Just my luck. I was cleaning my bedroom tonight and I found a thermometer container on a wood shelf in my room. There was no top, olnly a bottom of the container. I picked up the thermometer and realized it was broken. I was nervous but calmly went downstairs and put it in a plastic bag. When I did, I saw a mercury bead in the bag. Then afterwards, I looked on the shelf and there was one small bead in the bag. Now, I am panicking. I have no idea how long that broken thermometer was in there - it could have been a couple of years for all I know. Could this have caused mercury vapors in the air. I know I have gotten dramatically worse recently, with my vision problems, muscle pains, memory, etc. I had high mercury levels to begin with. Could this have worsened my problems???

I feel sick inside just thinking about this. How could this have happened on top of everything else?

If there was enough heat in your room, then yes it could have had some vapor release. ONe story I heard about a guy that used to PLAY with liquid mercury. He was fasinated by it. oneday a bit of it dropped onto a hot plate and he died weeks later from acute mercury toxicity. that is how dangerous the vapor can be concentrated like that.

Yours would not be like that, but it is possible some of it may have escaped as some vapor. Have you removed amalgams? and have you or are you chelating? if not, I recommend you do to lessen your exposure as much as possible. Plus do not eat any seafood! I'm sure you know all this, but when a person has been overexposed, even by other sources, they often find their amalgams suddenly become a big problem, wheras before they may have been coping better.

I feel sick for you too.

Big problem there, sounds like a large part of the problem. I have no idea how to clean the room well. I would not sleep in there.

You can get a OSHA regulation charcoal cartridge respirator at most good paint stores, try an automotive finishing store if the paint store doesn't carry anything that heavy duty (probably about $40-50.00 these days). If it were my house, I would wear that mask to clean it. Maybe a search on yahoo will give you some ideas about what to clean it with.

Andrea,

This could be very serious. You may want to deal with this issue right away.

Perhaps you could call a local poison control center and ask them what to do. The risk is that they may kick you out of your house if they determine that there is real danger.

You could also rent a mercury vapor meter (about $100 per day) and take measurements yourself. If you need contact information for a rental center, just let me know.

Keep us posted.

Thank you for your feedback. My husband cleaned it last night. We looked up what to do on the EPA website and he cleaned the room. He used masking tape to get the mercury off of the shelf. It beaded into smaller beads he said, and it took him a while. No one slept in the room. I slept downstairs but my son was sleeping in the next room. The window was open to the room and the door was shut. I think I'm going to call OESHI today to find out how I can test it to be sure. On the website they said that they used to test mercury from thermometers on a regular basis but it did not usually become airborne so they stopped and just direct families how to clean it. The only issue with this is that it has been broken for G-d knows how long and I don't know if when it became hot in the room (from heat and hot weather - there is no direct air conditioning in that room) if some of it could have vaporized. My husband is already annoyed at me that I am making a big deal about this (he told me yesterday he thinks its ridiculous for me to have my amalgams out because his dentist said they are perfectly safe - and then told me that I never listen to rationale drs) - so this was the aftermath of a tough day with this.

Russ, I might need a number to rent a vapor machine. If so, I will post again today. Thank you. I am so upset about this.

I also have a hair test here. Do you think I should do the hair test to see what comes up? Or should I do some other test to see where I am at? I did have a blood test a few months back that came back negative (without a chelator push) but did come out with 7 times the level of mercury I should have on hair, and urine test (after a chelator push) 7 years ago. Mercury did show up in my blood then.



Thanks

If you have problems picking up the mercury have the person doing the clean-up put on some latex gloves ( if they are not allergic to them ) and find a piece of cheap silver jewlery that has been plated with real silver ,the liquid mercury will bond to the silver and then dispose of it ( ask a dental office if they can help you dispose of it .then buy some activated charcaol capsules at most vitimine stores then open the capsules and spread the charcoal around the spill area and let it absorb the mercury and vapors at least 24 hours ,then clean up the charcoal ,I would repeat this twwo or three times to get most if not all mercury from the spill area , air out the house for a while mercury vapor disapates fairlly quickly hope this helps you

Russ,

Can you give me contact information for a mercury vapor analyzer rental place? I am not calling EOHSI because my husband does not want us to be identified so they would tell us to leave. I do have a friend who is a mold specialist and is going to call a couple of indoor air quality people she knows to ask their opinion and advice.

Thank you so much for the info.

My friend as a joke broke a thermometer on me and I had it all on my hands when I was little...and I remember cleaning it off myself with my own mouth an licking it...

Im really paranoid if this could cause problems later in life...this was when I was 7 but im 17 now and seem fine apart from the occasional cold during winter but im really paranoid about something happening with that mercury in me.

Russ,

I forgot to mention in my last post that I live in NJ.

Andrea

For your information in case this ever happens to you...

I spoke to my biological dentist to get his opinion on the cleanup and my friend who is in the mold evaluation business spoke to two indoor air quality consultants.

The dentist said to vacuum up the surface where the mercury was (we already got the mercury balls up with tape) if we have a bag that we can dispose of. The indoor air quality person said do not vacuum it but use a damp cloth to wipe it down. That makes more sense to me as vacuuming it will cause particulates to become airborne, and may leave some mercury on my vacuum brush - I think.

The dentist said to get rid of all of my sheets and bedding. This upsets me because I have an organic cotton comforter and pillows that cost a fortune and another blanket that is totally aired out (which is important for me given my chemical sensitivity). But I guess it makes sense because in case any of it did vaporize it might be in the bedding and I should not sleep on it. I had clothes folded on the floor because I was cleaning out my drawers but I don't want to get rid of all of my clothes (he did not mention that). He said anything it was in direct contact with I should get rid of. My dentist also wants me to take NCD for a couple of days now (I guess to mop up any mercury that may have gotten into my system).

Both people said I do not have to test the room - I can air out the room with open windows for a bit.

This has all been so stressful - but a couple of my friends said maybe I will start to feel a little better because I won't be sleeping in a mercury ridden room. Who would have thought I was all this time...

If anyone has any other thoughts please let me know.

Thanks for all of your feedback today.

I'm just so sorry for your trouble, Andrea. I played with a broke thermometer at home on the carpet, pushin the silver around on the patterns...wathchin it stick an break up, kinda fascinatin,
Today , on radio 2 (in England) on the Jeremy Vine program, there was a session on mercury barometers bein banned. In greater Europe there is a big push for the ban on all uses a mercury goin on. I heard a lot a claptrap on the safety a the substance bein spouted by boffins with their heads up their fundaments.
A course the subject peripherally led onta differnt aspects an while I was tryin to get ma head around phonin in , someone phoned in about the flourescent lights and the new eco lights an how there is no provision for safe disposal, etc, an how many thousands a liters a water a broke tube contaminates when dumped inta landfill, not to mention the air we breathe.
I got the distinct impression there is a lot a interest in this subject and for folks in England , this radio hour is quite influential for the general public, an I think it got ol' Jeremy thinkin about what all he's got in his mouth, I kinda heard the wheels turnin.
For folks over here that could find the time to make the effort, it would be well worth the effort to email Jeremy Vine at vine@bbc.co.uk an give that man a lil education, I perdict a special session commin up ( if the BBC don't shut him up,) the man is ripe to know. I ain't so good on the facts an figures but I bet a lotta folks here might be able to flaunt their knowledge to a real good purpose if ya got the energy.
Heck, if it worked out, maybe Russ might want to speak a few words.
Welp, it's worth a shot if ya got the time an energy.

There may be more to it than cleaning up the visible mess.

I absolutely don't mean to be spreading unnecessary fear in any way, however, if I were in that position, I would be very careful about who's advice you listen to about mercury cleanup, for your own health's sake...

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55213


"According to the Ellison American, the store warned her not to vacuum the carpet and directed her to call the poison control hotline in Prospect, Maine. Poison control staffers suggested she call the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.

The latter sent over a specialist to test the air in her house for mercury levels. While the rest of the house was clear, the area of the accident was contaminated above the level considered safe. The specialist warned Bridges not to clean up the bulb and mercury powder by herself – recommending a local environmental cleanup firm. "

Russ,

My problem is that my husband is adamant about not wanting to call poison control or EOHSI. He thinks I overblow things and this has been a source of marital strife. It is very hard for me. His father said he would call OEHSI himself tomorrow to talk about the situation without identifying us if we wanted. I will ask him to do this. I also have a friend who works for EOHSI and I will call him tonight. The EPA website and many others state that you can clean it yourself with a thermometer, and we followed protocol. My concern is that this thermometer broke not yesterday but two years ago.

Can you get me information on where to get a mercury vapor meter in central NJ otherwise. I may do this myself if necessary.

Thank you.

I don't know how it is for all of you with your spouses, but this has been really difficult. Poison control said the chances of there being any significant problems are really low, but I can contact a remediation company to have them test. So I did contact one who would charge me $750 for the testing and said it is really important to test because over time the vapors may have been released into the air and during cleanup mercury may have spread elsewhere. So I spoke to my husband who got really angry at me - he thinks I am overrreacting and should not have even asked. We have a friend who works for EOHSI and validated that it is important to test because the thermometer was broken in the room so long. He suggested we get a home testing kit and suggested we get something called mercsorb first to assist with cleanup (it's a powder that binds the mercury before we wipe it away). He will give us the name of the home testing kit after he speaks with his colleagues. He agreed that all of my symptoms sound mercury related, another reason to test. He is friends with my husband and spoke to him too, but my husband is still angry at me for making such a big deal of this. He rationalizes everything and was discussing what percentage of mercury could have possibly vaporized and how I'm only in the bedroom at night so how much of a problem could it be. Even with his friend telling him, we don't know how much of a problem it can cause, but it can cause a problem for some people he makes it difficult.

So we will be doing the home test to see where we are at. Thanks for listening to me vent - it has been a long day!

speaking of broken thermometers, does anybody know what are a person chances of developing mercury poisoning from swallowing hg from a broken thermometer, where the liquid mercury comes out in stool the next day? I had that when I was a child and am wondering how much it has affected me. (The medical community says liquid mercury absorbs poorly from the intestines , but we've learnt not believe everuything the medical community is telling us)

Well i dont know, but I do know this. I swallowed some mercury during my last removal. The assistant didn't use the suction when she should have.

Well I got told it was no big deal, it would just pass straight through. I got so ill from that removal alone, I drove home with tremors in my lips and face and the change in my appearance was instantanous. I could not believe the change. I got gaunt in the cheeks, very pale, and began to get headaches and crying.

So much for the theory of it not being a problem!! If that were so, why do they use rubber dams to protect against swallowing the stuff???? Why do they handle it with so much care? lol, the contradictions are amazing.

my cousin swallowed his amalgams and is fine. So far lol

I swalled mercury when I was little my fiend broke a thermometer on me and I had the bead of silver on my hand and I remember swallowing it I WAS ONLY 6 or 7. I am fine though but still concerned as my aunty suffers mental illness and is looking at everything and considered mercury but their is no evidence to support her which is a shame as we dont know what else their is.

No evidence? Are you a comedian.
The elite doctors use Autonomic Response Testing and find that mentally ill people have more mercury in their limbic system (emotional center) than those who have their mental health.
If you still need evidence, check out Bernie Windhams site for how mercury screws up neurotransmitters and happy hormones.

Here is a link to the mercury vapor meter that we used for our experiments:

Jerome 431-X

This is the website we rented it from as well.

Thanks for the information on the meter Russ. I really appreciate your help.

Evening Russ,
Can you give a list of illnesses that are caused from either injesting thermometer mercury or playing with it in the palm of your hand as a child in the 50's?
I am curious to find out if some of my problems were from that. Such as having problems getting pregnant, appendicitis, gall bladder problems, cysts and then hysterectomy. Hearing problems and anemia.
Thanks, Tracey

Based on all the stuff I've read, you would have to conclude that mercury stays in the body, accumulates, and "preys" upon genetic weaknesses. Because young persons are classically stronger "medically", they will be less inclined to show symptoms at that age unless there is a significant weakness or they are exposed to large amounts of mercury. This is also why behavioral issues are the first to show in most of these cases.

The mercury in a thermometer is elemental and not methylated. This means it will not pass directly through cell walls (basically) and so it is considered much less toxic. Nevertheless, some of the elemental mercury that does enter your body will become methylated at some point and hence become a very destructive force.

Do I believe that mercury you played with as a child could hurt you later in life? Absolutely.

Actually, it hurts you continuously for years and years, and as your body breaks down with the continued assault, and with the likely exposure to additional mercury and other toxins, the symptoms begin to show.

For example, in my conversation with lab managers, they found that most people with amalgam fillings placed in teen years start showing symptoms in their mid thirties (on average). Of course, this is a little different than the context here because this is a higher-than-normal continuous exposure, not a one-time exposure.

As far as a list of symptoms goes...

It would be the the same or very similar than it is for other types of mercury exposure, like amalgams or vaccines. Here is a list or two that can help:

What Mercury Does To You

Diseases Mercury Can Cause

It's not a clear but situation, but I hope this helps.

they say a broken thermometer poses threat , because elemental mercury vapourizes in room temperature, so once ingestsed and being in a person's GI track for at least 24h, how do we know it doesn't vapourize there, temperature there being HIGHER than room temperature? Plus there is the methylation issue from candida/bacteria in the GI track.

What does everybody think? Is ingestng mercury from a thermometer really that harmless?

Don't know but you can add me to the list of people who bit down on a thermometer in the hospital at age 2 and swallowed some mercury. And yes I suspected mercury poisoning before I found out about this. It's one of a few "X-factors" as to why I think I have a worse case of mercury poisoning than my younger brother, even though we got the same vaccinations, amalgams and genetic susecptability.

So I don't know just providing some "anecdotal evidence" for the "swallowed mercury might be harmful" position... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Elemental hg is highly toxic . It vaporizes at room temperature and is absorbed in the alvioli ,then the blood where it becomes highly toxic hg2+. It can also be directly absorbed in the brain and oxidised to hg2+.With hg ,the dose determines the poisoning. If a child plays with a drop of hg for an hour ,the exposure is not that high. If you break a thermometer and clean it up that day,your exposure is not that great.If you break a thermometer and don't dispose of the hg for one year ,your exposure is high. I read that the hg vapor level in a room in which a thermometer had recently been broken was 10 microgms/m3.According to govt agencies, .03 microgms/m3 is the threshold level for
toxicity in non industrial settings.
If find it funny that a dentist would encourage one to vacuum the hg. That's the worst thing you can do . If a vacuum cleaner has been used in a hg contaminated room ,it should be thrown out . If the room has carpet, the carpet should be disposed of .
Sulfur turns brown (it is yellow ) upon exposure to hg so one can use it to test for hg.The best thing to do is get a machine to measure the vapor . If one gets the govt involved they might declare your house a superfund site (a slight exageration).
If you wash hg down the sink ,it becomes trapped in the plumbing and exposes you for years.

My cousins and I had no difficulty getting pregnant despite having lots of amalgam fillings. I think fibroids and cysts have other causes such as diet.

Thanks for the information Jill. I did not follow the advice of the dentist to vacuum the mercury. My husband followed EPA recommendations as he cleaned it up. I do feel that I most likely got worse because I was unaware the broken thermometer was in the room for some time.

My husband does not want to measure for mercury in the air left. We were advised by someone in charge of mercury environmental cleanup from EOHSI that the problem should be resolved because we engaged in proper cleanup. I am not sleeping in that room any longer, however, just in case. I wanted to measure the air but my stubborn husband thinks I am overreacting and as you can see is not the most supportive when it comes to the mercury stuff. I may get a vapor analyzer myself at some time in the near future withyout him knowing it. We will see. I am going to have a hair analysis done this week to see where I stand with the mercury in my body. I had a significant problem on the hair analysis done in 2001 which showed me to have 7 times the level of mercury than a woman my age should have (I was not even living in this house). I am curious to see what it shows now.

Thanks again for the info.

Andrea

Jill,

How would you use sulfur to measure?

Andrea

jill, what effect would you say swollowing elemtal hg from a thermometer have on a child? isn't the temp. in the intestines higher than room temp, and wouldn't the exposure be greater since it's in direct contact with your living tissue as opposed to hg leakage that's meters away from u?

The sulfur will not indicate the level of hg exposure. If you borrow a Jerome meter and post the readings ,I can tell you your daily dose of hg vapor but be sure to note whether the readings are in micrograms ,nanograms or milligrams.Of course there is no way to calculate your hg exposure before you disposed of the thermometer. While you are at it, how about getting a reading on one of those hg filled compact fluorescent bulbs.