A MAN saved his mother using at-home emergency treatment after he found out she was at risk for mercury poisoning because the dumplings she ate had mercury which leaked from a broken thermometer, Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported. The man’s behavior earned high praise on internet.

The man’s 7-year-old son surnamed Xia used a mercurial thermometer to measure the temperature of steamed dumplings at home out of curiosity. However, the mercury thermometer broke when the boy poked the thermometer in dumplings and the mercury inside leaked out and found its way into the dumplings.

Xia realized he caused trouble, so he threw away the broken thermometer and fled the scene. Then, his grandmother came in and ate the dumplings. She found the dumplings had an unusual taste after the second one and she bit into something hard, which turned out to be the thermometer’s metal probe.

Xia’s father soon noticed what was wrong and gave his mother emergency treatment in one minute, which was timely and effective.

He had his mother open her mouth wide to check whether her oral cavity was scratched, and he let her eat an uncooked egg to neutralize the mercury’s toxicity. He also opened the windows and collected the remaining mercury on the table into a sealed bag using a wet cotton swab.

The woman was later sent to the Third People’s Hospital of Shenzhen for gastric lavage and further treatment. She is now in good condition.

Mercury is an element with the symbol Hg. It is the only metallic element known to be liquid at standard temperature and pressure conditions. The liquid metal sealed in thermometers and sphygmomanometers is not harmful to the human body. However, once it volatilizes in the air, mercury vapor could be extremely toxic to humans. Short-term mercury exposure can cause headaches, fatigue, coughing and chest pains, while long-term high concentration exposure can cause neurological disorders, brain damage or even death.

Experts suggest people leave the room when mercury leaks and open doors and windows to ventilate the room and collect the mercury with wet cotton swabs into a sealed bottle.

(Chen Siqi)