Edited school district news release, Tuesday, Sept. 22:

At the request of the Environmental Protection Agency, the classroom at Sequiota Elementary School where mercury was spilled Sept. 18 will remain closed to let workers continue to monitor the air quality. The three nearby classrooms, however, have been released for use. Students will return to those three rooms on Wednesday.

On Monday night, crews cleaned the affected room and it was tested Tuesday morning by EPA. Two areas of the room were identified as needing additional cleaning. Workers will clean and ventilate the room again and the EPA will retest it.

Based on the readings taken and the small amount of mercury recovered, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has stated that students’ exposure to mercury vapors was not likely high enough to cause anyone to experience adverse health effects.
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Edited school district news release, Monday, Sept. 21:

A small amount of mercury spilled at Sequiota Elementary School is unlikely to pose health concerns for students, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. A thermometer was broken Sept. 18 in a second-grade classroom. While it was initially thought that no mercury escaped, it was determined Monday morning that a small amount of mercury did spill onto the classroom floor. At that time, students were relocated to another classroom for the remainder of the day in order to inspect the room and thoroughly clean it.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is currently assessing the situation and will be overseeing the cleanup of the small mercury spill. DNR issued a statement noting that students’ exposure to mercury vapors was not likely high enough to cause anyone to experience adverse health effects.

Parents of students in the affected classroom received written notification about the incident on Monday afternoon. DNR recommends that the affected classroom not be used for 24 hours after the cleanup. As standard practice, DNR has also requested that three nearby classrooms be temporarily vacated to help facilitate the cleanup. Students in the four identified classrooms will be relocated to another part of the school on Tuesday. All other events and activities at Sequiota will continue as scheduled on Tuesday.

Anyone who is concerned about potential exposure may contact the state Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology at 573-751-6102 or a personal physician for more information.
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Edited news release from the Department of Natural Resources, Monday, Sept. 21: JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Emergency responders from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources will oversee the cleanup of a Springfield elementary school classroom where a small mercury release occurred Friday. The Department was notified early Monday afternoon that a student at Sequiota discovered a small bead of mercury in a classroom where a thermometer was broken during class on Friday.

School officials reported the classroom teacher believed that none of the mercury had escaped from the broken instrument and therefore did not report the incident. Once the student discovered the released mercury, school officials took immediate steps to evacuate the room, wipe down the shoes of each student in the class to prevent the possible contamination of other rooms, shut off the air conditioning unit to the room to prevent the spreading of mercury vapor and opened an exterior window to begin venting vapor from the room. School staff also conducted an initial cleanup of the room.

State on-scene coordinators from the Department's Southwest Regional Office in Springfield were dispatched to the scene. Air monitoring in the classroom determined mercury vapors were present in excess of recommended cleanup levels, prompting the hiring of a contractor to conduct a cleanup of the room under Department supervision.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Greene County Health Department were also notified and have been assisting the school district with health-related questions concerning mercury. According to the Department of Health and Senior Services' Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology, students' exposure to mercury vapors was not likely high enough to cause anyone to experience adverse health effects. People who are concerned about potential exposures may contact the Bureau of Environmental Epidemiology at (573) 751-6102 for more information on mercury exposure or a personal physician for medical concerns.

Metallic mercury is liquid at room temperature and has no odor. It was once commonly used in thermometers, barometers, switches and blood-pressure measuring devices.

When spilled, some of the metal will evaporate into the air and can be carried long distances. Mercury is toxic when inhaled. Improper cleanup with a vacuum, paintbrush or household cleaner increases exposure by dispersing the mercury into the air.

For more information on cleaning up mercury spills, see the Department's Web site. A link is in the Related Content box.