Is this true, or just the media screwing up?

[STAT213 332]

Broken Thermometer Causes 100 to Respond to Mercury Spill

1/2/2007 8:47:16 AM

WSYR-9

CARMEL, N.Y. (AP) - It was quite a New Year's Eve at the home of Richard Berger in Carmel - in Putnam County. Someone in the house broke a rectal thermometer and the family called 911 around 10:30 to report the small mercury spill.

Several dozen volunteers from the Carmel Fire Department responded to the house on Brookview Drive.

Fire Chief Darryl Johnson says mercury is a hazardous material that can cause stomach problems if inhaled.

Men wearing protective gear used wet sponges to clean up the puddle.

It was packaged and brought to the Carmel firehouse where the county health department will dispose of it today.

The Berger family was not hurt.

HAZ MAT back to the firehouse?

[Firefighter57 0]

yeah that doesn't make much sence to bring the Haz Mat back to the fire house now does it. Does putnam even have a hazmat team or does each FD take care of all of that?

hey i wonder how the "rectal thermometer" broke in the first place.

[Guest]

Putnam has a county hazmat team - i remember the incident b/c i happened to be working, but i don't recall if they toned out for the team, i can only assume they did.

Edited January 17, 2007 by 66Alpha1

[JohnnyOV 2]

100 firefighters for a mercury spill...is that was you're asking if the media screwed up on?

[LCFD968 10]

The call was 100 % real and doctored a little by the media....

No more than twenty people includung Haz Mat Team were on location. The only two things i am not sure of is if they brought the package back to the FD and how it broke.....

[hudson144 150]

rectum-damn near killed him!

[Ging599 13]

For the most part, the story is true.

There were no where near 100 people there, 20 tops. Maybe 9 from Carmel FD & the Haz Mat team.

The County Haz Mat team packaged the spilled mercury and it was brought back to the FD.

I didn't even want to know how it happened or why there were 3 people exposed to the spill, it was one of the nights I was happy to be driving the rig.

[JustSomeGuy 0]

Of all the forms of mercury, elemental mercury is the most commonly swallowed form of mercury, usually from a broken thermometer. Fortunately, elemental mercury from a thermometer is not absorbed from the stomach and will not cause any poisoning in a healthy person. In a healthy person, the slippery swallowed mercury will roll into the stomach, out in to the bowels and will be quickly eliminated without causing any symptoms. A person with severe inflammatory bowel disease or those with a fistula (hole or opening) in their gut may have problems with mercury if it is not all cleared out, resulting in prolonged exposure. Handling liquid mercury for a very short period of time usually does not result in any problems. An allergic rash is possible, though. Mercury is not well absorbed across the skin so skin contact is not likely to cause mercury poisoning, especially with a brief one-time exposure. Even if a person has cuts in their skin, mercury is too heavy to be contained by a cut. Merely washing the wound well will wash the mercury out of the wound.

http://www.calpoison.org/public/mercury.html

[MPACE2-299 0]

Mercury was brought back to the fire house be be picked up by the county health department.

[RWC130 594]

Media Screw Up?

SAY IT AINT SO!!!