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Ironwood Michigan Residential Hg

 
Site Contact:
Ralph Dollhopf
OSC

(dollhopf.ralph@epa.gov)

Site Location:
Ironwood, MI 49938
 response.epa.gov/IronwoodHg

Residential Hg spill in rural, outlying area of Ironwood, in Michigan's far western Upper Peninsula occurred on 3-2-15.Home became severely contaminated by accidental breakage of glass jar containing several pounds of elemental Hg in basement.

NRC Report filed on 03-04-15,

EPA assistance requested by Western UP Health Dept verbally on 03-04-16 and formally in writing on 3-7-15, following unsuccessful efforts by local HazMat Team to completely clean up the spill.

Residents have been relocated pending cleanup and clearance.

Fund-lead CERCLA response action initiated 3-6-16 and continues.


START personnel using a Lumex to screen the stairwell that the home owner walked up after initial mercury spill. START personnel utilizing a Lumex to screen the debris pile that was swept up by the home owner after the initial mercury spill. START personnel utilizing a Lumex to screen the floor zone where the bottle of mercury hit the floor and broke open. This area pegged the Lumex at >50,000 ng/m3. Visible beads of mercury on the floor of the basement around the area of the initial spill. Visible beads of mercury on the basement floor around the initial spill area. Visible beads of mercury on the basement floor around the initial spill area. START and ERRS personnel utilizing specialized mercury vacuum to remove any visible mercury from the debris pile and spill area. START and ERRS personnel utilizing specialized mercury vacuum to remove any visible mercury from the debris pile in the basement. Detached garage south of the residential home where the mercury spill occurred. All material that is bagged and removed from the home is placed into this detached garage. Each bag is numbered and labeled with details on where it was in the home. Each bag will be screened with a Lumex and then separated into one of three piles based on the readings. Site sketches of the basement and first floor of the home. The spill occurred in the southeast corner of the basement. Areas marked with an This data sheet contains data that START personnel collected on their initial entry on 3-7-16. Mercury levels measured in nanograms per meter cubed (ng/m3) collected with a Lumex. This data sheet contains data that START personnel collected on entry into the home on day two of the response (3-8-16). Mercury readings are collected with a Lumex and are measured in nanograms per meter cubed (ng/m3). Two pieces of equipment provided by EPA two measure mercury levels are pictured. The larger piece of equipment at the top of the photo is a Lumex. The smaller piece of equipment at the bottom of the photo is a Jerome. These units have been utilized to screen inside the home and screen the bagged materials removed from the home. START personnel screen cracks in the basement with Lumex and Jerome units. Elevated levels of mercury delineated to this crack. Mercury levels were down to 3,000 ng/m3 and no visible mercury could be found. ERRS personnel sealed the basement with concrete sealer. After the first coast of sealant was applied there were still two points on the crack in the basement that exceeded 1,000 ng/m3. A second coat of sealant was applied. This area was screened with a Lumex again, with the highest reading at 650 ng/m3. Bagged items removed from the home that were screened for mercury concentration and cataloged by START personnel. ERRS personnel set up heaters in the detached garage where the bagged items were staged. The temperature in the detached garage was raised to >70 degrees Fahrenheit to represent living conditions. A 5 gallon bucket with 3 jars of material gathered by the mercury vacuum. After the story of this residential mercury spill hit the news, multiple individuals turned in mercury they had stored in their home to Gogebic County. This is an old milk bottle full of mercury that was turned in to the County, who then turned it over to ERRS personnel. Two poly containers that each contain a 40mL VOA. One of which is completely full of mercury and the other approximately halfway full. This 60 mL of mercury was the volume collected by first responders from Gogebic County. These poly containers are on top of one of the 55 gallon drums that contain the material from the source area and debris pile that was swept up that contained visible mercury. The container in the bottom left corner of the frame is one of the containers that attaches to the mercury vacuum, it contains some visible mercury and a significant amount of sawdust. The glass container in the middle of the frame is one that was turned in by a Gogebic County resident after they heard the story of this residential mercury spill on the news. ERRS personnel working on cleaning out the crack in the basement floor that had the only remaining readings of >1,000 ng/m3 by Thursday, March 10th, 2016. A roll-off box was delivered to the residence on Thursday, March 10th, 2016. The majority of the bagged items removed from the home were disposed of due to elevated levels of mercury. ERRS personnel securing a canvas tarp over the roll-off box to ensure no precipitation, additional waste, or nature can get into the roll-off box. START personnel preparing to enter the residence to collect air quality data with mercury vapor analyzing equipment. START personnel collecting air quality data with a Lumex 915+ and a Jerome 505, both of which are mercury vapor analyzers. Globe Industries picking up the roll-off box that contains approximately 10 yards of materials removed from the residence. Globe Industries leaving the residence with the roll-off box that contains approximately 10 yards of material that was removed from the residence.