Shelf life of a mercury thermometer

Many consider the familiar and familiar mercury thermometers to be a relic and find many shortcomings in these useful devices:

the poisonous filling, of course, is the main thing for which mercury thermometers are criticized;
the fragility of the material from which they are made (glass), the danger of breaking or crushing the device;
the long period of time required to measure body temperature.

Indeed, a mercury thermometer is nothing more than a sealed glass tube, inside of which there is a thin vessel with two grams of liquid harmful metal and a degree scale.

The mercury inside poses a real health hazard to those in whose apartment a thermometer accidentally breaks, but there are very simple precautions that you can take to protect yourself and your household from toxic fumes getting into the air.

Safety regulations

store the thermometer in a hard case, which always comes with it when sold;
remove the device only for its intended use, and then immediately put the case with the thermometer in a certain place;
when measuring the patient’s temperature, make sure that he does not fall asleep with the device under his armpit;
It is better to hold the child whose body temperature needs to be measured at this time by the hand, not allowing him to be distracted from the procedure and make sudden movements;
Under no circumstances should the thermometer be left in sight of children or stored in a place accessible to them;
do not boil the device for disinfection purposes, as the glass may simply burst;

Thermal strips

This method of measuring temperature is the most inaccurate of all existing ones. Therefore, it is never used in professional medicine.

A scale consisting of different compounds is applied to the paper base, which change color depending on exposure to a certain temperature. This method of measurement cannot indicate the temperature with an accuracy of tenths and, especially, hundredths of a degree. Therefore, it is used only to detect its significant increase.

Thermal strips are produced in sets of 25 pieces. Each strip is designed for one-time use. The only advantage of this “innovation” is its compactness and ease of use, especially on the road.

Advantages of a mercury thermometer

It is not for nothing that this device is still used for its intended purpose, and not everyone is in a hurry to replace it with electronic devices for measuring temperature.

Its advantages are the following:

accuracy of the result; the maximum error is no more than 0.1 degrees;
versatility: the device can be used orally (for adults) or measure temperature by holding it in the armpit;
the result obtained is stored until the thermometer is shaken;
To sterilize, simply wipe the device with a cotton pad soaked in a disinfectant solution;
sold at a very affordable price;
does not require any batteries or recharging.

To get the most accurate result, the device must be kept in direct contact with the body for 10 minutes.

Some will say that this is too long, and if you need to determine body temperature in the shortest possible time, this option will not work. Perhaps this is true. However, if you have a cold or the flu, you can use this device without rushing anywhere.

Non-contact thermometer

The contraption resembles a pistol - we see an electronic thermometer, without which a normal builder is powerless to measure heat leaks. The device receives infrared radiation from objects, the spectrum is highly dependent on temperature. The non-contact thermometer is designed to work in field conditions; it can easily show how many degrees are in the refrigerator freezer.

If you know a foreman, a builder, or an engineer from an organization conducting engineering surveys, you can quickly assess the thermal field of the refrigerator in a matter of minutes. The speed of measurement with a non-contact thermometer cannot be compared with any other.

The thing costs more than a thousand rubles; you don’t have to leave your apartment, assessing the temperature outside the window. Shoot on the balcony for fun. This may seem like a lot, we recommend paying attention to a pyrometer-infrared thermometer priced at around 650 rubles, which is more shaped like a keychain, but has considerable capabilities that will be useful to the owner of a NoFrost refrigerator.

There are two buttons on the device - measure, backlight. Sometimes signed: Measure, light bulb icon. A child can use the contraption. The digital indicator will show the value up to tenths of a degree. The error will be 2 ºС. However, you can come up with a dozen ways to clarify the readings. You will have to make many measurements, then find the arithmetic mean.

Of course, the device should be verified in advance and the difference noted. This applies, however, to any measuring technology.

Best before date

There is no expiration date for a mercury thermometer.

As long as it remains safe and sound, it will continue to work with the same high precision. This is due to the simplicity of this device: mercury expands when heated. That's the whole principle of its operation.

Some argue that over time, glass can bend and crack, but for this to happen, not even years, but decades must pass! Thus, it turns out that with careful storage, the mercury thermometer, familiar to many from childhood, may well serve its owner throughout his life.

What to do if the thermometer breaks?

Mercury thermometer: pros and cons, expiration date Link to main publication

What to do if the thermometer breaks? This seemingly harmless temperature meter is absolutely safe if used for its intended purpose, but if you make a mistake and damage it, it can seriously affect a person’s health. Despite the fact that at the moment there are electronic and infrared thermometers on the market, mercury thermometers are still the most popular today.

It is quite easy to break, because it is made of glass, and if you measured the temperature in the kitchen or bathroom and the temperature meter slipped out of your hands, then there is not a single chance that it will remain intact and will not break on the toilet, aquarium or sink. Some begin to panic and frantically try to collect the remains of the thermometer, but they do it completely wrong. We will look at the basic rules of correct behavior and tell you what to do in such a situation, as well as describe the main mistakes that can aggravate the situation.

How many thermometers should be placed in the refrigerator?

According to the storage regimes for thermolabile drugs, a pharmacy must have at least two refrigerators - +2 - +8 °C (for storing medical immunobiological drugs) and +8 - +15 °C for storing other thermolabile drugs (“Store cool place").

How many thermometers must be placed in the refrigerator to satisfy the inspectors? Which document says about the number of thermometers in the refrigerator?

The rules for storing medicines, approved by order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 706n, indicate only that medicine storage rooms must be equipped with thermometers. There are no instructions in these Rules for equipping refrigerators with thermometers.

Order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation No. 309, regulating the sanitary regime in pharmacies, states that microclimate parameters (temperature, humidity, air exchange) must be monitored in the premises.

Resolution of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation No. 15 established that the storage of MIBP (medical immunobiological medicinal products) is carried out in refrigerators equipped with thermometers at a temperature of 5 +/- 3 °C (ranging from 2 to 8 °C). At the same time, in accordance with paragraph 4.11 of the specified Sanitary and Epidemiological Rules, control over the temperature conditions of vaccine storage is carried out 2 times a day, and the thermometer readings are entered by an official in the temperature register of the refrigerator.

Also, in accordance with paragraph 7.2.1 of the Resolution of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation No. 50 of the Sanitary and Epidemiological Rules and Standards “Hygienic requirements for the organization of production and circulation of biologically active food additives (BAA)” SanPiN 2.3.2.1290-03 organizations involved in storage Dietary supplements must be equipped with refrigeration chambers (cabinets) for storing thermolabile dietary supplements and instruments for recording air parameters (thermometers, psychrometers, hygrometers) of the premises in which dietary supplements are stored.

These rules do not establish any requirements for the procedure for storing thermolabile dietary supplements in refrigerators and for monitoring the temperature in refrigerators.

Thus, at present, the current legislation does not establish any special requirements for equipping refrigerators of pharmacy organizations with thermometers.

How many thermometers must be placed in the refrigerator to satisfy the inspectors? Which document says about the number of thermometers in the refrigerator?

- You can measure temperature in several ways

Step-by-step instructions

Step-by-step instructions on what to do if the thermometer breaks will help you find the right way out in such an emergency. It is worth remembering that metallic mercury has an extremely high surface tension, and therefore it can easily separate into small particles with a high level of mobility. Drops spread throughout the room very quickly, and therefore there is no need to hesitate and try to eliminate the consequences as carefully and correctly as possible.

First of all, it is necessary that all those who will take part in the cleaning must be equipped with wet gauze bandages. You should also have protection on your hands in the form of medical or simple plastic gloves, and put shoe covers on your feet. After this, you need to prepare a container in which you will place all the strippings; it can be a jar of water.

Then start preparing soft paper in a basin; it must be soaked in sunflower oil or plain water. We also need tape and adhesive tape, they are needed to collect all the small pieces of glass, and mercury sticks to them perfectly. In addition, it is advisable to have a regular rubber enema and syringe on hand; they will help in sucking mercury out of the cracks.

You will need to prepare a brush and soak it in water. In order not to miss the smallest particles in the cracks, you will need to stock up on a flashlight and, preferably, more than one. In addition, we also need a bucket for demercurization.

Place a saturated solution of potassium permanganate in it. If you don’t have potassium permanganate in your medicine cabinet, you can mix forty grams of soap, thirty grams of soda and a liter of water. And of course, we can’t do without rags, which we will use to clean the surface.

The sequence of necessary actions is as follows:

We put on protection in the form of a gauze bandage, gloves and shoe covers;
Having entered the room, close the door tightly;
carefully examine the affected surface and plan the removal process so that you do not step on an uncleaned surface;
a break should be taken every fifteen minutes, while leaving the room and breathing deeply;
before returning to the room, it is necessary to put on only new equipment, and the old one, along with rags and brushes, must be thrown away in intact plastic bags;
after you have removed all visible particles, you should begin demercurization; it will need to be repeated twice.

The average duration of a full cleaning is about two hours, so be patient. After this, it is recommended to carry out wet cleaning for another two weeks, and in order to make sure that there is no concentration of mercury vapor in your home, call a sanitation station.

If you break a thermometer with red liquid, then you can rest assured, because this means that there is alcohol inside it. If an alcohol thermometer breaks, it will not pose a danger to humans, and it will dissipate quickly enough.

What is prohibited?

Everyone should know what is prohibited to do in such a situation in order to protect not only their lives, but also those around them. To do this, follow all the recommendations in the memo.

It is prohibited to collect mercury using a broom or vacuum cleaner. This way you do not dispose of mercury balls, but crush them. When a substance enters a vacuum cleaner, due to the warm motor of the device, it immediately begins to evaporate. To prevent the vacuum cleaner from further harming your health by evaporating harmful substances, you will need to throw it away.
Never throw collected mercury into a garbage chute or trash container, even if it is in a tightly closed glass jar. Before disposing of the container, consult with specialists from the Ministry of Emergency Situations.
Do not wash items that may have come into contact with mercury in the washing machine. In this way, you will not only not get rid of the harmful substance on your clothes, but will also provoke further contact with mercury on other clothes during subsequent washes.
It is prohibited to flush mercury down the drain. The thing is that it is unlikely that it will reach the sewage station; most likely, it will simply settle in the “elbows” of your pipeline and will regularly pollute the air with evaporation.

However, the most important rule of behavior in such a situation is not to panic. In any case, it is recommended to seek help from a specialist who will advise you on this issue, and if the situation is completely complicated, he will refer you to the appropriate services.

Symptoms of mercury poisoning

Symptoms of mercury poisoning will help you recognize the problem early. The main manifestations of poisoning include:

presence of a metallic taste in the mouth;
state of powerlessness;
severe headache and discomfort when swallowing;
the presence of nausea and vomiting.

If you delay in providing assistance when necessary, this may lead to increased symptoms of poisoning. This can be calculated by the presence of bleeding gums, pain in the abdomen, loose stools with mucous and even sometimes blood.

In addition, the temperature may rise sharply, in some cases it can reach forty degrees. If you or someone you know has these symptoms, this indicates that urgent hospitalization is required. Otherwise, the situation may worsen or even lead to death.

You should not leave things to chance if there are children or a pregnant woman regularly in the apartment or house.

Even if they find themselves in the room at least once, it is better to play it safe and consult a doctor for a diagnosis. If a child regularly breathes harmful fumes, this can lead to serious problems related to kidney function. If we are talking about a woman during pregnancy, then there may be a risk of intrauterine damage to the fetus.

Thermometer in the refrigerator

Ramilya » May 21, 2012, 1:59 pm

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

Guest » 21 May 2012, 20:26

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

by Provi3or » May 22, 2012, 09:05

Not a single document establishes requirements for thermometers in refrigerators! I'll tell you more requirements for the refrigerators themselves in the pharmacy, also NO! Therefore, if the inspectors demand thermometers in the refrigerator, then you can safely tell them to go to hell (if you have enough courage), but it is best to ask them “On the basis of what regulatory document do they require you to have a thermometer in the refrigerator, and especially more than one”

Thermometer in the refrigerator in a pharmacy

Pharmacist » May 24, 2012, 12:47 pm

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

Tanya » Mar 04, 2013, 09:46 pm

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

Evgeniy » Apr 11, 2013, 08:14 pm

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

by tsovaveronikaigo » Apr 11, 2013 10:48 pm

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

Provi3or » April 12, 2013, 09:41

Re: Thermometer in the refrigerator

Algiedy » 02 Nov 2013, 22:32

Pharmacist » May 24, 2012, 12:47 pm

Providing first aid for poisoning

Providing first aid for poisoning can help the victim until the ambulance arrives, which must be called. The first thing to remember is that you need to drink the maximum amount of water.

It is this that helps flush the body; for the same purpose, you can take a drug called “Polysorb”. This is one of the enterosorbents that must be used in case of acute poisoning. If all this time a person is still in the place where the poisoning occurred, then he must be urgently removed from there.

If there is vomiting, make sure that the victim lies down straight and turns his head to the side, this will relieve nausea and you can prevent the risk of choking on vomit.
If you notice that a person is in such a state that he may soon lose consciousness, then make sure that his tongue does not sink. In addition, it is advisable to ventilate the room. Before the specialists arrive, remain calm and do not leave the victim.

Safety rules for using a mercury thermometer

Safety rules for using a mercury thermometer are needed in order to prevent the occurrence of an emergency situation of this kind. We should not forget that the thermometer requires careful handling. It is necessary to adhere to the basic rules for proper handling of the temperature meter.

It should be remembered that a thermometer can be very dangerous, so it is better not to give it to a child.
It must be stored in a durable case, often made of plastic. This will help prevent the thermometer in your first aid kit from breaking. It is advisable that children do not have free access to this place.
You should be extremely careful when “knocking down” the thermometer. It is not recommended to handle it with wet hands or be near hard objects that it could hit.
Take your child's temperature only under supervision. A child, due to his restlessness and forgetfulness, may drop it.

If you were unable to prevent damage to the thermometer, then do not forget that it is necessary to limit the location of the accident so that the mercury does not stick to the soles and is not spread to other parts of the room.

If the thermometer fell on the carpet but did not break, or was in a case, then it is recommended to take a closer look at the condition of its appearance. If there is damage, even small, then there is no need to waste time. There is no guarantee that mercury will not leak inside the thermometer.

If you want to be absolutely sure of your safety in the future, then purchase a mercury-free or electronic thermometer. It is the safest device for measuring temperature at the moment. Even if you drop it in a car, on a bed, on the street or in a room, it can break, and it will not pose any danger.

To save your life and the lives of your loved ones who live in the same house with you, learn the basic rules of behavior if a medical thermometer falls on the floor indoors. Thanks to the measures listed above, you can reduce the concentration of toxic fumes. First of all, follow the rules when cleaning the premises, and then you can keep your home not only clean, but also safe.

Why Store a Thermometer in the Refrigerator

Red alcohol is safe. Metallic is dangerous mercury. Also place a jar or bottle on the glass vessel. No matter where you go, it’s even more dangerous. Mercury as a toxic substance will be incriminated as a terrorist attack. So throw it in the trash, which is often taken out. This is so much advice.

mercury freezes at -39º C

at -40º C you can cast beautiful things in ice molds. When the temperature changes, the density remains almost unchanged

So the mercury thermometer will not burst in the cold

Well, a question. You don’t even need to use this thermometer directly here

Just remember that when it’s cold (I’m sorry, when the ambient temperature drops) it crawls into its ball (a container with mercury, which is a sensor in a thermometer), so the border of the mercury in the tube goes down - the mercury obviously contracts (decreases in volume). Is the outer shell cracked? If the tube with mercury itself is intact, then nothing bad will happen. It is incredibly durable. It’s not even necessary to take it out somewhere. Place in a secluded place out of reach of children. In the future, there will definitely be services for collecting toxic substances, and they will even come to your home. But this will not happen soon.

at -40º C you can cast beautiful things in ice molds. When the temperature changes, the density remains almost unchanged