Cleanup of mercury contamination of thermometer workers' homes

Several incidents of contamination of the home with chemicals from the workplace have been reported in recent years. Employees at a mercury thermometer plant transported mercury from the factory into their homes. As a result, increased levels of mercury were found in the urine of some of the employees' families. Thus, a home cleaning program was instituted. In this paper, a discussion of the cleaning procedures used and the problems encountered during the home cleaning program is presented. The decontamination procedures used depended upon the levels of mercury detected using a mercury vapor analyzer. Cleaning procedures used included vacuuming with a mercury vacuum system and cleaning with a mercury binding solution. If mercury was not detectable at a concentration of 1 micrograms/m3 in the air, then the cleaning was assumed to be complete. All contaminated cleaning liquids and supplies were disposed of a hazardous wastes. Most of the problems experienced were related either to administrative procedures or public perception. The greatest administrative problem was identifying employees who wished to participate in the cleaning program. Two regulatory agencies, the employees' union, the industry, and the cleaning coordinator all kept separate lists of employees wishing to participate. Cross-referencing the separate lists proved difficult, especially since some employees changed their minds several times. Because of inaccurate newspaper accounts and the fact that the cleanup operations took place in a small town, public perception of the cleaning program was a problem. The cleaning operations were thus highly visible and provided ample opportunity for rumor propagation.