Cleaning Up Mercury Spills

Mercury can be found in several devices in your home including thermometers, thermostats, fluorescent bulbs (including CFLs) and Sphygmomanometer (type of blood pressure monitoring device).

In most cases small mercury spills can be cleaned up relatively easily provided you follow some basic rules.  First of all, the mercury should be cleaned up almost immediately.  I say almost because there are a few things that should be done prior to clean-up.  First, make sure everyone (kids, pets, adults, etc) is kept out of the room where the spill occurred. Second, turn off any device that could circulate air to other parts of the home including air conditioner, furnace, etc. Remove any articles of clothing or shoes that could have come in contact with the mercury. Close inside doors. Open windows and outside doors to provide ventilation to the outside. Use a fan to increase air circulation to the outdoors. Put on latex or rubber gloves.

If a fluorescent light bulb was broken then there is a very small amount of mercury involved and you will likely not be able to see it. Scoop up the broken glass immediately and put the glass and gloves in a rigid container. Seal the lid on the container and take it outside (do not leave in the house). Take the container to your local hazardous waste depot as soon as practical.

If a fever thermometer was broken then most of the mercury will be visible. However, you may need to turn off the lights and shine a flashlight to see the mercury beads. Use tweezers or sticky side of tape to pick up as much mercury as possible. If you have sulphur powder available (available at garden stores) then sprinkle it on the spill area. If the powder turns brown then there is still mercury at the site and further cleaning is required. If it stays yellow then your cleaning effort is finished.

If the mercury was spilled on a porous surface such as hardwood floor then you will need to seal the surface with a sealing agent such as epoxy paint or polyurethane. If the mercury was spilled on carpet then you may need to cut out the area of the carpet where the spill occurred.

Place all materials that have or may have been contaminated into a rigid container, seal it and take to a local hazardous waste depot.

For any other mercury spills you should call in a specialist. Don't try to clean up the mercury yourself.

The safest alternative is to eliminate the sources of mercury from your home. Have your mercury thermometers recycled and do not buy Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) or other fluorescent light bulbs.