Cleaning Up a Mercury Spill Alone

Some Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) offices keep spill cleanup kits available for homeowners. Before you start a cleanup, call your nearest office to see if they can provide you with a cleanup kit:

• MPCA, St. Paul: 800-657-3864
• MPCA, Brainerd: 218-828-2492
• MPCA, Duluth: 218-723-4660
• MPCA, Marshall: 507-537-7146
• MPCA, Rochester: 507-280-5513

Protect yourself
Before beginning to cleanup a mercury spill:

1. Change into old clothing and shoes that you can dispose of if they become contaminated.
2. Remove all jewelry because mercury can adhere to the metal in jewelry.
3. Put on gloves, preferably rubber gloves, to keep mercury from getting under your fingernails and to protect against broken glass, if present.

Assemble Your Cleanup Supplies
Keep in mind that everything that gets contaminated with mercury must be thrown away. Before starting the cleanup, collect the following:

• Gloves, preferably rubber gloves
• Small plastic bags, preferably zipper-style bags
• Large trash bags
• Large tray or box
• Paper towels (napkins, tissues or toilet paper can be used in place of paper towels)
• 2 pieces of stiff paper, cardboard, single-edge razor blades, or a rubber squeegee (for pushing mercury beads)
• Duct tape, packing tape or masking tape
• A wide mouth container, preferably plastic, with a tight-fitting lid

Optional supplies

• Dust pan
• Eyedropper
• Flashlight

Clean Up (recover) the Mercury
On Hard Surfaces (counter tops, linoleum, or tile floors)Collect Broken Glass:

1. Working over a disposable tray or box, pick up the pieces of broken glass and place them on a paper towel.
2. Fold the paper towel, enclosing the glass shards, and place the folded paper towel in a plastic bag and seal.
3. Label the bag as Mercury Waste.

Collect Mercury

1. Push the beads of mercury together using 2 razor blades, a stiff piece of paper, or cardboard. Use a flashlight to search for more mercury-the light will reflect off the shiny mercury beads and make it easier to see them.
2. Pick up the beads of mercury by pushing them into a dust pan or onto a stiff sheet of paper or cardboard. You can also use an eyedropper to collect beads of mercury.
3. Slowly and carefully, working over the tray or box, transfer the mercury into a wide mouth screw-top container. Put on the lid, seal the lid with tape, and label as Mercury.
4. Place the wide mouth container (contains the liquid mercury at this point) into a plastic bag and seal it. Place inside a second plastic bag and seal again. Label the outer bag as Mercury.
5. Pick up any remaining droplets and glass pieces with the sticky side of the tape. You can also use a cotton ball or moist paper towel to pick up mercury beads in cracks and crevices. Again use a flashlight to look for mercury droplets in cracks and crevices.
6. Working in the tray or box, place the mercury-contaminated tape on a paper towel, fold, place in a plastic bag and seal it. Label the bag as Mercury Waste.

Collect Clean Up Supplies

1. Place all items used for the clean up into a plastic bag, including tray or box, dust pan, paper, cardboard, tape, cotton balls, paper towels, and eyedropper. Seal the bag.
2. Place bag into a second plastic bag and seal the outer bag with tape.
3. Label the outer bag as Mercury Waste.

On Disposable Porous Items Such as Rugs or Clothing

1. Cut mercury-contaminated areas out of the item or fold the contaminated item so the mercury is trapped inside.
2. Place the contaminated item and all items used for cleanup in a plastic bag.
3. Place bag into a second plastic bag and seal outer bag with tape.
4. Label the outer bag as Mercury Waste.

On Carpeting
On a large carpet, it is best to cut out the contaminated area:

1. Fold the contaminated piece so the mercury is trapped inside.
2. Place the contaminated items and all items used for cleanup in a plastic bag.
3. Place bag into a second plastic bag and seal the outer bag with tape.
4. Label the outer bag as Mercury Waste.

When it's not possible or desirable to cut out the contaminated area of carpet:

1. Use cotton balls, moist paper towels or an eye dropper to pick up mercury.
2. Place all items used for the cleanup into a plastic bag.
3. Place bag into a second plastic bag, seal the outer bag with tape.
4. Label the outer bag Mercury Waste.

On Large Or Valuable Porous Items
If mercury has been spilled on a valuable, porous item such as a sofa, oriental rug, or heirloom quilt, you may be able to follow this procedure:

1. Clean the item as much as possible using the techniques describes above.
2. Remove it from the home and store it in an unoccupied, warm, ventilated place for several months to allow the mercury to vaporize.
3. Hire a mercury cleanup contractor to test the item to see if all the mercury has vaporized.

Cleanup In A Sink Or Drain
If mercury is spilled into a sink full of water, the mercury will sink to the bottom of the basin. To recover the mercury:

1. Bail, siphon, or decant most of the water lying over the mercury.
2. Use an eyedropper to recover the mercury at the bottom of the sink. Don't worry about recovering a little water with the mercury.
3. Slowly and carefully, working over the tray or box, pour the mercury into a wide mouth screw-top container. Put on the lid, seal the lid with tape, and label as Mercury.
4. Place the wide mouth container (contains the liquid mercury at this point) inside a plastic bag and seal it. Place inside a second plastic bag and seal again.

If mercury has gone down a drain with a trap, any mercury that gets washed into the trap probably ends up there, rather than being washed down the pipe. Over time, the mercury either washes out of the trap or evaporates. Even though recovering mercury from a drain will bring you face-to-face with the mercury, it is recommended that homeowners try to recover mercury that has gone down a sink or drain. It is probably a better idea to try to carefully remove it than leave it in the drain or trap.

By not recovering spilled mercury, some of the mercury will evaporate into your house where you can breathe it. Homeowners may need to remove the trap for other reasons anyway, such as to remove glass shards from a broken thermometer.Recover mercury from traps as follows:

1. With the tray or box below the trap, carefully remove the trap. The biggest risk in removing a mercury-containing trap is accidentally dumping the trap contents.
2. Slowly and carefully, working over the tray or box, pour the contents of the trap into a clear plastic bag and seal it.
3. Place inside a second plastic bag and seal it again.
4. Label the outer bag as Mercury Waste (see Proper Disposal).

If mercury has gone down a drain that does not have a trap, such as a basement floor drain, 1 possible solution is to tray using a turkey baster to remove the mercury. If the turkey baster is able to extract some mercury:

1. Slowly and carefully, working over the tray or box, transfer the mercury into a wide mouth screw-top container. Put on the lid, seal the lid with tape, and label as Mercury.
2. Place the wide mouth container (contains the liquid mercury at this point) inside a plastic bag and seal it. Place inside a second plastic bag and seal again.

Cleanup Outdoors

1. Using a disposable tool, scoop the mercury up with the surrounding dirt.
2. Put into plastic bags or screw top containers.
3. Seal the container lids or plastic bags with tape.
4. Label containers as Mercury Waste (see Proper Disposal.
5. Remove your shoes and clothing.
6. Carefully place contaminated shoes and clothing into a trash bag.
7. Avoid touching anything that may have contacted mercury.
8. Seal the bag with tape (see Proper Disposal.)
9. Store mercury wastes properly.
10. Store out of reach of children in a locked cupboard or on a high shelf until you can dispose of the wastes.
11. Store away from heat or flames.

Immediately after the cleanup, wash your hands thoroughly and take a shower. Ventilate the area to the outdoors for at least 2 days after the cleanup. Ventilate for more than 2 days if possible. Some homes that have been heavily contaminated with a large mercury spill have required ventilation for 3 months after clean up.

Properly dispose of the mercury and mercury-contaminated items. Consult your doctor if you have any health concerns about mercury exposure. Urine mercury tests can measure mercury levels in the body. Mercury vapor badges can be used to measure the amount of mercury in the air.