Your actions as the school official
on the scene of a mercury spill
are critically important to reducing the spill's impact.
First, instruct everyone to stay where they are,
then quickly size up the amount and area of the spill
and identify the people who are potentially exposed to mercury.
Second, tell everyone to move away from the spill
as quickly as possible, making sure that everyone
avoids the spill area as they leave.
Then, those near or involved in the spill
should have their shoes, clothing or other items
such as backpacks inspected for mercury.
Leave any contaminated items in the spill area.
Next, isolate or close off the room
to minimize the spread of mercury vapors in the school.
This action will include shutting air vents
and closing doors and turning off the central air system
to stop air circulation into and out of the spill area.
Ventilate or air out the spill area as much as possible.
Open windows and position fans
to blow mercury vapors out of the building.
Finally, never use a vacuum or broom
to try to clean up the mercury.
This breaks up mercury into small beads
and will worsen the spread of the mercury.
The size of a mercury spill is critical
to determining how you respond to it.
A small spill is one that you can clean up
using your school's mercury spill kit.
A large spill is one where you need to seek
outside, professional help to properly clean it up.
If you are not sure whether a spill is small or large,
call for professional help.
Examples of mercury spills that are considered small
are when a fluorescent light bulb,
a small thermometer, or similar object
containing only a small amount of mercury breaks.
Any larger amount of mercury spilled
should be considered a large spill.
However, keep in mind that even a small-sized spill
can become a larger problem.
Mercury tends to break into droplets when spilled,
can spread easily, and can build up in tiny cracks --
for example, between floor tiles.
If the spill is not discovered right away,
or there have been a number of people walking in the spill area
potentially spreading the contamination,
then it may be necessary to get professionals
to help assess and clean up the spill.
When a mercury spill occurs,
especially one that is considered large,
contact professionals who will provide guidance
and technical support to clean it up.
Keep in mind that if more than two tablespoons of mercury is
spilled, the National Response Center must be notified.
You also should contact the school's
or school district's insurance carrier
to see if mercury spill cleanup costs are covered.
An important part of spill response planning and
preparedness is getting to know the agencies and organizations
that can assist in the event of a mercury spill.
Call each agency or organization
listed on the mercury contact sheet
to identify the appropriate point of contact,
and discuss the support each can provide
to you and your school if a spill occurs.
EPA, and/or your state or local environmental agency,
can help you successfully complete a mercury cleanup and
achieve the goal of protecting the health of students
and school officials, and get the school back in full use.
It is important to hire contractors
that have experience conducting mercury cleanups.
If not done properly,
the mercury contamination can be spread further,
increasing the cost and time needed for the cleanup.
Good, clear communication is important
in the event of a mercury spill.
Should a spill occur, students, school staff,
parents and community members will be concerned
about any potential hazards posed by exposure to mercury,
how it happened, what is being done, and what they need to do.
Promptly inform the students and staff
involved in and potentially affected by the spill.
Give them information that enables them to act quickly
to minimize the spread of mercury and
to contain mercury-contaminated shoes, clothing,
and personal and school items.
If those affected by the spill
have already left school grounds,
they may have tracked mercury into school buses, cars,
their homes, and other places.
If the spill is large enough that it requires closure
of part or all of the school during the cleanup effort,
people will need to know about
alternate class schedules and locations.
Emails, texts, phone calls and social media posts may also
be effective when reaching students and staff outside of
school hours or when contacting parents or guardians.
For example, you should provide clear instructions
for collecting, bagging, and delivering
potentially contaminated shoes, clothing, and personal items
to the school so the items can be tested
and disposed of properly if found to be contaminated.
Our district is very fortunate to have
a Communications department that interacts with
the media on behalf of the district.
Upon arrival at the school, the District Communications person
and I met with the principal
to discuss the cleanup response
by both the fire department and district staff,
the possible signs and symptoms of mercury exposure
and the potential exposure that was experienced
by the students and staff given the short time frame.
This provided enough information for
the principal and the office staff to generate a letter
to send home with the students, reassure the staff
and allow the District Communications person
to speak knowledgeably with the media.
Having one person present dedicated to
speaking with the media freed the principal from that task.
One unanticipated communication issue
the school administration had to handle
was multiple phone calls from parents.
The spill was directly adjacent to the cafeteria,
which is lined with floor to ceiling windows.
As the students came down to the cafeteria for lunch
they sent pictures of the spill response to their parents.