Mercury Spills and Cleanup Procedures

1
Mercury Spills and Cleanup Procedures

• Prepared by Sarah Neumann
• Date 03/08/04

2
Mercury Health Hazards

• Elemental mercury is extremely toxic to the body
  in high and low doses and can enter the body via
  ingestion, inhalation and dermal exposure
• Depending on the type of exposure, the target
  organ(s) may vary
• Ex inhalation of mercury vapors can lead to
  brain and neural toxicity
• Metallic mercury slowly evaporates when exposed
  to the air. The air in a room can reach
  contamination levels just from the mercury in a
  broken thermometer
• This is why all mercury spills, regardless of
  quantity, should be treated seriously

3
Westchester County Law

• States that it is unlawful for the following to
  occur
• buying or selling mercury thermometers,
  barometers or thermostats
• possessing a mercury gauge manometer, which
  measures gas pressure
• This law went into effect on March 31, 2002

4
Types of Spill Kits

• There are different types of mercury spill kits
  available to you on campus (pictured below)

5
Types of Spill Kits (cont.)

• There are 2 most commonly used kits on campus

1 Sponge Kit
2 Absorbent Materials Kit
6
Mercury Spills What You Can Do

• If a spill occurs, the following action is to be
  taken
• Immediately notify your PI and co-workers of the
  spill and isolate the area
• Mercury evaporates at room temperature, so
  ventilate the area to reduce the amount of vapors
  in the air
• Contact Security at x4226 and notify them of the
  spill Security will notify EHS

7
Mercury Spills What You Can Do (Continued)

• EHS will be notified by Security and respond to
  the site with an appropriate spill kit
• EHS will instruct lab personnel on how to
  properly clean up the spill and assist if
  necessary
• Gloves, eye protection and a lab coat must be
  worn when cleaning up a mercury spill
• Follow the directions included with each spill
  kit to ensure a thorough clean up of the spill
• When the spill has been completely cleaned up,
  EHS will take the waste and dispose of it
  properly

8
In Conclusion

• Use extreme care and wear proper PPE, including a
  lab coat, gloves and safety goggles when handling
  mercury or mercury containing devices
• Replace any mercury-containing devices with safe
  alternatives
• If a spill occurs
• Notify PI and coworkers
• Isolate the area and ventilate
• Call Security at x4226
• Clean up contaminated area
• Contact EHS to properly dispose of waste