Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => The Knowledge => OT Knowledge => Topic started by: aidan.f on 20 April, 2017, 07:17:22 am
-
Have made a pretty good job of clearing up the globules of Mercury after dropping a thermometer onto a concrete floor yesterday.
However there will be a very little left in cracks and chips in the floor. I am at the point where I cannot see anything but expect something has been left. What should I do?
1. More brushing. Paintbrush and folded laminating pocket scoop plus hours of patience was used yesterday
2. Something else?
-
In your garage? At work?
IIRC mercury spill kits contain sulphur which either reacts and stabilises the mercury, or just clumps it for later clean up. You can do that and then a really good hoovering with a hoover that has a HEPA filter. That's pretty much what we did when refurbishing old labs at Cambridge and Harwell. That was after we'd collected up the pints of liquid mercury accumulated under the parquet flooring
-
Dave, it's at home. Having read a bit more the risk is vapour.. it was in a lot of small droplets. I maybe should have ventilated a bit more during my two hour pick up. I am coming to the conclusion that whatever is left is not really a concern, I have a lot more in my fillings.
-
It isn't anywhere near your aluminium-framed bikes, is it?
or anything else made of aluminium for that matter.
-
Will a magnet not suck it up?
-
Will a magnet not suck it up?
Not mercury no. If he's spilled liquid oxygen, yes.
Ben, if it was a small amount i.e. a thermometer, you've got up what you can, I'd say ventilate to the max for a few days and you should be OK.
The Occupational Exposure Limit for Mercury is 0.02 mg/cu.m. but that is a level at which you can be exposed continuously with no adverse effects. I think you'd be hard pushed to get anywhere near that
-
I remember handling mercury without any protection, in school labs in the 60s. It never did me any h
-
Me nei
-
Mad as Hatters!
-
I wasn't kidding about your bikes. Don't let even a trace of it near aluminium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ilxsu-JlY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ilxsu-JlY)
-
I remember handling mercury without any protection, in school labs in the 60s. It never did me any h
Me too. My hair didn't fall out.
-
I wasn't kidding about your bikes. Don't let even a trace of it near aluminium.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ilxsu-JlY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7Ilxsu-JlY)
Bikes I'm not so bothered about, just keep it away from aeroplanes
-
Have a lot of aeroplanes sitting around in your garage do you Elydave?
-
I'll be on one Tuesday, and Thursday, and the following Monday, and the Wednesday after that ....
Can't say I have many barometers in my garage either
-
Sprinkle powdered sulphur where you spilt the mercury. Sulphur will react with the mercury to form a compound with a far lower vapour pressure than liquid mercury. The remaining sulphur is harmless.
-
I remember handling mercury without any protection, in school labs in the 60s. It never did me any h
Me too. My hair didn't fall out.
My hair didn't fall out and turn grey...
-
I'll be on one Tuesday, and Thursday, and the following Monday, and the Wednesday after that ....
...
I've no doubt you will be picked up by security. I'm flying on Sunday but there's no mercury on me :smug:.
-
I remember handling mercury without any protection, in school labs in the 60s. It never did me any h
Me too. My hair didn't fall out.
My hair didn't fall out and turn grey...
What DID cause that then, Phil??
-
I'll be on one Tuesday, and Thursday, and the following Monday, and the Wednesday after that ....
...
I've no doubt you will be picked up by security. I'm flying on Sunday but there's no mercury on me :smug:.
I'm always picked up by security :P
-
I used to deal with mercury spillages frequently at work.
The longterm danger is from the mercury vapor.
Normal proceedure is to carefully, gently sweep up, or suck up with a dropping pipette or syringe, as much of the droplets as you can. Any you collect should be put in a jar with a little water in it to await disposal - the mercury sinks below the water so that there is no longer exposure to the vapor.
As mentioed above, dusting with a mixure of sulphur and calcium hydroxide, or using them made into a paste is the next step - I use the powders as it can be brushed around the area of spillage. This can then be swept up and bagged for normal refuse.
Twice in the last few years, we have had parts of Ely sealled off and the fire brigade out in full chemical suits because of mercury spills - once at a jeweller's shop and once at the auction house when a barometer was broken. At the time, when asked for advise at the school I work at, I almost managed to convince our Operations Director that the first signs of mercury poisoning were that you grew taller in hot weather... ;)
-
Barakta used to run on mercury batteries. Her school friends used to steal them and stab them with compasses...
-
does barakta run on the mains now ? :D :demon:
-
What SHOCKING suggestion!
-
I remember handling mercury without any protection, in school labs in the 60s. It never did me any h
Me too. My hair didn't fall out.
I'm doomed! Used to have a lot of fun at school, pushing blobs of mercury around.
-
I'm assuming with the age profile here that its far too late for most of us :P
-
Maybe mercury-induced dementia is the reason seasoned posters post the same themes again and again and again...
Maybe it's the search function's weaknesses.
-
You're saying this is now the fourth mercury mop up thread?! :o :facepalm:
That's a lot of mercury..