Handling Spills of Elemental Mercury
Department of 安全 and 环保合规
Handling Spills of Elemental Mercury
Mercury spills can be avoided by using supplies and equipment that do not contain 汞. It is not unusual for 汞 to be spilled, contaminating working areas. However, most 汞 spills do not pose a high threat. 当泄漏时，汞经常 fragments into small beads that can bounce and roll away from the initial spill location. All labs and facilities where 汞 is used should have a "汞 spill kit" in 溢油事件. Mercury spill kits are commercially available and usually contain treated sponges, absorbent material, gloves, shoe coverings, a small, plastic dustpan and 刮刀和塑料袋.
When a spill of elemental 汞 occurs:
- Alert others in the area that a spill has occurred.
- Isolate the area to prevent people from entering the spill area and spreading the
污染.
- Determine whether the spill is a simple or complex spill:
• A simple spill is one caused by a laboratory thermometer or other small device involving less than 15 milliliters, where all the 汞 is accessible on a non-porous surface
• A complex spill is one that involves more than 15 milliliters, and is located on 多孔表面(地毯等.)或广泛传播 - Prior to starting cleanup procedures, remove all gold or silver jewelry.
- Wear a pair of chemical resistant gloves (nitrile or silver shield), a lab coat and
保护眼睛.
- Starting at the outside perimeter and using a scraper, push the scattered 汞
droplets together into larger droplets.
- Aspirate the larger 汞 droplets and place them into a zip-lock bag or screw top
container. A disposable syringe or handheld 汞 vacuum can be used to aspirate
汞滴.
- DO NOT USE A REGULAR VACUUM AS THIS DISPERSES DROPLETS, INCREASES THE AIRBORNE LEVEL
OF MERCURY VAPOR AND CONTAMINATES THE EQUIPMENT USED
- Use a flashlight to illuminate smaller beads of 汞. 汞滴可以是针尖状的
尺寸或更小. Clean the spill area and perimeter if necessary. 密切注意
to cracks and crevices that may hide small beads of 汞.
- Place any materials used for the cleanup procedures into a plastic bag for disposal.
DO NOT MIX THESE MATERIALS WITH ANY FREE MERCURY YOU MAY HAVE COLLECTED