Mercury - Hg
Mercury - Hg
Find on this page the main information concerning mercury (Hg) : physical characteristics, danger, effects on health as well as the means of detecting mercury vapours and the appropriate respiratory protection equipment (gas mask, assisted ventilation device, ARI).
Main characteristics of mercury (Hg)
Mercury , CAS number 7439-97-6, also known as quicksilver , is an element in the form of a silvery liquid in its natural state. Hg is present naturally in the environment (volcanoes) but its presence is largely due to industrial activity, refining, mining activities and fossil fuel combustion.
Mercury has been used for a very long time in dental amalgams (fillings), thermometers and blood pressure monitors, fluorescent bulbs, antiseptics, cosmetics, batteries, in gold panning and as a preservative in vaccines.
Health effects of mercury
Despite its wide range of applications, mercury is an element that is gradually being abandoned today because of its toxicity. In fact, the WHO (World Health Organization) considers mercury to be one of the 10 chemicals of extreme concern for public health. The danger of mercury lies in the fact that its use, particularly in industrial processes, is likely to easily transform it into mercury vapors . These vapors are recognized as extremely toxic to humans and classified as neurotoxic, cytotoxic, mutagenic, reprotoxic and carcinogenic.
Chronic exposure to mercury vapor , inhalation of low concentrations of Hg vapor over a long period, damages the nervous system and causes many adverse health effects: fatigue, fever, headaches, memory problems, tremors, kidney failure. Exposure to mercury vapor in large quantities causes severe acute poisoning that can lead to death from encephalitis and pulmonary hemorrhage.
Mercury detector
The protection of workers subject to the inhalation of mercury vapours requires the use of detection means: colorimetric tubes for a one-off measurement, SafeAir badges for a VME measurement or a portable opto-electronic or ultraviolet mercury vapour detector.
Mercury (Hg) respiratory protection
For short exposures to low concentrations of mercury vapours, a gas mask equipped with an HgP3 filter provides sufficient protection. For longer exposure times, the presence of high concentrations of mercury vapours, or during an emergency intervention, the use of a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) or an air-supplied system is necessary to isolate the worker from the polluted ambient air.