A regular vacuum cleaner or broom will not collect mercury Hire professionals (HAZWOPER trained) Use cardboard/tape (homeowner) Once all beads are gone wash with paper towels and detergent Isolate the spill area/minimize the mercury vapor Block off area (plastic bags and tape), keep track of contaminated items (bag) Don’t wash mercury contaminated clothes or shoes Discard or air out for several days (can’t save all items) GUIDANCE – SMALL SPILLS

MERCURY CAN DAMAGE JEWELRY Mercury from a thermostat spilled in the house (several weeks) Two rings were contaminated over that time Remove jewelry before coming into contact with mercury

Dos Ventilate area for at least 15 minutes Optional: remove jewelry Clean up broken glass (depending on floor surface) Vacuum last Don’ts Not necessary to remove carpet Not necessary to get rid of vacuum cleaner GUIDANCE - FLUORESCENT BULB (TUBE AND CFL) CLEANUP

REAL-TIME MEASUREMENTS Lumex mercury analyzers (vapor) – Measures in ng/m3 or µg/m3 Will detect below 1 µg/m3 Jerome mercury analyzers – Measures in mg/m3 3 µg/m3 0.5 µg/m3

NIOSH 6009 Sample is sent for analysis Liability coverage Reported as mg/m3 CONFIRMATORY SAMPLING

Smelting operation in basement of home. Recovering silver from dental amalgam. Next to furnace. Four adults hospitalized and died. House decon failed. Recovered 78 pounds from vapor recovery system. Spent over $200,000. County demolished house. CASE STUDY: LINCOLN PARK SITE

CASE STUDY: SPRINGFIELD MERCURY Teenagers found over 100 pounds of mercury in and abandoned facility. Mercury was distributed among friends 16 homes were contaminated All 16 homes were deconned in less than 1 month. Media fiasco. Cost: > $200,000

CASE STUDY: SAGE AVENUE SPILL Son notified parent that his brother had been playing with mercury. Source was secured immediately by first responders pounds spilled Entire house was screened. Impacted area sealed off from rest of house. Family permitted to remain in house until clean-up occurred. Minimal clean-up required. Clean-up cost: < $5,000.

NEED ADVICE? Your local health department MI-Toxics Hotline, MDCH 800-MI-TOXIC ( ) National Poison Control Center U.S. EPA Emergency Response Branch Possible relocation assistance for residents: American Red Cross and Salvation Army

PUBLIC HEALTH PARTICULARS

TOPICS Public Health Exposure Limits Fire Chief 4-gas monitors Residential CO detectors Fire smoke

PUBLIC EXPOSURE LIMITS

BENZENE MINIMAL RISK LEVELS FROM CDC/ATSDR

ISSUES Need direct read instruments with DL’s in ppb Convincing various agencies that all results are to be reported in ppm. Convincing agencies that results were going to be collected in one database. Massive incident management system – not many people have skills to assume roles. Teamwork

Fire Chief

Fire Departments should have these Make sure they have been calibrated Discuss and agree on actions to be taken based on readings 4-GAS MONITORS

CARBON MONOXIDE Most sensitive population adults with heart problems – angina onset at COHB > 2.5% Children become nauseated COHB > 7%

Non-smoker 4.0% Smoker 8.9% Child 5.0% Non-smoker 0.5 – 0.8% Smoker 3 – 8% Pregnant non-smoker 0.7 – 2.5% Fetus 10 – 20% higher COHB LEVELS Normal BackgroundAt 27 ppm CO for 8 hours World Health Organization recommends CO < 10 ppm for 8 hours to keep COHB <2.5% EPA Outdoor Air Limit 9 ppm

ANSI/UL 2034 DETECTOR THRESHOLDS No alarm below 30 ppm until after 30 days 70 ppm –no alarm for 1 hour, alarm in 4 hours 150 ppm – alarm in 10 to 50 minutes 400 ppm – alarm in 4 to 15 minutes Will NOT display less than 30 ppm “The CO Alarm generally sounds an alarm before the onset of symptoms in average, healthy adults.”

CO RESIDENTIAL DETECTORS

In France 1988 researchers tested fire victims and concluded that this study “suggest that HCN poisoning may prevail over CO poisoning as the cause of death in some fire victims” FIRE SMOKE MIXTURE OF CO AND HYDROGEN CYANIDE (HCN)

FIRE SMOKE CONT’D Became issue in US after 2006 when a firefighter had a heart attack and the doctor treated for cyanide HCN produced from burning, smoldering plastics, natural and synthetic fibers.

HCN ANTIDOTES Traditionally, administration of nitrates to form methemoglobemia, which impairs blood oxygen carrying capacity. Methemoglobemia has different mechanism, therefore affects from CO are additive. Treating HCN poisoning with hydroxocobalamin eliminates this concern. Hydroxocobalamin – expensive, has short shelf life.

NEED ADVICE? Your local health department MI-Toxics Hotline, MDCH 800-MI-TOXIC ( ) National Poison Control Center U.S. EPA Emergency Response Branch Possible relocation assistance for residents: American Red Cross and Salvation Army