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"I can only surmise that the people who originated these blogs are uneducated about the health risks associated with elemental mercury or they need to get a job, a life or one or more of the above". So wrote Joseph M. Jammallo, a member of the environmental consulting firm that cleaned up the recent liquid-mercury spill at the Silvio O. Conte Middle School. Yesterday, in a pointed letter-to-the-editor of the North Adams Transcript, Mr. Jammallo scolded bloggers who "provided negative comments on how the North Adams School Department and city officials reacted and responded to the release".
I'm not familiar with the blog entries to which Mr. Jammallo refers (and it certainly seems like local officials did their jobs), so I'd like to think that I'm about to pose questions instead of criticisms. First, what's the big deal about mercury? After all, it's present in fish, shellfish, and compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). Second, where might a 14 year-old boy get enough mercury to drop a half-dollar sized amount on the floor of his middle school?
The federal government provides some answers to the first question (and I'm hoping that CR4ers will have something to say). The second remains a mystery, mainly because local officials remain tight-lipped pending completion of their investigation. That's not a criticism, Mr. Jammallo. As the old saying goes, "inquiring minds want to know".
What's the Big Deal About Mercury? Plenty, Says the CPSC!
According to its web site, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) "is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction." These products include mercury that, according to the CPSC, some people sprinkle around the house "for religious reasons". According to CPSC Document #5057, a Web page called "Mercury Vapors Are Hazardous", mercury poses the following health risks.
"Mercury can cause serious and permanent nerve and kidney damage. Mercury poisoning (acrodynia) has these symptoms: rapid heartbeat, sweating, irritability or hostility, withdrawal or shyness, memory loss, peeling of hands and feet, leg pain, slight hand tremors, difficulty with fine motor control (such as handwriting), sleeplessness, and headaches. Young children and children born to women exposed during pregnancy may be especially sensitive."
As Mr. Jammallo notes in his letter-to-the-editor, "inhalation is the primary route of exposure to elemental mercury". So, while some local residents may recall how they once touched mercury and lived to tell about it, inhalation over prolonged periods of time is the problem. That factor, in combination with her age, is what explains the hospitalization of the younger sister of the student who allegedly dumped the mercury after storing it in the family home.
In the third part of this series, we'll examine the argument that mercury isn't a big deal because it's in the fish and shellfish that we eat. As for where a 14-year old boy might find enough mercury to shutdown a school, your guess is as good as mine. The local media has reported that it came from an old farm, but I'm wondering how mercury would be used in an agriculture setting. Any ideas, CR4ers?
Editor's Note: Click here for the next installment in this series. Part 1 and Part 4 are also available.
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Steve Melito
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Re: The Middle School Mercury Mystery (Part 2)
"Almost" Good Answers: