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Mercury Spills

Small Spill

Small spills are those involving less than a dime-sized puddle of mercury metal. Clean-up Information

Large Spill

Mercury spills larger than hazardous material cleanup professionals or an environmental cleanup contractor should handle a dime-sized puddle. Call your local Fire Department or poison control center.

The clean-up information below is only for small mercury spills. For bigger spills, call your local Department of Health, Emergency Services Department or Poison Control Center immediately.

How to Clean Up Mercury Spills

Even the smallest amount of mercury needs to be treated as a serious issue. Care must be taken not to touch the mercury.

Never use a vacuum to clean up a mercury spill. Not only will the mercury contaminate your vacuum; the heat from the vacuum will evaporate the mercury, further distributing it throughout the house. Similarly, never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will only distribute the mercury into smaller beads, and will contaminate the broom.

Assemble the necessary supplies before attempting a clean up. These include liquid-proof gloves, an eyedropper, and two stiff pieces of paper or cardboard, two plastic bags, a large tray or box, duct tape or packing tape, a flashlight, eye protection, and a wide mouth container. Remember that any tools used for clean up should be considered contaminated and disposed of with the mercury.

Do not touch the mercury. Remove all jewelry and watches from your hands as mercury will bond with the metal. Put on gloves, preferably rubber gloves to minimize contact with mercury. Use the flashlight to locate the mercury. The light will reflect off the mercury beads and make them easier to find.

Clean up the spill. Different surfaces require different clean up procedures. On a hard surface or tightly woven fabric use stiff paper to push beads of mercury together. Use the eyedropper to suction the beads of mercury, or working over the tray to catch any spills, lift the beads of mercury with the stiff paper. Carefully place the mercury in a wide mouth container. Pick up any remaining beads of mercury with sticky tape and place contaminated tape in a plastic bag along with the eyedropper, stiff paper, and gloves. Label the bag as mercury waste. Place this bag and sealed container in the second bag. Label it as mercury waste and call the Salt Lake Valley Health Department at (801) 313-6700 for appropriate disposal.

• On a carpet or rug, the mercury-contaminated section should be cut out. This cutout section, along with all cleanup items, should be placed in a plastic bag. Label it as mercury waste and call the Salt Lake Valley Health Department at (801) 313-6700 for appropriate disposal.
• In a sink of water mercury will sink to the bottom. Remove as much water without disturbing the mercury and recover the mercury with an eyedropper. Place in a wide mouth container, close the lid and seal it with tape. Label it as mercury waste and call the Salt Lake Valley Health Department at (801) 313-6700 for appropriate disposal.
• In a drain, mercury will get caught in your sink trap. Working over a tray, remove the trap and pour the contents into large mouth container. Close the container lid and seal with tape. Label it as mercury waste and call the Salt Lake Valley Health Department at (801) 313-6700 for appropriate disposal.

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after cleaning up the spill. This will ensure that if any mercury is on you, it will be flushed down the drain rather than being transferred to your mouth or eyes.

All mercury wastes should be put in a vapor-proof, sturdy unbreakable container to prevent re-spreading the contamination if the container is dropped. Plastic jars or other think-walled plastic bottles work well.

Anything that touched or held the liquid mercury, including anything used to clean up the mercury, should also be considered contaminated and may need to be disposed of as mercury waste. Only testing by a qualified professional can determine whether clothing and other items are safe to keep.

Most mercury waste should not be put into the regular trash. Call the Salt Lake Valley Health Department at (801) 313-6700 for advice on disposal options that will keep the mercury contamination from spreading and also satisfy state and local laws.

Seek medical advice if you have any symptoms that you think may be related to mercury exposure.