Mercury Spill in PR Medical Clinic
INCIDENT DESCRIPTION: On March 3, 2005, at approximately 1400 hours the Environmental Quality Board (EQB) contacted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to request assistance at a suspected Mercury (Hg) spill in a Health Care facility located in the Río Piedras Ward, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The mercury was found in globules on the third floor in a room adjacent to another room ravaged by fire two(2) days before. It is estimated that one of these instruments contains approximately 1 pound of liquid Mercury. The mercury seemed to be flowing from broken manometers on the floor.
On March 4, 2005, at approximately 1430 hours EQB and EPA performed perimeter air monitoring of the facility. The Jerome Instrument was utilized for the majority of the assessment. The results were confirmed with the Lumex Instrument. High values of mercury vapors were found at the loading elevator and doors leading to the spill incident ranging from .05 to .168 mg/cm3. These values were higher than the NIOSH TWA value of .05 mg/cm3, our chosen response action level.
EPA recommended that the entire facility’s three (3) stories be tested for mercury vapors and that personnel with access to the third floor be addressed as well. The survey revealed that the entire third (3rd) floor, the loading elevator, the two (2) emergency escape ladders encompassing the three (3) floors, the basement, and workers (nurses, security, maintenance, and administrative personnel (shoes and ropes) were contaminated with mercury.
One vehicle was tested and contamination was found on the driver's seat bottom, drivers seat backrest, and the vehicle steering wheel. EQB is presuming that all of the vehicles are contaminated. All of the personnel were immediately notified via phone calls to take all necessary precautions and avoid further spread of contamination.
Some floor rugs were also found to be contaminated. Electric conduit piping leading from the third (3rd) floor to the first (1st) floor was found to be carrying mercury vapors as well. OSHA’s presence was requested on site. Upon their arrival coordination began with EQB, EPA, PR Emergency Management Agency (AEME), and the Municipality of San Juan (the PRPs) to strategically sample, secure, and clear all of the building areas.
EPA contacted ATSDR on March 8, 2005 and verbally requested their presence on site on March 10, 2005, to perform a site assessment of the current environmental/health conditions. ATSDR representatives verbally recommended the CDT be closed off immediately, EPA and the PRDOH representatives also concurred the site be closed off until after decontamination takes place. EPA’s and ATSDR action level for this site is 1 µg/m3 or higher. EQB decided to leave the CDT emergency room open regardless since no vapors were present at the time.(zero mercury vapors were present after two A/C ducts were closed and secured). The Third (3rd) and Second (2nd) floors as well as the fire escape stairs are now secured and no access is allowed due to mercury vapors presence in concentrations higher than the action level.
PRESENT STATUS : OSC Daly and OSC Rodriguez will visit the hospital on August 21, 2008 in order to close out the administrative side of the removal. The Lumex Instrument will be brought to survey the previous locations of Mercury Contamination.
