×

New Ulm mercury spill ‘could have been worse,” says MPCA official

Cleanup concludes; no charges or fines in disposal accident

A cleanup crew with West Central Environmental Consultants and members of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency prepared to return the alley at 100 North Garden to the public. The mercury cleanup operation was completed Friday evening. The levels of mercury in the alley are below the MPCA’s standard of 500 parts per billion. (Staff photo by Clay Schuldt)

NEW ULM — Mercury cleanup crews released the alley between 100 north Garden and Payne back to the public Friday night after three days of cleaning up a mercury spill that occurred there Tuesday.

Cleanup crews contracted by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) have been on site since the discovery of the spill Tuesday afternoon.

The MPCA has concluded that the spill was accidental and that the person disposing of the mercury didn’t know what it was. Therefore, no charges or fines are expected to be levied.

Craig Schafer with the MPCA Emergency Management Unit said crews have been working from sun-up to sun-down to clear the alley.

“This could have been multiple times worse simply because of the location and volume,” Schafer said. “I’ve done this kind of work for 27 years; this is by far the largest volume of mercury I’ve ever dealt with.”

A WCEC cleanup crew member wraps an alley dumpster in plastic as a precaution before removing it. The dumpster was used to dispose of four containers of mercury earlier this week resulting in a spill. Most of the mercury has been removed from the dumpster, but a few small beads remain. The final cleanup will conducted at a different site. (Staff photo by Clay Schuldt)

Schafer praised the New Ulm’s Public Safety Department, Police Department and Fire Department for their quick action in blocking off the alley to prevent the mercury from being tracked elsewhere. The only damage done was to a few pairs of boots and pants contaminated by mercury, but no one was hurt.

“The system worked good,” Schafer said. “What happened that first hour made this an easy one. If it would have gotten tracked into houses, into vehicles and vehicles tracked to work … we got lucky.”

The investigation into the spill was conducted by the MPCA and included an interview of the property owner, Mitch Frandsen.

Schafer said Frandsen did not know the substance he threw out was mercury.

“It was stored in a container that was in another container. It was all full of dust, dirt and grime and he was just cleaning out the garage and it got tossed out with the rest of the stuff,” Schafer said. The mercury had likely been sitting in the garage for years before Frandsen acquired the property. The incident was a mistake, with no malicious intent and no one will be charged or fined for the accident.

The origin of the mercury is still a mystery. Schafer said a previous owner of the house accumulated the mercury for an unknown reason, but tracking the source is difficult since mercury was once present in a lot of household items such as thermometers, switches, thermostats and other control devices.

Schafer said it was possible the mercury dated back to the original home owners from the 1940s before mercury was designated a hazardous material. The investigators found no explanation for why whoever accumulated the mercury had so much of it.

A crew of four will remain on site for additional cleanup in the garage at 104 N. Garden Street. Trace amounts of mercury were tracked through the garage before it was disposed of in the alley dumpster. The bulk of the spill occurred in the alley dumpster. As of Friday most of the mercury was removed from the dumpster, but a handful of pin-prick sized beads remain. As a precaution the dumpster was wrapped in plastic and transported to a sanitation site for the final cleanup.

Cleanup crews were already at the sanitation site removing mercury from the garbage truck that picked up the four containers of mercury. The local waste hauler was the first person to notice the mercury spill and contact authorities.

MPCA standards of acceptable mercury levels is 500 nanograms per billion. The highest reading in the alley before cleaning started was 3,500 parts per billion. Schafer said the risk was minor since a person would need to breath in the vapor from less than an inch away to be harmed. Cold weather prevents mercury from vaporizing, but with Friday’s warm spell the cleanup crew is erring on the side of caution.

The MPCA advises people attempting to dispose of mercury to call their local Household Hazardous Waste program. Residents could also contact the MPCA Duty Officer with questions or to report a spill.

Mercury is a silvery, liquid metal at room temperature, but like water, mercury can evaporate and become airborne. Its vapors are dangerous to inhale because they are toxic to the human nervous system. It is found is several house hold items including thermometers, blood pressure cuffs, fluorescent bulbs or other mercury containing devices.

Household items containing mercury should be taken to household hazardous waste disposal site. Brown County does hold free hazardous waste collection events in the summer. The next collection event will be held June 8 at the Brown County Fairgrounds.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper?
   

COMMENTS

[vivafbcomment]

Starting at $4.38/week.

Subscribe Today