The Shelby Mercury Spill Site is located at XXXX Grove Avenue, Shelby, Richland County, Ohio. The residence where the spill occurred is a detached garage that has been renovated into an apartment. The mercury spill occurred in the center of the kitchen and is believed to have been inadvertently spread throughout the kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom during the initial spill and through attempts to clean the spill with a household vacuum cleaner.
On October 30, 2006, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) contacted United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) regarding a mercury spill in an apartment. The tenant spilled the mercury while ingesting it. The resident was transported to the hospital. Also living in the apartment was a pregnant female.
On October 31, after gaining access and permission from the tenant and owner, U.S. EPA screened the apartment for mercury. Screening showed results as high as 77,000 ng/m³.
Between October 31 and November 2, with assistance from Shelby City Health Commissioner Jim Smith and Shelby Fire Chief Scott Hartman, U.S. EPA removed contaminated carpeting, household items, and molding from the apartment. Contaminated small/personal items, such as clothing, shoes, photographs, and paperwork, were removed from inside the apartment, bagged, and screened. Items with screening results above 10,000 ng/m³ were placed in the roll-off box for disposal. Items less than 10,000 ng/m³ were cleaned and given to the resident. Hospital materials used to pump the resident’s stomach were placed in a 55-gallon drum for disposal. Following the removal of contaminated items, the floor areas were vacuumed with a Mercury HEPA Vacuum and cleaned with Hg-X detergent and/or Nitric Acid. The apartment was heated and vented both nights. A final screening showed mercury levels between 32 ng/m³ and 790 ng/m³. Based on a 1,000 ng/m³ action level recommended by the Shelby City Health Department and the Ohio Department of Health, U.S. EPA completed the cleanup on November 2, 2006. Final disposal occurred on December 6, 2006.
No items were replaced by U.S. EPA.
None.
During the cleanup Shelby Mayor James Henkel met with OSC Brian Kelly and offered assistance and coordinated between City and EPA efforts.
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Elemental mercury and contaminated items; 55-gallon drum (~125 lbs) disposal at Veolia Environmental Services, 1275 Spring Drive, Port Washington, WI 53074.
Roll-off box of contaminated items (15 cubic yards); disposal at Republic Services, County wide RDF, 3619 Gracemont Street SW, East Sparta, Ohio 44626
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