United States Environmental Protection Agency
Region X
POLLUTION REPORT

Subject: 

On Thursday, April 27th at approximately 5:30PM Region 10's Emergency Response Duty officer was contacted by Idaho Communications Center and informed of a mercury spill in Timberline High School located in Weippe Idaho.  Weippe is a small rural community located in Clearwater County in North-central Idaho app 200 miles north of Boise. According to the Clearwater County Sheriff’s office several teenage boys were caught playing with and spilling mercury from one of the school’s classrooms. School staff were not able to completely clean up the material, and the responding Sheriff's department officials had concerns over remaining contamination and risks to the health of students and school staff.  The school complex which contains an approximate 20 classroom high school and a 4 room junior high school was scheduled to be closed Friday and throughout the weekend.  Based upon the reported situation and the lack of locally available technical assistance to assess the suspected contamination EPA dispatched an OSC and 4 START personnel with emergency response equipment including mercury vapor detection and air monitoring devices.

EPA OSC Anthony Barber  w/ START arrived O/S app 11:00AM Friday morning April 28th and formed a unified command with Clearwater County Sheriff’s Dept., Timberline Highschool Board, Clearwater County EMA and Weippe Volunteer Fire Department. Over the next 10 hours the school complex was entered and assessed for mercury vapors and remaining contamination. The High School was found to have slightly elevated concentrations of mercury vapor and several hot spots of contaminated carpeting. Carpeting was removed, and the building was ventilated after the heating system was turned up. The Junior High School was found to be significantly more contaminated with higher levels of mercury vapor and visible puddles of mercury in the boy’s bathroom. Approximately 8 pounds of mercury were recovered from 3 containers  (a glass jar, a tupperware container, and a glass soda bottle). Due to the public health threat, EPA has offered START to screen affected staff and students clothing and homes, at their request.  Three such homes have been screened, with monitoring results showing mercury levels in the air at levels significantly below a residential cleanup level of 1000 ng/m^3 of air.

EPA will continue to assist local responders by assessing extent and degree of contamination at the school.  A mercury vacuum is required to recover the larger amount of mercury present in the boys bathroom. A newly purchased mercury vacuum assigned to the Boise Regional Hazamt Team was located and will be flown or driven to Lewiston Sunday morning by either Idaho State Department of Homeland Security or Clearwater County EMA. The Clearwater County will transport the vacuum to the site.  Conformation sampling in the High School is planned for Sunday morning. No outstanding requests to screen jomes are now pending.

Recovery of visible mercury and removal of contaminated carpeting and other materials in the Junior HS will continue with clean-up conformation sampling. School officials are planning on keeping the school closed at least Monday and potentially throughout the upcoming week if necessary.

Good cooperation from all levels of government continues to facilitate the response. Press and media interest has been low; there was a small article in the Lewiston Tribune and an interview of Sheriff's Dept. personnel on a local radio station.  Local County Heath Officials tentatively plan to address risk communication issues with school staff and students, however EPA Regional PIO has been placed on standby should the need for federal assistance arise next week.  A criminal investigation is underway and 3 teenage students of the school have been charged with at least one criminal count regarding this incident.