On Monday October 18, 2004, EPA was notified and responded to a release on mercury at several residences in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Reports from MDEQ and Forrest County EMA indicated that the mercury had been spilled in several homes. However, in one location at 37 Jim Burch the mercury had been baked in an oven at 400oF. Two children who lived at the residence were hospitalized. In addition, one pet dog who was in the house at the time of the incident died. MDEQ responded to the incident on Sunday October 17, 2004 and immediately began the response action. Forrest County EMA responded to coordinate with MDEQ. In addition, Forrest County EMA gathered information to track the source of the mercury and locate additional homes that could have been affected by the mercury.
