another school exposure

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Mercury Spills In Classroom, Students Contaminated

By Adam Shull

ton News Herald

Sunday, October 8, 2006

ton - A broken thermometer exposed East Burke High School students to mercury Friday morning.

Burke County Public Schools Superintendent Burleson says that a thermometer broke in an East Burke High allied health science class around 10 a.m.

Burleson says the class is held in an annex building at Hallyburton Elementary School.

Burke County Fire Marshall Mark Pitts responded to the incident and coordinated the clean-up effort, Burleson says.

Ken , operations chief of Burke Emergency Medical Services, says Pitts called for a State Medical Assistance Team (SMAT) to clean up the hazardous liquid.

says he arrived at Hallyburton Elementary around 1:15 p.m.

SMAT workers had students remove their clothes and all accessories exposed to the mercury, says.

They then took showers in isolated parts of the parking lot using lava soap, he adds.

says the students' clothes, jewelry, cell phones and more will be decontaminated before they get them back.

The classroom where the leak occurred is quarantined as well, he says.

But all involved are not washed of the day yet.

says SMAT workers still have to get rid of 1,200 gallons of contaminated water.

He says the level of contamination in the water will determine how workers can dispose of it.

Burleson says students will have to submit blood and urine samples soon in order to determine if they were exposed to unhealthy levels of the metal.

He says he feels most of the safety precautions are just that, cautionary.

The school system conducted a mock hazardous material drill last year, which Burleson believes helped with Friday's response.

Burleson says the students were not injured and will return to school Monday.