Print

Safety and Hazardous Waste Information

Warning about handling Mercury

Below you will find Safety tips for your classroom and buildings.  Please feel free to contact me if you do not see what you are looking for. Email Maintenance. 

Mercury Spill

Cleaning Up Spills

What Never to Do After a Mercury Spill

  • Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury. The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure.
  • Never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will break the mercury into smaller droplets and spread them.
  • Never pour mercury down a drain. It may lodge in the plumbing and cause future problems during plumbing repairs. If discharged, it can cause pollution of the septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
  • Never wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage. Clothing that has come into direct contact with mercury should be discarded. By "direct contact," we mean that mercury was (or has been) spilled directly on the clothing, for example, if you break a mercury thermometer and some of elemental mercury beads came in contact with your clothing.
  • Never walk around if your shoes might be contaminated with mercury. Contaminated clothing can also spread mercury around.

What to Do if a Mercury Thermometer Breaks

Note: these instructions also apply to spills from other sources, if the amount spilled is less than or similar to the amount in a thermometer (see specific information about how to clean up broken fluorescent bulbs)

  • Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out. Make sure all pets are removed from the area. Open all windows and doors to the outside; shut all doors to other parts of the house.
  • Do Not allow children to help you clean up the spill.
  • Mercury can be cleaned up easily from the following surfaces: wood, linoleum, tile and any similarly smooth surfaces.
  • If a spill occurs on carpet, curtains, upholstery or other absorbent surfaces, these contaminated items should be thrown away in accordance with the disposal means outlined below. Only cut and remove the affected portion of the contaminated carpet for disposal.

Items needed to clean up a small mercury spill

  1. 4-5 ziplock-type bags
  2. Trash bags (2 to 6 mils thick)
  3. Rubber, nitrile or latex gloves
  4. Paper towels
  5. Cardboard or squeegee
  6. Eyedropper
  7. Duct tape, or shaving cream and small paint brush
  8. Flashlight
  9. Powdered sulfur (optional)

Cleanup Instructions

  1. Put on rubber, nitrile or latex gloves.
  2. If there are any broken pieces of glass or sharp objects, pick them up with care. Place all broken objects on a paper towel. Fold the paper towel and place in a zip lock bag. Secure the bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
  3. Locate visible mercury beads. Use a squeegee or cardboard to gather mercury beads. Use slow sweeping motions to keep mercury from becoming uncontrollable. 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 cracked areas of the surface. Note: Mercury can move surprising distances on hard-flat surfaces, so be sure to inspect the entire room when "searching."
  4. Use the eyedropper to collect or draw up the mercury beads. Slowly and carefully squeeze mercury onto a damp paper towel. Place the paper towel in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.
  5. After you remove larger beads, put shaving cream on top of small paint brush and gently "dot" the affected area to pick up smaller hard-to-see beads. Alternatively, use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments. Place the paint brush or duct tape in a zip lock bag and secure. Make sure to label the bag as directed by your local health or fire department.
  6. Optional Step: It is Optional to use commercially available powdered sulfur to absorb the 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 suppresses the vapor of any missing mercury. Where to get commercialized sulfur? It may be supplied as mercury vapor absorbent in mercury spill kits, which can be purchased from laboratory, chemical supply and hazardous materials response supply manufacturers. 
    Note: Powdered sulfur may stain fabrics a dark color. When using powdered sulfur, do not breathe in the powder as it can be moderately toxic. Additionally, users should read and understand product information before use.
  7. If you choose not to use this option, you may want to request the services of 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. Place all materials used with the cleanup, including gloves, in a trash bag. Place all mercury beads and objects into the trash bag. Secure trash bag and label it as directed by your local health or fire department.
  8. Contact your local health department, municipal waste authority or your local fire department for proper disposal in accordance with local, state and federal laws.
  9. Remember to keep the area well ventilated to the outside (i.e., windows open and fans in exterior windows running) for at least 24 hours after your successful cleanup. Continue to keep pets and children out of cleanup area. If sickness occurs, seek medical attention immediately. View information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury. For additional information on health effects, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) provides a Mercury Fact Sheet (Exit Disclaimer) that also presents information on health effects related to exposures to vapors from metallic mercury.

If you have further questions, or if there are young children or pregnant women in the house at the time of the thermometer breakage, please call your local poison control center at 1 (800) 222-1222.

Spills of More than the Amount in a Thermometer, but Less Than or Similar to Two Tablespoons (One Pound)

Cleanup Instructions
  1. Have everyone else leave the area; don't let anyone walk through the mercury on their way out.
  2. Open all windows and doors to the outside.
  3. Turn down the temperature.
  4. Shut all doors to other parts of the house, and leave the area.
    Do not vacuum. Call your local poison control center at 1 (800) 222-1222.

Spills of One Pound or More (i.e., if it Looks like Two Tablespoons or More)

Any time one pound or more of mercury is released to the environment, it is mandatory to call the National Response Center (NRC). The NRC hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call (800) 424-8802. Note that because mercury is heavy, only two tablespoons of mercury weigh about one pound.

Cartoon Graphic of various safety items like traffic cones and hard hats with the word safety across itPCBs in Fluorescent Light Ballasts (FLBs)

Updated EPA guidance on PCBs in fluorescent light ballasts (FLBs) for school administrators and maintenance personnel is now available on the EPA website. The revised guidance provides additional detail on the suggested procedures for how to properly identify, handle and dispose of leaking and non-leaking PCB-containing FLBs. The guidance also provides: an update to the chart explaining how to identify and handle PCB-containing FLBs, new pictures of FLBs that show a side-by-side comparison of PCB-containing and non-PCB-containing FLBs, an example from HUD on representative sampling (surveying), links to the applicable PCB regulations, and information and links to external resources on the energy cost savings associated with retrofitting PCB-containing FLBs, among other things.

Articles

Additional Information