Officials: Conte School Mercury Spill Intentional
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City officials said at a press conference on Tuesday that a Conte student was responsible for Monday's mercury spill that has closed the building for at least three days, if not more. A number of residences are now being tested for mercury vapor, about 20 children had their clothes tested for contamination and the city is considering declaring a limited state of emergency to qualify for state help.
"One student is responsible and he will be charged," said Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco, including for disruption of a school. He said it was not yet clear what the other charges would be.
Mayor John Barrett III said the problem has been compounded because the contamination has spread beyond the school.
"It's through the tracking — the clothes get contaminated, they go home and the house gets contaminated," he said. "It's a lot more than cleaning up the hallway."
The school was evacuated Monday morning shortly after the mercury was found and taken to 1st Congregational Church. The church was tested Tuesday morning and found to be cleared. However, mercury contamination was found on clothing returned to the school Monday night. That lead to the monitoring of a number of residences.
Mercury is an elemental metal that is a liquid at room temperature. It was commonly used in thermometers, barometers and other temperature valves until concerns over its toxicity phased many of uses out.
Long-term exposure to mercury vapors is a health hazard, said Michael Feeney, director of the state Department of Public Health's Inland Air Program. "It doesn't disappear it can stay for months, if not years."
It's important to clean up mercury as quickly as possible to reduce exposure. "This is more of a contamination issue than a health issue," said Feeney. "This is a very short-term exposure ... there have been no symptoms reported to us."
Parents were also offered urine testing for their children as a precaution on Tuesday afternoon; the screenings will be done at a state laboratory. The state Department of Environmental Protection has provided one of its high-end, sensitive meters for monitoring.
"It's serious in nature, it is a health risk and it has to be dealt with," said Barrett. "It keeps spreading out ... if someone is exposed to this for a long period of time it can be a health risk."
The school is undergoing a cleanup that includes a "wash" of a mercury-absorbing powder, according to Joseph Jammallo of Cushing Jammallo & Wheeler of Clinton, environmental consultants. Jammallo, a city native, said the wash is cleaned up after it dries and then the air is sampled for confirmation. Those samples, too, will be sent to laboratories.
Jammallo worked on the cleanup of the mercury spill that closed Pittsfield High School three years ago. That spill closed the high for most of December; students doubled up at Taconic High School.
Like Pittsfield, Conte's air levels will have to get below the 1 microgram per cubic meter standard before it can reopen. The health standard is used the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
Exposure symptoms include irritation of skin and eyes and respiratory problems. Mercury can damage the neurological system and internal organs.
Feeney said mercury spills are still common, mostly from old broken thermometers, although totally preventable. But in his 20 year career, this was the first that was, allegedly, intentional.
The student, whose identity was being withheld because he or she is a juvenile, was caught on security cameras; students who were nearby were being interviewed, said Morocco.
The spill was in a classroom and in the hallway, although officials declined to describe it as two separate spills. The amount in the hallway was about the size of a 50-cent piece, they said.
The student is believed to have brought the mercury to the school. School Superintendent James M. Montepare said the school system had disposed of its mercury some years ago, at least to the best of its knowledge.
Montepare said the time will need to be made up and that the school system "is looking at contingency plans to provide educational programs should this carry on."
That could include holding classes at other facilities although the mayor stressed those are only plans at this point. The school will be closed Wednesday and possibly the rest of the week, but officials were not ready to confirm that. "We're taking it one day at a time," said Montepare.
Barrett said the finacial impact will be offset by insurance, but after three mercury incidents in as many months, rates will be "sky high next year." He said the city would seem some type of relief from the state, which could include declaring a limited state of emergency.
"This is a very expensive experiment that this young individual got us into," said Barrett.
Top photo: North Adams Board of Health Officer Manuel Serrano, left; Michael Feeney, state Department of Public Health's Indoor Air Quality Program; Public Safety Commissioner E. John Morocco; Mayor John Barrett III; School Superintendent James Montepare, and Joseph Jammallo, principal of Cushing, Jammallo & Wheeler Inc. hazmat cleaners, at City Hall
