Many people have a mercury thermometer at home, despite its withdrawal from sale. It is therefore useful to know where to dispose of it when you want to replace it with a new one or when it gets damaged. This is extremely important because this waste can be hazardous to both health and the environment. Find out where you can dispose of a mercury thermometer.
Not all waste can be simply thrown into the bin. Some of them can seriously threaten the health and life of people and animals and are also dangerous for the environment. One example is the mercury thermometer, which many people still have at home. We recommend where you can dispose of it.
Decommissioning the mercury thermometer – what to remember?
Mercury thermometers are no longer commercially available as they have been replaced by safer substitutes. However, they are still found in many home medicine cabinets. In addition, sometimes it happens that the mercury thermometer breaks or you simply want to replace it with a new one.
If the thermometer is broken, The Slovak Public Health Office recommends provide mercury, which is an extremely toxic substance. Spilled drops of mercury can be removed, for example, by suction with a syringe. Residues that could not be sucked up with the syringe, remove with moistened blotting paper.
Wear gloves when removing mercury spills to avoid unnecessary skin contact. Mercury can also penetrate the body through the skin and subsequently spread through the blood to the nervous system. Since mercury is fat soluble, the risk is higher for oily hands.
Try to avoid inhaling mercury vapors and immediately ventilate the room in which the mercury was dispersed.
This caution follows from the fact that this substance can seriously endanger health even in small quantities. It can enter the body not only through the skin, but also by inhalation. Use rubber gloves and a face mask.
Where to dispose of a mercury thermometer? You have several options
With that in mind, we need to know where it is safe to dispose of a mercury thermometer. First of all, you should be aware that the place for this type of waste is not a mixed waste container. If you want to get rid of the thermometer, you have several options.
One of them is to hand it over at the municipal waste collection point. You can find such facilities in every village. In some cities, there are also collection points for toxic waste, where we can leave the mercury thermometer.
Another option is to take the thermometer to a pharmacy, but first make sure that the pharmacy you choose is able to accept this type of waste. In addition, the mercury thermometer should be well protected by placing it in a closed container. However, it is important that thermometers received in pharmacies are not damaged. We should also remember not to throw this type of waste into medicine containers, even if they are not broken.
Find out where you can dispose of medicines and empty medicine containers. It is very important
