What to do when a mercury thermometer breaks

Since on December 17, within several hours, Uzhgorod rescuers were twice called to perform decontamination, the State Emergencies Service of Ukraine Office in Transcarpathian region reminds what to do if you break a mercury thermometer.

Open the windows and door of the apartment to ventilate the room.

Try to collect visible mercury beads with a bulb syringe or a brush. Small beads can be collected using clay or soaked newspaper. Mercury can be removed from cracks with a brass or copper wire.

Put the collected mercury in a glass jar, fill it with water and close the container.

After collecting the visible mercury, leave the room until the arrival of specialists and give them the collected mercury.

Do not enter the room until experts say it is safe.

If you find spilled mercury, fence the scene, and call the Rescue Service "101".