Earlier today (January 11) St. Andrew's School in Barrington reported to the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and the Rhode Island Department of Health (HEALTH) that a vial of mercury had been dropped on a classroom floor in the Brown Science Building on January 10. The classroom was used for high school science classes.
The school notified local and state officials and evacuated all students from the building where the spill occurred. In addition, the shoes of all students and faculty who were in the classroom since the spill are in the process of being tested for mercury. Staff from DEM are conducting air sample testing to identify areas of potential contamination. Clean Harbors is currently working with school officials to safely clean the affected building. HEALTH staff is on site to ensure that all health and safety protocols are followed during the incident response.
HEALTH has received no reports of students or staff with any acute effects. For information on mercury, visit http://www.health.ri.gov/healthrisks/poisoning/mercury/