[music]
The "Don't Mess with Mercury" initiative
is a program designed for middle school students
for them to learn about the dangers of exposure
to elemental mercury.
In addition to this video, we also have a web site
with games and activities where they can learn more about
the dangers of mercury.
Narrator: You know about mercury, right?
No, not the planet closest to the sun.
Not the mythological messenger of the gods.
I'm talking about the real deal--elemental mercury--
the silvery, shiny liquid metal.
You can see why it's called quicksilver.
Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid at room temperature.
It has to be almost 40 below zero to freeze.
Mercury is very dense.
One tablespoon weighs as much as a cup of water.
Iron and lead can float on top of its surface.
And, mercury has a high surface tension.
That's why it breaks into lots of little beads
when it's spilled.
It also is a good conductor of electricity.
[zap]
It may look cool, but mercury is highly toxic
and shouldn't be played with.
If it spills out, like if a thermometer breaks,
mercury evaporates, so it gets into the air.
You can't smell it and it's invisible under normal light.
But you can see the vapors using ultraviolet light.
You could be breathing in those vapors and not even realize it.
What's so bad about mercury?
Breathing in the poisonous air or vapors that mercury gives off
can have really serious effects on your brain,
your lungs, and kidneys.
It can make you feel anxious or tired.
Mercury also can cause memory and hearing problems
and make you tremble or shake.
Mercury is especially toxic to children
because their bodies are still growing.
The most common and dangerous way you can be
exposed to mercury is by breathing it in.
Remember, you can't see or smell the vapor.
Mercury is absorbed by the lungs
and goes right into the bloodstream.
When this happens, mercury will build up inside your body.
So, even a small exposure over a long time
can cause health problems.
And you don't want that.
Since exposure to mercury is especially dangerous
to developing minds and bodies,
students have to be careful when handling instruments
and other things that contain mercury.
Narrator: Where can mercury be found?
Since we realized how toxic mercury is,
it's used less often.
But mercury still can be found in lots of things
you might find here at school and at home.
At school it could be in glass thermometers,
science lab equipment and instruments,
fluorescent bulbs, or in thermostats and switches.
Sometimes it is even stored in jars.
That means it could be in classrooms, science labs,
chemical supply rooms, health clinics, or janitor closets.
At home you're most likely to find mercury
in a glass thermometer, a thermostat,
or in compact fluorescent light bulbs,
known as CFL bulbs.
Watters: With the exception of the CFL bulbs,
breaking or spilling any of these objects that contain mercury
might not only be dangerous but can also be expensive.
That's why it's important to clean up these spills
before they become a bigger problem.
Narrator: So, what should you do if a thermometer breaks
or if you see that mercury has spilled?
First of all, don't touch it or try to clean it up yourself.
Tell an adult.
If you're in a room where mercury has spilled,
it's important to leave that room
as quickly and orderly as possible
to avoid breathing in the vapors.
But it's also important to keep it from spreading.
That means making sure you don't step in it
when leaving the room.
It could get on the bottom of your shoes.
You're also going to want to make sure
mercury didn't get on your clothes or backpack.
A mercury spill that spreads throughout the school
is a really, really big deal.
Cleaning up a widespread mercury spill can take a lot of time
and means closing rooms to clean it up.
Everything in the building-- including your stuff--
has to be checked for mercury.
If it can't be removed, say from your backpack,
cell phone, or shoes, then they'll have to be thrown away.
Mercury clean-ups can take a long time
and may mess with your school schedule.
Watters: If you find mercury,
don't mess with it, don't touch it.
Tell an adult because mercury is anything but cool.
Narrator: Thanks for watching. And remember...
Don't mess with mercury.