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Teasdale Utah Mercury Incident

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Background 1/21/2021 Site Description

On January 1, 2021, the UDEQ  requested EPA assistance with a mercury release in Teasdale, Utah. A local resident in a single-family residence was using a deep fryer and checked the oil temperature with a mercury thermometer. Unbeknownst to the resident the thermometer ruptured into the oil. The residents noticed the broken thermometer after cooking and consuming the food. The residents called the Utah poison control center and UDEQ for assistance. The residents were instructed to isolate and contain the cooking oil with the mercury and any other items that contacted the oil. The residents bagged and placed the oil and items in a container outside. 
Initial Response 1/21/2021 Initial Response

OSC Duane Newell coordinated with the Emergency Response Team (ERT) in Las Vegas to dispatch a crew to the Site at 1030 on January 1, 2021. 

On the evening of January 1, 2021, the residence was screened for mercury vapors by the ERT. Screening of the breathing zone of the residence using a Lumex Mercury Vapor Monitor (Lumex) indicated that there were no exceedances of health-based risk levels for mercury.  The ERT removed the broken thermometer, cooking oil and mercury that was in the cooking oil for proper disposal. . This response is considered closed.