i shattered a mercury thermometer then a mercury drop fall down on the ground and then spread everywhere in my room .I cleaned that with a vacuum cleaner. and now i know that it can be vaporized by vacuum.but i removed the packet after it. is that possible mercury too soon vapurises or that hapens in long time use by vacuum?
2007-10-27 01:44:16 · 3 answers · asked by sami 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Mercury boils around 674 degrees F, so it's not likely to vaporize in a vacuum cleaner. Metallic mercury is fairly inert, so even handling it carries relatively little risk. It is, however, a toxic heavy metal, so should have been properly captured and disposed of as hazardous waste, not vacuumed.
Are you sure it was a mercury thermometer? Because of its expense and toxicity, mercury is seldom used in thermometers nowadays.
2007-10-27 13:38:38 · answer #1 · answered by Frank N 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It takes a much stronger vacuum than a vacuum cleaner can create to vaporize mercury. Most likely there are a bunch of little liquid mercury balls (or one big one) in the bottom of the bag or canister. I would not suggest trying to find them, though.
Jeff "Ayerbourn" Ayers
2007-10-27 05:18:52 · answer #2 · answered by ayerbourn 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is dangerous but u should be fine
2007-10-27 01:51:38 · answer #3 · answered by lorenzo D 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋