News Release 040

DEPARTMENT RESPONDS TO
ELDON CAREER CENTER MERCURY RELEASE

Broken Thermometer Prompts Emergency Response

Volume 36-040

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, JAN. 23, 2008 -- A thermometer broken during a nursing class at the Eldon Career Center Wednesday prompted a response from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources Environmental Emergency Response Section.

The department was contacted Wednesday morning by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, who had been contacted by the Miller County Health Department. Career center staff had contacted the local health department to report that a student in a nursing class dropped and broke an oral thermometer, releasing  several beads of mercury.

An instructor cleaned up the mercury, placed it in a container designed for medical wastes and then triple bagged that container.

The department dispatched state on-scene coordinators from Jefferson City to the school to conduct follow-up air testing and collect the mercury. Tests showed no residual mercury on the desk or floor, and mercury levels in the air were found to be well within acceptable limits.  

Metallic mercury is liquid at room temperature and has no odor. It was once commonly used in thermometers, barometers, switches and blood-pressure measuring devices.

When spilled, some of the metal will evaporate into the air and can be carried long distances. Mercury is toxic when inhaled. Improper clean up with a vacuum, paintbrush or household cleaner increases exposure by dispersing the mercury into the air.

Short-term exposure to high levels of mercury vapors may cause serious health effects including lung damage, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, as well as increases in blood pressure or heart rate, skin rashes and eye irritation. Symptoms from chronic or long-term exposure can develop in just a few weeks. Tremors, decreased eye-hand coordination, memory problems, insomnia and irritability can develop quickly. If these symptoms are not correctly identified and exposure is not prevented, then permanent nervous system damage can occur. For more information on health risks, contact the Department of Health and Senior Services at 573-751-6102.

The department's Environmental Emergency Response section is called to the scene of more than 300 emergencies each year, including fires, traffic accidents, leaking storage tanks and other incidents that could have a negative environmental impact. The department's 24-hour spill line receives more than 1,600 incident reports annually.

To report an environmental emergency, including fuel spills, please the contact spill line at
573-634-2436. For more information contact the Department of Natural Resources at
800-361-4827 or 573-751-3443, or visit the department's Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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