mercury presentation 2 simplified
TRANSCRIPT
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MERCURY (Hg) AND US
Introduction
Safety Moment
Emergency Situation
Breaks and Bathrooms
Please put your Cell Phones on Silent or Vibrate
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What is Mercury
It is the only metal on earth whichis liquid at room temperatures.
Elemental mercury is the pure
form of mercury. It is a shiny,silver-white, odorless liquid, much
heavier than water.
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Uses for Mercury
Elemental mercury is used in oralthermometers, barometers,sphygmomanometers (devices usedto test blood pressure), wallthermostats for heating and cooling,
fluorescent light bulbs/tubes, somebatteries, electric light switches, someindoor gas meter regulators (in housesbuilt before the 1960s), and for avariety of other purposes.
It is also used in some ethnic religiousand cultural practices, and is the formof mercury that is commonly used inschool chemistry labs.
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Uses for Mercury Cont.
Elemental mercury is the form ofmercury that many adults remember
rubbing on coins as children to make
them shine; and it is because of this
practice that many people do not realizethe true danger of being exposed to
Elemental mercury.
It is used in the Oil andWater drilling
frequently but it is also released from theearths crust during these process as well
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How the public is exposed to Elemental mercury?
People can be exposed to Elementalmercury when glass thermometers or
other devices containing mercury are
broken, or when mercury is brought
into the home (most often by children)from schools, abandoned industrial
sites, or other sites where it may be
stored. If not promptly and properly
cleaned up and disposed of, it can bespread by walking
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How the public is exposed to Elemental mercury?
sweeping, or vacuuming, thereby presenting a potential
health threat. Tracking throughout the house or intoautomobiles.
While the health risk is not great at the time of a spill, it willincrease over time if the mercury is not properly removed.
At air temperatures found in homes, mercury evaporatesslowly.
Mercury vapors are heavier than air and tend to remainnear the floor or mercury source, but can get into theventilation system and be spread throughout the home.
Outdoors, mercury vapors tend to go away quickly, butindoors (particularly with windows closed), mercury vaporswill accumulate in the air.
People can absorb Elemental mercury into their bodies
when they breathe the vapors.
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How can mercury enter my body?
Elemental mercury is absorbed into the bodyprimarily by breathing the airborne vapors.Elemental mercury cannot go throughintact skin very well, so touching the beadsis less of a problem than breathing the
vapors. If you swallow the metal mercury (which is
certainly not recommended), passesthrough your body almost completely withoutbeing absorbed. Therefore, in almost all
circumstances, breathing the mercury vaporsin the air is the only real source of entry ofElemental mercury into the human body.
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How can Elemental mercury affect my health?
The nervous system is sensitive to Elemental mercury.
Exposure to very high levels of Elemental mercury vaporcan cause brain, kidney, and lung damage and mayseriously harm a developing fetus.
Exposure to mercury vapor concentrations high enough toproduce such serious effects might also cause coughing,chest pains, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, increases in
blood pressure or heart rate, skin rashes, and eyeirritation.
Exposure to lower levels of airborne mercury forprolonged periods of time would produce more subtleeffects, such as irritability, sleep disturbances, excessiveshyness, tremors, coordination problems, changes invision or hearing, and memory problems.
Most of the effects of mercury resulting from prolongedlower level exposure are reversible, once exposure isterminated and the mercury has left your body.
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How mercury affects children
Very young children are moresensitive than adults to the effects
of mercury. Children 5 years of age
and younger are considered to beparticularly sensitive to the effects
of mercury on the nervous system,
since their central nervous system
is still developing.
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Mercury affects children Cont.
Some children exposed to high mercury vapor levelsdevelop a reversible condition called acrodynia, in whichthe palms of the hands and soles of the feet often becomereddened and tender, before beginning to peel. Childrenwith acrodynia may also have mood swings, increasedirritability, difficulty sleeping, and muscle or joint pains.
Exposure levels high enough to cause acrodynia mightalso cause coughing or pain in the chest area. Acrodyniais usually, but not always, associated with urine mercuryconcentrations of 100 micrograms (or more) of mercuryper liter of urine.
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Mercury affects children Cont.
When pregnant women are exposedto mercury, the mercury can passfrom the mother's body to thedeveloping fetus; it can also be
passed to a nursing infant throughbreast milk. However, since breastfeeding itself has significant healthbenefits, a physician should be
consulted before stopping breastfeeding because the mother mayhave been exposed to mercury.
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Medical test for Mercury?
Tests are available to measure mercurylevels in the body.
Blood or urine samples are used to test
for exposure to Elemental mercury.
Once exposure has stopped, the mercury
level in the blood begins to drop rapidly,
so blood tests are useful only for
continuing or very recent exposures.
Blood mercury levels are not considered
a good predictor of toxic effects.
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Since the Elemental mercury that is absorbedinto the body is passed almost exclusively inthe urine, urine samples provide the bestindicator of exposure to Elemental Mercury.
Urine samples may be either collected over a24-hour period, or may be taken once
(preferably soon after awakening in themorning) and adjusted for a substance calledcreatinine, which occurs naturally in the urine.Urine mercury concentrations over 10micrograms per liter would indicate that aperson has been exposed to higher mercury
levels than the average population. However,that does not imply that health effects willnecessarily result.
Medical test for Mercury?
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Mercury Spills? What NOT to do
Never use a broom or brush onElemental Mercury; it will make the
Mercury vaporize faster and cause it to
become smaller droplets
Never use a standard vacuum cleaner:The Mercury will vaporize and right
through the filters.
DONT LET IT GO DOWN A DRAIN
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Mercury Spills? What To do
Secure the area.. Dont let anyone come tosee without proper PPE
Try to adjust to temperature down: Mercuryvaporizes quicker as it gets warmer.
Tell you Supervisor and Environmental Engineer
If the area is an enclosed space open a coupleof windows or use a small fan to move the air;this will help the Vapor to move around andreduce large concentrations
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Mercury Spills? What To do
Be careful not to cross contaminate
(Do not walk though the spilled mercury will get on you
shoes)
You will need a plastic zip lock baggie, a porous sponge,
an index card, and a plastic jar with a good seal. Glass
jars are ok as long as they are secured very well.
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Mercury Spills? What To do
Start your inspection for spilled mercury several feet away
from the spill looking for droplets. (It may help to darken
the room and use a flash light or black light in the room the
mercury will reflect the light)
Take your time, if you are in a hurry you will make
mistakes
Use your index card to push the mercury droplets in the
zip lock bag.
Work you way towards the larger mercury droplets
following the same procedure.
Use the sponge to lightly wipe down the area Mercury will
adhere to the sponge Place the bag and sponge into the Jar, label it Elemental
Mercury, time and date HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
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Mercury Spills? What To do
Have the area tested for Mercury vapor.
Create a Spill Response report and Lessons
Learned for each spill so every one can learn
from the incident.
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Rubber or PVC gloves
Goggles or safetyglasses
Disposable shoecovers
REMOVE ALLMETAL JEWELRY!!!
(Mercury Sticks toother metals verywell)
PPE & Clothing
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Mercury Disposal
No mercury, including brokenthermometers, may be disposed of
in the normal trash or into the sewer
system.
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Disposal
Label the container with thefollowing:
Waste Mercury Containing Lamps
Toxic (or appropriate for region)
Date placed in the container
Store in a secure, ventilated area
Hazardous/Universal waste storage
area
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MercuryWaste
Includes the mercury and allwaste materials contaminated
with mercury.
Gloves and other contaminated
debris.
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Basics to Remember 4 Spills
Prevent spills by having a plan to all mercury-
containing equipment or material In case of a spill:
Stop and Think, Stop Working, Stop the spill
Warn Others
Isolate the Area
MonitorYourself Carefully and Completely
Stay In or Near the Area Until Help Arrives
Do not: allow anyone near the spill without properPPE
Do not: Use anything but the company approved
clean material.TELL SOMEONE: Lessons Must be learned and
corrective actions implemented to prevent similaraccidents.
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Other forms of Mercury to be concerned about
Two other forms of Mercury that youmay come in contact with at home
are..
Inorganic Mercury
Organic Mercury
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Types of Inorganic Hg
Mercury is combined with other elements, such aschlorine, sulfur or oxygen, inorganic mercuric salts occur,generally in the form of white powders or crystals.
You could or can find Inorganic mercury in:
Antibacterial Medicines containing 2% Hg
Eye treatment products, such as eye drops and contactlens solutions
vaginal contraceptives gels and suppositories:
mercuric chloride is a topical antiseptic once widely usedin laxatives, teething powders and worming medications
mercuric iodide, used in creams to lighten the skin. Theseformulations are still used in some prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as pharmaceutical
preservatives. Mercuric sulfide and oxide are sometimes used as
colorants in paint and tattoo dyes.
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Organic Mercury(such as Methyl mercury)
Can change from one form to another in theenvironment. Methyl mercury tends toaccumulate to some degree in all fish, but
especially in predatory fish. Methyl mercuryis absorbed through the digestive tract anddistributed throughout the body. It readilyenters the brain, where it may remain for along period of time. In a pregnant woman, itcan also cross the placenta into the fetus,building up in the fetal brain and othertissues. Methyl mercury can also be passedto the infant through breast milk.
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Organic Mercury
Organic mercury may occur as methyl mercury,alkyl mercury or phenyl mercury. OrganicMercury is considered to be the largestthreat to you and I.
Methyl mercury is the most common form of
organic mercury, and is produced primarily bymicroorganisms, bacteria and fungi in theenvironment.. The greatest concern for methylmercury derived from its uptake by fresh andsaltwater fish and shellfish. Fish at the top ofthe food chain (Large Predatory Fish) willhave the largest amount, and the oldest fish willhave accumulated the most.
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How Mercury Moves
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Questions?
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