercury drops into harmless calomel;
two-stage demercurization option most often carried out with the sequential use of bleach and sodium polysulfide, resulting in chemical reaction it is possible to completely neutralize the source of potential risk to the environment.

What will be the benefit of turning to professionals?

Offering services for the demercurization of premises and objects, the ECO-STOLITSA company pays special attention professional approach to localizing and eliminating the emerging threat. In order for you not to be afraid of possible poisoning in the future, upon arrival at the site, specialists must determine the degree of infection and select optimal solution to eliminate all traces of a hazardous substance.

If there is a need for demercurization in your house or apartment, do not waste time trying to collect it yourself liquid metal. Mechanical removal of droplets will not ensure safety, and volatile compounds formed in the atmosphere may remain active for a long time.

If the thermometer breaks, contact specialists as quickly as possible to eliminate the possibility of the source of danger spreading throughout all areas of the home.

In case exact date infection is unknown (for example, the appearance of mercury occurred in the absence of the owners due to the fault of a pet), it may be necessary to use a whole range of work related to establishing the concentration of a hazardous substance in air environment and its localization in the premises - the exact procedure is determined after the professionals arrive on site.

Introduction

This text is written not for specialists, but for all those who, due to a fatal accident, may encounter spilled mercury in everyday life. The peculiarity of such accidents is small masses of mercury, so the likelihood of acute poisoning is low. But, on the other hand, if complete cleaning is not carried out ( demercurization), chronic poisoning may occur, causing enormous harm to health.

So, mercury is dangerous for humans chemical element. We used this term here to emphasize that not only metallic mercury, used for the production of thermometers and “ancient” types of tonometers, is harmful, but also any of its compounds found in various technical devices (for example, in fluorescent fluorescent lamps). But still, due to certain characteristics, metallic mercury is the most dangerous in everyday life.

Let's consider what happens as a result of a thermometer failure. The spilled mercury scatters in small droplets across the surface of the furniture and floor. Since liquid mercury does not wet any materials, these droplets do not have the “habit” of seeping into cracks or through fabric, but can fall down if they are small enough.

Like any liquid, the dispersed mercury begins to evaporate, gradually increasing the concentration of vapors in the air of the apartment.

From here it is clear that you have two ways to get poisoned: either in some incredible way swallow a drop of mercury from the floor or, which is not difficult, inhale toxic fumes. In the first case, you should induce vomiting and immediately consult a doctor, but further is not our part. We will look at what actions should be taken to avoid the second danger. So, let's repeat the chain of processes again. The resulting droplets of mercury evaporate, and then its vapors enter the lungs, poisoning us. This makes the course of our actions clear: first remove the liquid mercury to prevent its further evaporation, and then ventilate the room well, thereby purifying the air in the apartment. And these simple operations are enough for you to feel completely calm in the future. In order not to sin before the truth, it must be said that with a high concentration of vapors, furniture, plaster, linoleum can accumulate ( adsorb) mercury and become its additional source even when all the droplets and puddles have long been removed. But this does not threaten you, because you are not going to spend weeks not cleaning up the consequences of a broken thermometer?).

What to do

First of all, do not walk on the contaminated area of the floor, so as not to spread the splashed mercury on your feet throughout the apartment. Close the door and windows indoors. This will somewhat reduce the evaporation of mercury and the spread of its vapor throughout the rest of the apartment.

Step 1: Clean up spilled mercury

Balls of mercury are collected by sweeping them with a hair brush into “pounds” of smooth paper, like a scoop.

Small balls can be easily picked up using small pieces of plaster or tape.

You can use a medical rubber bulb (syringe). True, you need to get the hang of quickly, but at the same time smoothly, turning the pear with the hole up while it sucks in the ball. Otherwise it will fall back out.

Very small, dusty balls of mercury can be removed with damp paper. To do this, take filter paper or newsprint, soak it in water and then squeeze it out.

All the balls collected in one way or another are placed in a jar with a screw-on lid.

Attention! Under no circumstances should you collect mercury using a vacuum cleaner! The air intensively blown by a vacuum cleaner facilitates the evaporation of mercury already sucked into the dust bag, which leads to a significant increase in the concentration of vapors in the air of your apartment!

Step 2: chemical demercurization

As a rule, it is not possible to collect all the mercury mechanically. Several microscopic balls may get lost in some cracks. To prevent their evaporation, it is necessary to transfer metallic mercury from a liquid state to an oxidized, non-volatile state. To do this, it is treated with certain oxidizing solutions.

Contaminated surfaces are thoroughly moistened with a demercurizing solution and left for some time. After this, the treated stain is washed first with a soap solution, then clean water.

A 0.2% acidified solution of potassium permanganate can be used as a demercurizer. It is recommended to dissolve one pharmaceutical bottle of potassium permanganate (2 grams) in 1 liter of water, to which add half a glass (100 g) of 9% vinegar or a tablespoon (15 g) of vinegar essence. After 1-2 hours you can begin cleaning the treated surface.

Another option: a 20% solution of ferric chloride (found among radio amateurs as an etching solution). Small portions of FeCl 3 are dissolved, stirring, in cold water. Be careful, as this will heat up the solution! The surface to be treated is generously moistened and thoroughly wiped with a brush to better emulsify the mercury and left until completely dry, after which it is washed off.

Step 3: Ventilate

Finally, after removing evaporative sources, intensively ventilate the apartment to remove any mercury vapor that has already accumulated in the air. You should ventilate for several hours, as if changing the air in the apartment more than once.

Applications

Our information:

Mercury is the eightieth element in chemical table DI. Mendeleev, has atomic mass 200.59 amu

Silver-white metal. The only metal found in liquid state under normal human conditions. Freezing point –38.9 0 C, boiling point 356.7 0 C. Density at normal conditions 13.6 g/cm3.

It has a very high surface tension, so it practically does not wet any materials, but collects on them in balls.

Metallic mercury is noticeably volatile at room temperature. In this case, layers of water, oil, glycerin, etc. do not prevent its evaporation. The vapor-air mixture formed during the evaporation of mercury turns out to be very slightly heavier due to the low concentration of vapors. Therefore, air containing mercury vapor does not fall down, but is dispersed throughout the room.

Mercury vapor poisoning

Metallic mercury vapors, like most of its chemical compounds, are extremely toxic: their maximum permissible concentration in domestic premises (MPC b) is only 0.0003 mg/m 3, the shift average is 0.005 mg/m 3 (17 MAC b), the maximum permissible in the air of the working area is 0.01 mg/m 3 (33 MAC b).

Mercury vapor poisoning can be acute (at high concentrations) or chronic. As a rule, the concentration of vapors in domestic premises after a broken thermometer does not greatly exceed the maximum permissible level. Therefore, acute poisoning is unlikely.

The first signs of chronic poisoning appear after several months of living in a room where the concentration of harmful vapors slightly exceeds the sanitary norm. In this case, the central nervous system is primarily affected.

The first signs: increased fatigue, drowsiness, general weakness, headaches, dizziness, apathy. Trembling (“mercury tremor”) of the fingers, then the eyelids, and lips gradually develops. Decreased skin sensitivity, taste and sense of smell.

Mechanical cleaning, no matter how thoroughly it is carried out, still cannot be considered sufficient. Small drops, especially from crevices and cracks, cannot be completely removed; in addition, it is impossible to remove mercury vapor adsorbed by the surface, therefore, after mechanical cleaning, chemical treatment of contaminated areas must be carried out.

Various chemical treatment methods rely on either oxidizing mercury to form an oxide or chloride, or converting it into a finely dispersed state, making it easier to clean up. However, it should be borne in mind that mercury is chemically very stable. For example, its first ionization potential (10.43 V) is higher than the ionization potentials of gold (9.39 V) and platinum (9.00 V). For this reason, chemical degassing agents are only able to oxidize the surface of the mercury and are therefore only effective on very small droplets. A protective film forms on larger droplets, but the effect of reducing the concentration of mercury vapor in the air is only temporary. When the temperature increases or mechanical impact occurs, the oxide film cracks and the evaporation of mercury resumes.

Not all of the chemical treatment methods described in the literature are quite effective. For example, it is completely useless to cover mercury with sulfur, since at room temperature and even when heated to 100 ° C, mercury and its vapor practically do not interact with crushed sulfur. Metal powders that form amalgams should not be used for processing, at least without further thorough cleaning, since this technique does not reduce, and may even increase, the rate of mercury evaporation.

It is also not recommended to use hydrogen sulfide gas. At concentrations that are not harmful to health, hydrogen sulfide is ineffective. The use of high concentrations (1 g/m3 and higher) in a laboratory room is associated with serious technical difficulties; in addition, the resulting protective film of mercury sulfide is not durable, and some time after demercurization the concentration of mercury vapor in the air can recover to a dangerous level.

Demercurization with a solution of iron (III) chloride.

The demercurization method, based on the interaction of mercury with a FeCl 3 solution, is considered one of the simplest and most reliable. As a result of a chemical reaction, small drops of mercury are converted into oxides and chlorides; larger drops, when mechanically mixed with the solution, transform into a finely dispersed state, which increases their reactivity and makes subsequent cleaning easier.

For demercurization, it is recommended to use a 20% aqueous solution of FeCl 3 . More dilute solutions are less stable due to hydrolysis. The solution is prepared at the rate of 10 liters per 25-30 sq.m. room area. Small portions of ferric chloride are dissolved in cold water while stirring. The surface to be treated is generously moistened with the solution, then wiped with a brush several times to better emulsify the mercury and left until completely dry. After 1-2 days, the surface is thoroughly washed, first with a soap solution, then with clean water to remove reaction products and unreacted mercury.

Please note that ferric chloride solution causes severe corrosion of metal equipment and appliances, as well as damage to wooden furniture and some plastics. It is recommended to protect the metal parts of devices by lubricating them with Vaseline before treating them.

Demercurization with potassium permanganate solution.

The method is based on the interaction of mercury with free chlorine formed during the reaction of potassium permanganate with hydrochloric acid. As a result, low-toxic, water-insoluble calomel is formed:

2KMnO 4 + 16HCl = 2KCl + 2MnCI 2 + 5Cl 2 + 8H 2 0;
2Hg + Cl 2 = Hg 2 Cl 2

Calomel left in air decomposes over time, releasing metallic mercury, so after demercurization, the treated surfaces are thoroughly washed.

It is recommended to use a solution containing 1 liter. 1-2 g KMnO 4 and 5 ml conc. HCl. It is convenient to carry out the treatment using a spray bottle. After 1-2 hours you can start cleaning. The solution is corrosive to metal equipment, although to a lesser extent than ferric chloride solution. If brown spots form on the floor and furniture, they can be removed with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution.

Demercurization with bleach and sodium polysulfide.

The method is quite effective, although somewhat more labor-intensive, since it involves sequential processing of two solutions. When treated with bleach, calomel is formed, which, when interacting with a solution of sodium polysulfide, turns into mercury sulfide.

Chloride of lime is consumed in the form of a 20% suspension in water. To obtain sodium polysulfide, heat 1 kg of crystalline sodium sulfide to 105 ° C and, with stirring, gradually add 100-150 g of ground sulfur until a homogeneous mass is obtained, which is then dissolved in 10-12 liters of water.

The surfaces to be demercurized are first treated with bleach, after 2-3 hours the lime is washed off, after which a solution of sodium polysulfide is applied. The room is closed and after a day the treated areas are washed with warm soapy water.

Demercurization of equipment and utensils.

Although completely pure mercury does not wet the surface of glass and porcelain, in the presence of even insignificant contamination, the smallest droplets of it stick to porcelain and glassware and cutlery. Therefore, dishes that contained mercury cannot be washed in the usual way over the sink, but must first be thoroughly demercurized.

To remove mercury from the surface of glassware, the ability of the metal to dissolve in dilute nitric acid is used:

6Hg + 8HNO 3 = 3Hg 2 (NO 3) 2 + 2NO + 4H 2 0

Small dishes and parts of cutlery are completely filled with diluted nitric acid in a thick-walled glass of suitable volume and leave for several hours, or better yet overnight. After this treatment, the dishes are washed with water. Crockery and cutlery large size rinse thoroughly from the inside a small amount slightly heated to speed up the reaction with 50-56% nitric acid. If the glass device is dirty on the outside, wipe it several times with damp paper as described above.

In cases where mercury gets on the metal parts of devices and forms an amalgam, demercurization can be especially difficult. The use of acids does not give the desired effect. Positive results can be achieved by heating metal parts contaminated with mercury for a long time in a fume hood.