Mercury poisoning is a state whereby you are exposed to mercury substances either through physical contact or through inhalation of mercury vapour. Mercury poisoning can cause very serious health issues which include: damage to your brain, damage to your kidney, damage to your lungs, loss of your teeth and hair and shedding of your skin! A lot of people are not aware of the few substances that may cause mercury poisoning right in your home. Let’s look at the substances that can cause mercury poisoning in our homes and what to do in order to prevent mercury poisoning.
Energy Saving
light bulbs: The energy saving bulbs are nowadays preferred to the old incandescent bulbs because they save on energy mostly but you should be aware of the little mercury compounds found inside them. This energy saving bulb usually pose danger when they are broken and safety precautions should therefore be taken while handling broken energy saving bulbs.
What to do when an energy saving bulb breaks
1. Open the doors and windows so as to let in fresh air and then leave the room immediately for around 15 minutes to allow for ventilation.
2. Wear plastic gloves while cleaning up the broken pieces and make sure you dispose the pieces in a plastic paper bag that is different from the other kitchen or home waste.
3. Wipe the floor with a damp clothe and also dispose off the clothe together with the broken pieces
4. Incase there is a lot of dust in the room just make sure you do not try to inhale the dust. You should cover your nose and clean up the area as fast as possible.
5. While cleaning, don’t ever use a broom or vacuum cleaner.
Thermometers: Some thermometers have mercury in them
Fish: A lot of mercury compounds from the environment usually find their way large water bodies which are taken up by the aquatic plants which are later consumed by the fish and finally by us. These mercury compounds usually remain in the bodies of fish and could pose great health risks to people especially children and pregnant mothers. Although some fish may have very small quantities of mercury in their bodies which don’t pose much danger to people, some kinds of fish e.g. tuna fish, whale and dolphin meat have been found to have very high levels of mercury in them.
Cosmetics: Though cosmetics that harbour mercury compounds in them have been banned by most countries, always try to look out for cosmetics especially skin whitening cosmetics that may contain “mercury (II) chloride compound as it is a toxic substance when applied to our skin.
We can be exposed to mercury compounds in our homes through substances like energy saving bulbs, mercury thermometers, fish and cosmetics which can cause mercury poisoning and therefore the need to be very careful when handling such substances.