Health Consultation: Screening of a Berrien County Home, on October 9, 2008, after Cleanup of a Mercury Thermometer Break

摘要

A Berrien County Health Department representative contacted the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to request screening of a Berrien County home after cleanup of a mercury fever thermometer in the master bathroom. Elemental mercury from a thermometer can remain in contaminated items and off-gas mercury vapor unless decontaminated or removed. Depending on the length of the exposure and the amount of mercury vapor, people, especially children, can develop health effects from breathing in mercury vapor. These health effects include: irritability, shyness, tremors, changes in vision or hearing, memory problems, damage to the stomach and intestines, nausea, diarrhea, or severe ulcers, and a rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure.