How To Clean Up A Large Mercury Spill

• What is mercury?
• What is a large mercury spill?
• What to do when mercury spills
• What not to do when mercury spills
  • Don’t attempt to clean it up yourself
  • Don’t pour mercury down the sink
  • Don’t keep contaminated carpets, soft furnishings, and clothing
• Contact us today

All mercury spills are dangerous to be exposed to and must be cleaned up as soon as possible by trained professionals. But if the spill is more than two tablespoons, you are dealing with a large spill which is particularly serious.

At ICE Cleaning, we offer rapid response mercury spill clean up services. Our hazardous chemical cleaning specialists are trained in quickly and thoroughly cleaning up spills, no matter the size or severity. They are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and can be on site in a matter of hours in an emergency.

Continue reading to find out what to do when a large amount of mercury spills.

What is mercury?

Mercury is a heavy metal that is a silver-white liquid at room temperature. It produces a colourless, odourless vapour which you can inhale without knowing it. Inhaling, touching, and ingesting mercury can cause a number of health issues including:

• Insomnia
• Tremors and neuromuscular changes
• Headaches
• Kidney problems
• Respiratory failure

What is a large mercury spill?

A large spill is considered anything greater than two tablespoons or one pound of mercury. Most household items that contain mercury like thermometers contain only around 0.6 grams of mercury. But some items, like barometers and sphygmomanometers, can contain much more and cause large spills.

Mercury spillages can also happen in schools, laboratories, and workplaces that store and handle mercury. Our technicians can clean up small and large spills in a range of different settings, no matter where you are in the UK.

What to do when mercury spills

First, have everyone leave the room. Ventilate the room by opening windows to ensure the mercury vapours don’t build up.

Then, turn down the heating to reduce the amount of mercury vapour produced. Don’t forget to shut doors and windows to other parts of the property so the vapours don’t travel elsewhere.

Next, contact specialist cleaners to deal with the spill for you. They will be able to clean up all the mercury, including small droplets that have rolled into crevices or away from the spill, and flush out vapours in your property.

Professionals will also dispose of the hazardous waste according to local regulations and give you peace of mind that your property is safe, again.

If there is a mercury spill in your laboratory or workplace and you have mercury spill kits on hand, have employees trained to use them clean it up. Otherwise, contact specialist cleaners as soon as possible. You can find out more about what to do when mercury spills in this blog.

When a large amount of mercury has been spilled, contact your local authority environmental health department for advice on what to do.

What not to do when mercury spills

Don’t attempt to clean it up yourself

Although there is lots of guidance online as to how to clean small spills, large ones must be left to professional cleaners. This is because they are very dangerous, and you could clean it up incorrectly and make the situation worse.

If you sweep up the mercury, for example, you could break it up into lots of little droplets and spread it over a much greater area. Or, should you attempt to hoover it up, you could warm up the chemical and increase the amount of vapour in the air.

Don’t pour mercury down the sink

You could pollute your septic tank and sewage treatment plant, and it may lodge in your plumbing. Don’t throw it in the bin, either, or you could pollute the local environment and put people’s health at risk.

Mercury and contaminated materials are hazardous waste and must be disposed of according to local regulations.

Don’t keep contaminated carpets, soft furnishings, and clothing

It is very difficult to remove all the mercury from porous surfaces, like carpets. Exposure to even the smallest traces of mercury can put your health at risk. Contaminated clothing should also not be washed in the washing machine as it could contaminate it.

Contact us today

Our technicians have access to the latest mercury spill clean up equipment and solutions, and can ensure the affected area is fully decontaminated and safe to re-enter. 

Get in touch to book our technicians for mercury spill cleaning on 0208 066 0360 or enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk.