Dr Justin Chalk, an organic chemist at Flinders University in Australia, believes that the biggest source of mercury pollution is artisanal and small-scale gold mining. Mercury metal is used to extract gold from ore, and it is released into the external environment with the evaporation of mercury in tailings after extraction or the gold amalgam during extraction. Chalker explained: "This practice mainly occurs in poor countries and threatens the health of150,000 miners. Because our polymers can be made entirely of waste, we believe that we can solve this problem in a cost-effective way. "
The new polymer developed by Chalker and his team can be made from second-hand cooking oil and sulfur. Obviously, it can be used to capture the most harmful mercury pollution, including mercury metal and highly toxic organic mercury compounds.
Chalker said: "The polymer is produced by the direct reaction of sulfur and rapeseed oil." First, the sulfur is melted, and then further heated to 180℃, so that the sulfur reacts with itself to produce long-chain sulfur, and then the second-hand edible oil is added. This unsaturated oil contains carbon-carbon double bonds and reacts with the end of long-chain sulfur. This leads to cross-linking. After heating for about 20-30 minutes, the reaction mixture is solidified into rubber, and then the rubber is crushed into the required particle size, and then used for capturing mercury. In order to form a porous form with high specific surface area, we add a salt (sodium chloride) reaction mixture. After the reaction mixture is solidified, it is soaked in water to dissolve the salt, leaving channels and pores that can combine with mercury. "
In addition, when mercury is combined with rubber polymer, it will cause its discoloration. Chalker said that he and other university researchers tested the polymer in a series of environments, and the results showed that it could remove mercury from water, soil and air.
"Our collaborators at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology also tested this polymer and its ability to capture mercury vapor," Chalker said. "Mercury vapor is very dangerous because it can enter and damage the nervous system. We found that this polymer can capture mercury vapor quickly, in some cases it takes less than a second. This discovery is very important for industries that may encounter mercury gas: oil and gas purification, coal combustion and artificial gold mining. "
The paper describing this research was published in the European magazine Chemistry.
1956, a strange and terrible disease happened somewhere in Japan. Both animals and humans show symptoms such as unsteady walking, convulsions, paralysis and insanity. Sometimes, sick animals will jump into the sea and die while walking. After careful investigation and careful analysis, we finally found the culprit behind it, which turned out to be common mercury in our daily life.
This place is Minamata Bay, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. Because the nitrogenous fertilizer plant in Kumamoto uses catalysts containing mercury, a large amount of industrial wastes are discharged into Minamata Bay, and mercury enters the ecosystem and accumulates in marine fish, which are then salvaged and sold by fishermen. When people eat these marine fish contaminated with mercury, mercury enters the human body. With the increase of mercury entering the human body to a certain extent, the central nervous system is damaged, showing various diseases. People call this kind of mercury poisoning Minamata disease, which is also one of the eight public hazards in the world.
Mercury, commonly known as mercury, is actually a substance that human beings have known for a long time. Ancient physicians and naturalists used it to preserve the remains of dignitaries in order to achieve the goal of eternal life.
Ancient Taoist priests in China also used mercury as the main raw material to refine Dan medicine. They use pots and pans to refine elixir with tireless enthusiasm, which looks like a fairy elixir. Only the emperor can afford it, but many emperors died of sudden illness. For example, Emperor Taizong, Li Shimin, Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty and Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty all like to take Dan medicine.
As for the first emperor Qin Shihuang, people are even more arrogant. In his mausoleum, a large-scale water conservancy model was made according to the trend of rivers in the country, and then mercury was poured into it as river water. This is recorded in Historical Records written by Sima Qian. However, in modern times, archaeologists used geophysical exploration to detect the mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, and indeed found a large area of abnormal mercury content. It seems that the records of ancient books are not groundless.
Mercury pollution is really terrible. This is because mercury will naturally evaporate at room temperature. That is to say, if you buy a bottle of analytical pure mercury reagent for laboratory use, and then unscrew the lid and forget to cover it, then the bottle of mercury will slowly evaporate, and finally there is an empty bottle left.
Then, the mercury vapor volatilized into the air is highly toxic. If someone inhales mercury vapor and reaches a certain dose, it will end early.
However, mercury is widely used in life. For example, daily mercury sphygmomanometer, mercury thermometer, mercury switch used in electrical industry and so on.
We probably all used this kind of mercury thermometer when we were children. When we use it, we need to throw it hard in advance and throw the mercury column down before we can use it. But sometimes if the force is too strong, the mercury thermometer will fall to the ground, and then the mercury wrapped in glass will flow out and form small mercury beads on the ground.
Then, mercury will slowly evaporate, forming a highly toxic mercury vapor indoors. Do you dare to live in this house? According to reports, the mercury content of a mercury thermometer is about1g. After breaking, only this 1g mercury can increase the concentration of mercury to 22.2mg/m3 in a room with a height of 3m.
However, when the mercury concentration is 1.2-8.5 mg/m3, people will suffer from mercury poisoning. Therefore, how to deal with the leaked mercury beads safely and securely after the thermometer breaks is a very realistic problem. So, is there any simple and convenient way to eliminate these potential dangers?
This requires a little knowledge of chemistry. Mercury reacts with sulfur to produce solid mercury sulfide. The chemical reaction equation is as follows:
Hg (mercury) +S (sulfur) === HgS (mercury sulfide) This kind of mercury sulfide is also the main component of something common in our lives, that is cinnabar! Cinnabar can be used as medicine, used in folk to ward off evil spirits, and used as inkpad in painting and calligraphy. Mercury sulfide is very stable at room temperature, so there is no need to worry about turning into mercury vapor.
Of course, mercury sulfide will decompose at high temperature to form mercury, but who has nothing to do with burning this thing? Right?
Then, someone wants to say, where can I find this sulfur? Anyway, the supermarket doesn't sell it!
Then you went to the wrong store. Nowadays, the streets are full of big pharmacies. Just go in and look for the Chinese medicine counter, where there is a Chinese medicine cabinet, there is sulfur! Sulfur is Chinese medicine! And the price is very cheap. I just checked, and the wholesale price is only a few dollars a kilogram.
Therefore, buying a dime of sulfur powder is definitely enough for you to cover the mercury in this small mercury thermometer.
Last year, at home, I met a mercury thermometer that was broken and the mercury leaked. I went to the Chinese medicine shop and said I wanted to buy some sulfur powder. The mercury thermometer at home is broken. As a result, the owner of the Chinese medicine shop caught me and waved directly and said, no money! thank you very much for your kindness！
To use sulfur powder, just cover the sulfur powder on the mercury bead and sweep it carefully with a broom. You can pour it out directly, because it is already mercury sulfide, which belongs to the combined state, not elemental mercury, and it can't enter the underground water body, so don't worry.
All right, we're done here.
What's the use of talking so much nonsense? Correct whether it is thermometer or mercury column. If it is broken, it is natural to carefully put it away, wrap it up and throw it away! Don't be too noble. Who gave it to the relevant departments? Who knows where to find the relevant departments? Did the relevant departments receive you again?
Since it is so serious, call 1 19 if the thermometer is broken. Since it is so serious, can we ban the sale of mercury thermometers? Since it is so serious, can people be forbidden to use mercury thermometers privately, and the possessor will be detained for 15 days and fined 6000 yuan? Since it is so serious, Mercury should be directly owned by the state for franchise production, franchise operation, franchise purchase and franchise use.
Many of us have broken thermometers. So, after breaking the thermometer, will we get mercury poisoning?
The surface tension of mercury is very high. When the mercury thermometer or sphygmomanometer is broken, many small mercury beads will be formed when mercury falls to the ground, which will expand the evaporation area and accelerate the evaporation speed. Moreover, small mercury beads are easy to hide, easily absorbed by objects, and difficult to clean, so the vapor released by these mercury is harmful to human health.
Mercury can be absorbed through respiratory tract, digestive tract and skin mucosa, and distributed in all parts of the body. It can cause acute respiratory system, digestive tract, urinary system symptoms, even central nervous system symptoms and rash, and it is easy to be found.
Chronic mercury poisoning is characterized by nervous system and systemic symptoms, such as headache, dizziness, insomnia, dreaminess and fever.
When the thermometer falls to the ground, the correct way to handle it is to quickly open the window, put on a mask and gloves, stick the spilled mercury on the ground with a wet cotton swab or tape paper, put it in a small bottle that can be sealed, such as a beverage bottle, add a little water to the bottle, write "waste water silver" on the bottle paper and stick it on the bottle, and hand it over to the environmental protection department for special treatment. Don't pour the collected mercury into the sewer, lest it flow to other places and cause pollution.
Mercury thermometer contains very little mercury, about 0.5 grams. If ventilated in time, mercury will soon be released to the outside, and generally will not cause human poisoning.
The research data show that the mercury concentration measured by the laboratory staff in the university chemistry laboratory is lower than the maximum exposure limit of mercury factories stipulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States, and also lower than the concentration required for mercury poisoning. Compared with ventilation, when doors and windows are closed, the mercury concentration is more than doubled. Mercury pollution does little harm to students and teachers, but the problem of scattered mercury can not be ignored. Proper ventilation is helpful to reduce the pollution of mercury to the laboratory.
Therefore, generally breaking the thermometer will not cause mercury poisoning as long as it is ventilated in time. If you are worried about your health, you can go to the occupational disease prevention and treatment hospital to check whether the mercury content exceeds the standard, and do a mercury repellent test to determine whether there is mercury poisoning.
Except for thermometers for measuring body temperature, other thermometers can be made into kerosene thermometers. Although the accuracy is not as good as that of mercury thermometers, as long as the purpose can be achieved. This can also reduce the damage to the environment and minimize the impact on animals and plants!
Last year, I broke two thermometers, both of which were accidentally broken while taking the child's temperature. One is broken on the bed sheet, and the other is broken on the bedside floor.
The thermometer broke the mercury, which was scattered there like small drops of water. It's very small and not easy to find. I used a flashlight to illuminate the reflected light so as to find some, and then wrapped it around my hand with tape and stuck it up bit by bit! Remember to be patient and try to find it clean.
I fell off the bed and took the quilt away, and then searched the sheets bit by bit several times. After making sure that there were no sheets and quilts, I washed the ones that fell to the ground. I searched several times to make sure there was no one, and then mopped it all over the place! Then open the window to ventilate!
I also know that mercury is very polluted and toxic, but I'm still a little worried. When the concentration reaches a certain proportion, it will cause mercury poisoning, which is terrible anyway!
I wrapped it in several layers, then put it in a small bottle and threw it into the trash can. My handling method is definitely unscientific, but in a small place, I don't know which department to give it to and how to handle it, so I just threw it into the trash can!
Later, I also checked the trace elements for my children, and everything was normal, not exceeding the standard!
Remember that the mercury thermometer is broken and must be cleaned with tape. Never mop the floor directly or sweep with a broom, then open the doors and windows for ventilation and open the windows for a few more days. People should stay in their rooms as little as possible in those days, just in case! Also, don't throw away the cleaned mercury at will to prevent pollution, remember, remember!
There are only two out of ten thermometers in my house. If they are broken, they will sweep the floor. After all these years, nothing happened. If there are any damage problems, there are too many, such as air pollution, environmental pollution and food pollution. There are few clean places on the plains of the motherland where people are not allowed to live.
Mercury is a toxic substance, which will be absorbed by human body when it volatilizes at high temperature, causing poisoning.
Because many families are geothermal now, high temperature will accelerate its volatilization. What should I do if I accidentally break my thermometer?
First of all, to evacuate the family in this room, open the window and ventilate for at least 24 hours. Then put on gloves, take cardboard or tape, collect scattered mercury and glass fragments, and then put them in a closed box. This bag should be marked with mercury. Never pour it into the sewer, because it will pollute the water source. Remember not to use brooms and mops to clean mercury, because it has strong adsorption and will reach chronic volatilization, resulting in chronic mercury poisoning in family members.
In fact, this question is a bit exaggerated!
In the past, the thermometer mainly used mercury, which is what we usually call "mercury", and its mass was particularly large, about 13.6 times that of water. The main principle of using mercury thermometer to measure temperature is:
Due to the limitation of science and technology, electronic thermometers and infrared thermometers have not been invented, so mercury thermometers are still used in a large number of places until now.
But don't worry too much. Because the mass of mercury in the mercury thermometer is too large, the thermometer will soon gather on the ground or furniture or even on the bed after being damaged, especially the color of mercury is very special. Therefore, it is found that tools such as rags and paper should be put away in the outdoor trash can in time, and never put in the indoor trash can, because mercury will volatilize, and if it volatilizes indoors, it will do great harm to the human body. But now, with the increasing awareness of people's health, the home is often ventilated, so don't worry too much. The key is to deal with the damage in time.
We should pay attention to the real harm mentioned by the subject, but with the strong backing of our great motherland, we must have made various plans.
Therefore, how to use it correctly and how to deal with it after it is damaged is something we need to consider when we pay attention to and educate our children. In fact, the current electronic thermometer is very accurate, which is not as good as the vertical electronic thermometer at home!
thank you