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Shelley Osterloh ReportingSchool is out at Vernal Middle School until a special team from Denver can clean up a mercury spill. School will be closed for at least one more day for cleanup.
The 780 students at Vernal Middle School got most of the day off, and today was only their second day back at school.
The mercury spill could be found outside the school, near a door leading to the cafeteria. When officials arrived on the scene, they decided to evacuate the school. About three tablespoons of the mercury was found on the ground.
780 students, plus faculty and staff were marched out of the school at about 10:30 this morning. Parents were called to pick up their children.
Hazardous materials crews did find mercury vapors inside the school.
Joseph Shaffer, Tri-Counties Health Dept.: "We do have mercury spread throughout the school, enough to create an action level. The school will be closed down for at least one more day. And cleanup should start to proceed in the morning about 8:00."
Crews will focus on ventilating the school and cleaning up the mercury. They'll also have to remove carpet and flooring.
Brief contact with mercury can cause a number of symptoms, including fatigue, insomnia, loss of appetite, changes in personality, nausea, abdominal cramps and skin rashes.
It's unknown where the mercury came from. An anonymous phone call to Commissioner Dave Haslam this morning gave the heads up of a mercury spill in the parking lot. Haslam sent the health department over to investigate.
