Mercury Quick Facts
Cleaning up Mercury Spills in Your House
If a thermometer or other small mercury-containing item
such as a thermostat or compact fluorescent light bulb
breaks, you may be able to clean it up yourself. Follow the
steps in this fact sheet to clean up the spill. If the mercury
spill is larger than two tablespoons, follow the instructions in
this flier and get professional help to clean up the spill.
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What NEVER to Do When Cleaning Up a
Mercury Spill
• Never use a vacuum cleaner or broom to clean up
the spill.
A vacuum cleaner or broom will break the mercury into
smaller drops and spread it around more. Tiny mercury
droplets will settle throughout the area, increasing the
spread of the mercury in the room. The droplets will
evaporate faster and increase your chance of breathing
high levels of mercury vapor. They will be harder to
clean up.
• Never pour mercury down a drain.
The mercury can become lodged in the "p" traps and
may continue to vaporize into the room. Mercury can
also pollute septic tanks or wastewater-treatment
plants.
• Never allow people who are wearing mercury-
contaminated shoes or clothing to walk around the
house.
This will help limit the spread of spilled mercury.
• Never use a washing machine to launder clothing
or other items that may have come in contact with
mercury.
Mercury can contaminate the washer and/or pollute
sewage. Throw all clothing that came in contact with
liquid mercury in the trash. If mercury is visible on the
clothing take it to your local household hazardous
waste collection site for disposal. Wash clothing or other
items that were exposed to mercury vapor during the
cleanup, but did not get mercury directly on them.
"In no case should a
vacuum cleaner or
broom be used to
remove mercury.
This will spread the
mercury over a
larger area and will
put mercury vapors
into the air and in-
crease your chance
of breathing high
levels of mercury
vapors."
Call ATSDR at (913) 669-3924 or 669-2589 if you have health-related
questions about mercury. If you have questions about cleaning up a
mercury spill of any size, call the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Region 7 office at (913) 281-0991.
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How to Clean up a Small Mercury Spill
(a broken thermometer, thermostat or compact fluorescent bulb)
Step 1. Isolate the spill and ventilate the area right away.
• The person who will clean up the spill should have everyone else, espe-
cially children, leave the spill area, including pets. Don't let anyone
walk through the mercury on their way out.
• Open all windows and doors that open to the outside of the house.
• Close all doors between the room where the mercury was spilled and the
rest of the house.
• Close all cold air returns so that mercury vapor is not carried throughout
the house.
• Turn down heaters and turn up single-room air conditioners, but don't use
central air conditioning.
• Use fans to blow mercury-contaminated air outside. Turn off fans that do
not blow air to the outside.
Step 2: Get the items needed to clean up a small mercury spill.
You will need the following items:
1. 4 or 5 zipper-top plastic bags
2. trash bags (2 to 6 mm thick)
3. rubber, nitrile or latex gloves
4. paper towels
5. cardboard or squeegee
6. eye dropper
7. duct tape, or shaving cream and small paint brush
8. flashlight
9. powdered sulfur (optional)
Step 3: Cleanup Instructions
• Put on rubber, nitrile or latex gloves.
• Pick up any broken pieces of glass and place them on a paper towel. Fold
the paper towel, place it in a zipper-top bag, and seal the bag.
• Clean up the beads of mercury. Use a squeegee or cardboard to slowly
roll the beads onto a sheet of paper. An eye dropper can also be used to
collect the beads. Slowly squeeze mercury from the eye dropper onto a
damp paper towel. Put the paper towel, paper, eye dropper, or anything
else that has mercury on it, into a zipper-top bag, and seal the bag.
• After you remove larger beads, put shaving cream on top of a small paint
brush and gently blot the affected area to pick up smaller hard-to-see
beads. You can also use duct tape or masking tape to collect smaller
hard-to-see beads. Place the paint brush or tape into a zipper-top bag,
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How to Clean up a Small Mercury Spill
(a broken thermometer, thermostat or compact fluorescent bulb)
Step 3 continued...
• It is OPTIONAL to use commercially available powdered sulfur to absorb
beads that are too small to see. The sulfur does two things: (1) it makes
the mercury easier to see since there may be a color change from yellow to
brown, and (2) it binds the mercury so that it can be easily removed, and it
helps to keep mercury that may have been missed during the cleanup from
vaporizing into the room. Mercury spill kits that contain sulfur can be pur-
chased from laboratory, chemical and hazardous materials response supply
manufacturers. Read and understand how to use the cleanup kit before
using. Note: Powdered sulfur may stain fabrics. Also, when using
powdered sulfur, avoid breathing in the powder as it can be moderately
toxic.
Step 4: Look for mercury that may have been missed during the
cleanup.
• Take a flashlight, hold it at a low angle close to the floor in a darkened
room, and look for additional glistening beads of mercury that may be
sticking to the surface or in small cracks. Note: Mercury can move
surprising distances on hard and flat surfaces, so be sure to carefully
inspect the entire room when you are searching.
Step 5: Remove contaminated carpet and throw away.
• Place outside the house in a safe place until household trash is picked up.
Step 6: Remove mercury from shoes, clothing, and skin.
^^Tr— • If mercury had touched your skin, shoes or clothing, remain still and have
j^j^jjj^ someone bring you a plastic trash bag and wet paper towels. Wipe off any
visible beads of mercury with the wet paper towels and then put them into
the trash bag. Remove contaminated shoes and clothing and place them in
a trash bag. Seal that bag and place it in another bag.
Step 7: Properly dispose of contaminated cleanup materials.
• Place all materials used in the cleanup, including gloves, in a trash bag.
Place the zipper-top bags that contain mercury and other objects into the
trash bag. Close and seal the trash bag and place it in a safe place outside
your house. Label the bag as directed by your local health or
fire department.
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How to Clean up a Small Mercury Spill
(a broken thermometer, thermostat or compact fluorescent bulb)
Step 7 continued...
Contact your local health department, municipal waste authority, or your
local fire department for proper disposal in accordance with local, state and
federal laws.
Step 8: Following the spill
• Keep the area well ventilated to the outside (i.e., windows open and fans in
exterior windows running) for at least 24 hours after cleaning up the spill.
Continue to keep pets and children out of the cleanup area. If anyone gets
sick, call your doctor or the Poison Control Center at (888) 222-2122 im-
mediately.
• You may want to hire a contractor who has monitoring equipment to screen
for mercury vapors. Consult your local environmental or health agency to
inquire about contractors in your area.
• If young children or pregnant women are in the house, seek additional
advice from your local or state health or environmental agency.
What to Do for
Mercury Spills Greater Than the Amount
in a Thermometer, Thermostat or
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulb
Mercury is heavy. Just two tablespoons weigh nearly one pound. If more
than the amount of mercury in a thermometer or thermostat or a compact
fluorescent light bulb is spilled in your house, be sure to follow these steps:
• Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury
on their way out.
• Open all windows and doors to the outside.
• Turn down the heater in winter and turn up the air conditioner in summer.
• Shut all doors to other parts of the house, and leave the area.
• Call your local or state health or environmental agency for help.
If more than two tablespoons of mercury are spilled in your
house, you are strongly urged to call the National Response
Center (NRC), available 24 hours a day, 1-800-424-8802.
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