Question
An infant one week old accidentally broke a mercury thermometer while playing with a drawer. The parent then took the toy out of the drawer to play with the baby, and at the time, no mercury beads were seen on the toy. The infant did not wash their hands immediately after playing with the toy or eat anything, and the toy was lightly touched the open rice container, which resulted in the consumption of two portions of rice. The infant slept for about three hours in the room where the incident occurred until the drawer was closed in the afternoon when the broken thermometer was discovered. Two days after the incident, the infant’s mental state was normal. Is there any impact on the infant’s physical and brain development from this event, and do we need to take the child to the hospital for blood or urine tests?
Answer
After a thermometer breaks, the main component of the mercury beads inside is mercury. Mercury can evaporate into the air, and excessive inhalation may lead to poisoning. It is recommended to keep windows open for ventilation to quickly expel mercury vapor from the indoor air. Generally, unless there is a large amount of mercury exposure, poisoning is unlikely. Lastly, wish for an early recovery and a healthy life.