Mercury forces tenants to evacuate

The discovery of a half pound of liquid mercury in the apartment of a recently evicted tenant prompted the evacuation of 19 units at an Airport Road complex Tuesday evening.

Dustin Boothe, spokesman for Carson City Health and Human Services, said a cleaning crew reported the find in carpet they were removing from the vacant apartment at Bella Lago Village, 1600 Airport Road.

The air inside the unit was tested for mercury vapor and found to have 40 times the level that is considered safe, said Boothe. Surrounding units in the 20-apartment building also had readings 20 times greater than what is considered safe.

Boothe said the amount of mercury in this case was much larger than mercury spills at area schools in recent years.

Health officials declared the building uninhabitable and tenants were asked to leave, taking only the clothes on their backs.

Carson City Sheriff's Chief Deputy Ray Saylo said about 22 people were displaced.

"People were being very cooperative and it's a pretty tough situation, families removed from their house with no clothing," he said.

Saylo said sheriff's investigators were called in to locate the previous tenant in Reno.

He said there are no laws that make possession of mercury illegal.

"Basically we are just doing an investigation to determine how the mercury got there and how long it's been there," he said.

H2O Environmental Inc., a Reno hazardous material cleanup company, will handle the removal and decontamination. The property owner is responsible for the costs.

"And it's not an inexpensive process," said Boothe.

The Carson City Fire Department, Nevada Department of Environmental Health, Environmental Protection Agency and the Carson City Sheriff's Department responded.

Exposure to mercury at high levels can damage the brain, kidneys and a developing fetus.

After removing the spill, said Boothe, the apartments will be left open to air out, and periodically tested to determine if the levels are lower.

The property owner, along with the Red Cross and Salvation Army, are providing for tenants' accommodations until they can return, said Saylo.

"With any luck these people might be back in by the day after tomorrow," he said.