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Emily Locklear

Mercury Releases and Spills | Mercury | US EPA - 4 views

epa.gov/spills

cfl

shared by Emily Locklear on 22 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • can prevent potential mercury exposure to you and your environment by: storing and handling responsibly products that contain mercury; following our tips when cleaning up mercury spills; and recycling or otherwise properly disposing of products that contain mercury. Cleaning Up Spills What never to do after a mercury spill What to do if a thermometer breaks Other mercury spills
  • More than the amount in a thermometer, but less than one pound, which is about two tablespoons More than two tablespoons (one pound
  • Hazardous Waste Site Cleanup Cleaning up Superfund and other hazardous waste sites where mercury is present Mercury Response Guidebook (for emergency responders)
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  • Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury. The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure. Never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will break the mercury into smaller droplets and spread them. Never pour mercury down a drain. It may lodge in the plumbing and cause future problems during plumbing repairs. If discharged, it can cause pollution of the septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
  • Never wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage. Clothing that has come into direct contact with mercury should be discarded. By "direct contact," we mean that mercury was (or has been) spilled directly on the clothing, for example, if you break a mercury thermometer and some of elemental mercury beads came in contact with your clothing. Never walk around if your shoes might be contaminated with mercury. Contaminated clothing can also spread mercury around.
  • NOTE: these instructions also apply to spills from other sources, if the amount spilled is less than or similar to the amount in a thermometer (see specific information about how to clean up broken fluorescent bulbs)
  • Put on rubber, nitrile or latex gloves.
  • If there are any broken pieces of glass or sharp objects, pick them up with care. Place all broken objects on a paper towel. Fold the paper towel and place in a zip lock bag. Secure the bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
  • Locate visible mercury beads. Use a squeegee or cardboard to gather mercury beads. Use slow sweeping motions to keep mercury from becoming uncontrollable. Take a flashlight, hold it at a low angle close to the floor in a darkened room and look for additional glistening beads of mercury that may be sticking to the surface or in small cracked areas of the surface. Note: Mercury can move surprising distances on hard-flat surfaces, so be sure to inspect the entire room when "searching."
  • Use the eyedropper to collect or draw up the mercury beads. Slowly and carefully squeeze mercury onto a damp paper towel. Place the paper towel in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department
  • it makes the mercury easier to see since there may be a color change from yellow to brown and (2) it binds the mercury so that it can be easily removed and suppresses the vapor of any missing mercury. Where to get commercialized sulfur? It may be supplied as mercury vapor absorbent in mercury spill kits, which can be purchased from laboratory, chemical supply and hazardous materials response supply manufacturers
  • OPTIONAL STEP: It is OPTIONAL to use commercially available powdered sulfur to absorb the beads that are too small to see. The sulfur does two things: (1
  • Alternatively, use duct tape to collect smaller hard-to-see beads. Place the paint brush or duct tape in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag
  • as directed by your local health or fire department.
  • After you remove larger beads, put shaving cream on top of small paint brush and gently "dot" the affected area to pick up smaller hard-to-see beads.
  • Note: Powdered sulfur may stain fabrics a dark color. When using powdered sulfur, do not breathe in the powder as it can be moderately toxic. Additionally, users should read and understand product information before use.
  • If you choose not to use this option, you may want to request the services of a contractor who has monitoring equipment to screen for mercury vapors. Consult your local environmental or health agency to inquire about contractors in your area. Place all materials used with the cleanup, including gloves, in a trash bag. Place all mercury beads and objects into the trash bag. Secure trash bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
  • Contact your local health department, municipal waste authority or your local fire department for proper disposal in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
  • Cleanup Instructions 1. Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out.2. Open all windows and doors to the outside.3. Turn down the temperature.4. Shut all doors to other parts of the house, and leave the area.Don't vacuum.5. Call your local or state health or environmental agency. Top of page
  • site cleanups of active facilities or abandoned hazardous waste sites, mercury presents significant environmental challenges because it is difficult to treat, exists in many different forms, is volatile, and can be difficult to analyze. Some mercury contamination sites are also contaminated with oils, radioactive materials and organic compounds that present technical challenges.
  • Cleaning up mercury
  • Cleaning Up Superfund and Other Hazardous Waste Sites Where Mercury is Present
  • Conte
  • 1. 4-5 ziplock-type bags2. trash bags (2 to 6 mils thick)3. rubber, nitrile or latex gloves4. paper towels5. cardboard or squeegee6. eyedropper7. duct tape, or shaving cream and small paint brush8. flashlight9. powdered sulfur (optional
Hannah Smith

Neuroscience for Kids - Effects of Mercury on the Nervous System - 4 views

faculty.washington.edu/...merc.html

cfl

shared by Hannah Smith on 07 Dec 11 - Cached
  • Elemental (metallic) mercury: shiny, silver, odorless liquid used in thermometers. It is absorbed by the body through vapors. Organic mercury: mercury combined with carbon. Methyl mercury is a common form of organic mercury. These forms of mercury are soluble in lipids and cross the blood brain barrier and placenta easily. Organic mercury is absorbed through the digestive tract and also through vapors.
  • Mercury is a natural material found in the earth. Some mercury vapors are given off during volcanic eruptions. Mercury is a by-product of coal-burning power plants. Mercury is released into the air, then it falls back to the earth. Mercury is used by mining operations to separate gold from impurities in ore. Mercury is used during the manufacture of various products. For example, before 1990, mercury was added to paint.
  • Breathe mercury fumes
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  • Eat food (especially fish) or drink water that has been contaminated by mercury
  • Absorb mercury through the skin. Glass thermometers contain mercury that should be cleaned up properly
  • Eat objects that contain mercury. For example, small children may eat batteries that contain mercury. Broken high power lights and long fluorescent tubes can also contain mercury. Small amounts of mercury from these sources may be ingested accidentally.
  • Minamata Bay (Japan): Organic mercury was dumped into Minamata Bay in the 1950s. Fish in the bay were contaminated and about 2,000 people who ate these fish became poisoned. About 7% of the children born to mothers who ate contaminated fish had neurological problems. Symptoms in these children included uncoordinated movement, abnormal reflexes, seizures and speech problems. Some adults also had neurological problems such as visual disorders, shaking (tremors), weakness, nausea, hearing loss, depression, confusion, loss of appetite and memory problems. A total of 46 people died as a result of mercury exposure.
  • Iraq: In 1972, approximately 6,500 people fell ill and 459 people died after eating bread baked with wheat contaminated with a mercury-based fungicide.
  • Faroe Islands (North Atlantic): A study started in 1984 investigated the effects of methyl mercury exposure on children born to mothers who ate contaminated whale meat. Researchers found that children (seven years old) who were born to mothers with a 10-20 ppm mercury count had lower language, attention and memory scores than those children born to mothers with lower mercury levels. Interestingly, a study performed in the Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean) did not reveal any effects on children born to mothers who had mercury hair levels of 10 ppm.
  • Take off any jewelry so you don't contaminate it. Scoop up the mercury with a sheet of cardboard. Place the mercury in a small bottle or vial. Cap the bottle or vial. Dispose of the bottle or vial properly. Many communities have special hazardous waste disposals or pick-up locations. Wash your hands! NEVER use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury spills. A vacuum cleaner will get contaminated and will spread mercury vapors into the air.
Hannah Smith

Mercury: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia - 4 views

www.nlm.nih.gov/...002476.htm

shared by Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
  • Fluorescent light bulbs
    • Cheyanne Strong
      Cheyanne Strong on 01 Dec 11
       
      hey hannah
    • Hannah Smith
      Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11
       
      hey MERCURY IS DANGEROUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :(
    • Cheyanne Strong
      Cheyanne Strong on 01 Dec 11
       
      i know its bad
    • Hannah Smith
      Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11
       
      whoever came up with that cfl bulb needs 2 b shot n the head!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
  • ...19 more annotations...
  • Elemental mercury, also known as liquid mercury or quick silver Inorganic mercury salts Organic mercury
  • Elemental mercury is usually quite harmless if touched or swallowed
  • Considerable damage can occur, however,
    • Hannah Smith
      Hannah Smith on 01 Dec 11
       
      had 2 use yellow cause blue was acting up :(
  • if mercury is made airborne into small, little droplets and breathed
  • if mercury is made airborne into small, little droplets and breathed
  • into the lungs. This can often occur by mistake when people try to vacuum up mercury that has spilled onto the ground.
  • Breathing in elemental mercury will cause symptoms right away (acute) if enough mercury is breathed in. Symptoms wil
  • l also occur over time (chronic) if little amounts are inhaled every day. If this occurs, symptoms may include:
  • Metallic tasteVomitingDifficulty breathingBad coughSwollen, bleeding gums
  • Unlike elemental mercury, inorganic mercury is usually poisonous when swallowed. Depending on the how much is swallowed, symptoms may include:
  • Burning in the stomach and throatBloody diarrhea and vomiting
  • Organic mercury can cause sickness if breathed in, eaten, or placed on the skin for long periods of time. Usually organic mercury causes problems over years or decades, not immediately. In other words, being exposed to small amounts of organic mercury every day for years will likely cause symptoms to appear later. Regardless, a single large exposure can also cause problems.
  • Numbness or pain in certain parts of your skinUncontrollable shake or tremorInability to walk wellBlindness and double vision Memory problems
  • Seizures and death (with large exposures)
  • . It is so thick and slippery that it usually falls off your skin or out of your stomach without being absorbed.
  • Glass thermometersElectrical switchesFluorescent light bulbsOlder dental fillingsSome medical equipment
  • BatteriesChemistry labsSome disinfectantsFolk culture medicine
  • sRed cinnabar mineral
  • Older germ-killers (antiseptics) such as red mercurochrome (merbromin) -- this substance is now banned by the FDAThimerosalFumes from burning coal converted into organic mercury by certain organismsFish that have eaten a form of organic mercury called methylmercury
Emily Locklear

Are Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs Dangerous?: Scientific American - 4 views

www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm

cfl

shared by Emily Locklear on 28 Nov 11 - No Cached
  • ability to emit light; no other element has proved as efficient.
  • however, mercury—sometimes called quicksilver—is also highly toxic
  • . It is especially harmful to the brains of both fetuses and children. That's why officials have curtailed or banned its use in applications from thermometers to automotive and thermostat switches. (A single thermostat switch, still common in many homes, may contain 3,000 milligrams (0.1 ounce) of mercury, or as much as 600 compact fluorescents
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  • Mercury escapes as vapor that can be inhaled and as a fine powder that can settle into carpet and other textiles
  • At least one case of mercury poisoning has been linked to fluorescents: A 1987 article in Pediatrics describes a 23-month-old who suffered weight loss and severe rashes after a carton of eight-foot (2.4-meter) tubular bulbs broke in a play area.State and federal government agencies say that breakages, though deserving of caution, can usually be cleaned up inexpensively with household goods. (In the Maine case, the state acknowledges providing the referral but insists the homeowner was informed that such a step was unnecessary.)
  • The important thing is not to touch the heavy metal. After airing out the room, the
  • larger pieces of the bulb should be scooped off hard surfaces with stiff paper or
  • cardboard or picked up off carpeted surfaces with gloves to avoid contact
  • tape or duct tape to pick up smaller fragments; then, on hard surfaces, wipe down the area with a damp paper towel or a wet wipe. All materials should be placed in a sealable plastic bag or, even better, in a glass jar with a metal lid.
  • Use sticky
  • fluorescents out with regular garbage,
  • In many locales it is illegal to throw
  • but the closest recycling or take-back facility
  • may be miles away
  • (And, given the number of bottles and cans that end up in landfills
  • despite the prevalence of curbside recycling programs, it seems likely that any barrier
  • to recycling will make for relatively low reclamation rates; in 2004 the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers estimated a residential mercury bulb recycling rate of 2 percent
  • fluorescents is that they save significant quantities of energy," Berlow adds. "We're talking about two thirds to three quarters of the energy associated with lighting being reduced
  • largest U.S. source: coal-fired power plants. "Probably the most important thing that people need to connect with compact
  • fluorescent bulbs actually reduce the mercury pollution from the single
  • ompact
  • ompac
  • And compact
Emily Locklear

Broken Fluorescent Light Bulb & Dangers to the Skin | eHow.com - 0 views

www.ehow.com/n-light-bulb-dangers-skin.html

cfl

shared by Emily Locklear on 02 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • inhale a hazardous vapor, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency
  • Mercury is not dangerous if it touches your skin, but if you get it on
  • A broken fluorescent light bulb can also expose you to mercury
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  • Mercury
  • If you inhale mercury, contact your local poison control center. You might need to have mercury removed from your body by suction or through medication, according to the National Institutes of Health.
  • up all the pieces and then place them into a sealed plastic bag. After you are finished, wash your hands thoroughly and ventilate the room
  • Prevention
  • Solution
  • To avoid injury to your skin, if a fluorescent light bulb breaks, sweep
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