Edward,

You know, Alan asked me essentially the same question: ̶ 0;So, what’s your proposed solution?”

I have to admit to feeling a bit like Tevye in “A Fidd ler On The Roof”.  Paraphrasing from that great philosopher, I’ ;d say “You may ask, ‘What is the solution to this problem?’   I’ll tell you.  I don’t know.”

But seriously, Edward really is right;  a procedure tha t covers such instances could be produced and then distributed to first responders, schools, and public health organizations.  However, I have my doubts that this would really make a dent in the larger issue at hand.  ; The issue here, as I see it, is very similar to the distress I faced as an organic chemistry professor.  So many times I had students bemoan the rote memorization needed to pass, and this always launched me into my diatribe a bout memorization not being the key; understanding  is the key.

My worry about the direction of hazmat response is exactly this.  Rather than educate and inform responders about understanding r eal vs. imagined dangers, rather than provide them with procedures that reflect actual risks vs. ‘worst case’ scenarios, rather than educate th em on critical thinking and risk assessment, we inform the procedures based on worst-case scenarios and a fear of future litigation.

I think almost all on this list will agree that the actions that were taken in this case were excessive.  Further, I submit that to a person, of those who think the actions taken were excessive, all will profe ss that the reason the actions were taken was out of fear of litigation if the y ‘got it wrong’.  That is absolutely the wrong reason to make any decision, IMO.  In our society, however, medical testing, arrests, prosecutions and hazmat responses often boil down to “CYA” R 11; and I think our society is ill-served by this.

So, back to the original question of what my proposed soluti on is?  Well, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ solutio n.  Fundamentally, that’s where we are now, right?  With a one-size-fits-all default assumption of the worst case scenario that treats this specific type of incident (thermometers in a school room, which we hav e now seen three times in the past two months) the same as an industrial-sized spill event of a dusty, mercury-containing compound.  The solution I would advocate is that DCHAS should come out with a document, suitable for use in training of first-responders, that directly deals with this issue of metallic mercury, in small quantities, in public or semi-public (e .g. schools) situations.  Realistically, however, I recognize that achievi ng a document that all (or most) members of this listserve could accept might be problematic, given that there are some pretty diverse views on the actual risks p osed by this exact scenario.

Brad

Dr. Bradley K. Norwood

8302 Shady Ridge Lane

Mechanicsville, VA  23116

(804) 559-7212 (H)

(804) 271-5572 ext. 307 (O)

(804) 641-4641 (cell)

brad.norwood**At_Symbol_Here**aristalabs.com

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative a nd independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and sh ould do for themselves.

.....Abraham Lincoln

To Dr. Norwood:

A very thought provoking article.  I agree with many of your points, and disagree with some others.

Without picking apart my “likes” and “dislikes,” and also without a presumptuous lecture on the haza rds of mercury poisoning, I’d like to offer the following insights:< /o:p>

I think your issue here (the one I would infer) is that a standard procedure for mercury spills in a school needs to be established.  We realize that mercury may not be used in any form duri ng instruction—that has been in place in most schools for some time now.  That said, the reality is that mercury thermometers continually appear in lab drawers, desk drawers, and unlikely places.  This occurs even after annual scouring of facilities.  The point is, much as we li ke to think otherwise, the possibility of spilled mercury in our schools may b e with us for a while.  We need an informed procedure, ensuring safety f or everyone, but one that takes the guesswork out of “what measures are enough, and what measures are too much?”  An informed research b ased procedure like this will (hopefully) mitigate the “sky is fallingR 21; panic while assuring proper decontamination.

In the meantime, absent such a procedure, the rule of thumb i n situations like this is to assume the worst case scenario.  Remember t oo, while this is true overkill in responding to the acute effects of elemental mercury, the real danger comes from the chronic effects of the metal.  If the school administration allowed students to go home with the possibility of mercury remaining on their bodies, the parents will hand those administrato rs their own heads on a platter.

Your final point about an unreported disaster truly drives ho me the point about the need for a standard procedure.  The difference bet ween an effective response to an emergency and a tragic response to an emergency is establishment, enforcement, practice, and refinement of procedures.  T he need for these procedures applies to the non-emergencies as much as for the true emergencies.

us_md: Students, School Staff Isolated After Thermometers Break 

BALTIMORE -- A group of elementary schools playing with thermometers caused a hazmat situation Friday in Baltimore. 

Fire department spokesman Kevin Cartwright said more than a dozen people were isolated after broken thermometers prompted concerns about the mercury insi de. 

The incident occurred at Rodman Elementary School on West Mulberry Street. 

The students and staffers affected were to be showered in a decontamination trailer. 

There were no injuries reported. 

Cartwright said the students were playing with thermometers that broke and released mercury.

Y’all knew this was coming, right?

Once again, the absence of someone (anyone) with a cool head and a mere modicum of common sense has caused a heinous over-reaction to a non-situation.

Before several amongst you inundate me with claims of how th is really is a serious event, let me pre-empt your knee-jerk reactions to my statement:

1)  Unquestionably, mercury is hazardous, and represent s a severe chronic threat, particularly when exposures occur over an extended period of time.

2)  Proper remediation of the spill must be performed any time mercury is spilled.

3)  As noted in the earlier discussion, EPA must be notified if more than 454g are released.

But folks, seriously?  Decontamination of the st aff and students?  This is patently and demonstrably asinine.  There is N O conceivable scenario, dealing with elemental mercury from a thermometer or two, in a room of moderate size and with normal ventilation, by which these folk s were exposed to anything remotely warranting bringing in a “decontamination trailer”.  If there were an acute danger from playing with mercury from thermometers, I and most every science major in m y generation would already be brain-damaged and/or dead.

Again, my main focus here is the fact that we are reinforcin g MINDLESS FEAR instead of understanding and respect for chemicals.  If we, the ‘experts’ in response, don’t exercise wisdom and judgment, if we make every call to us a local disaster response, eventually someone will not report something because they donR 17;t want to cause a scene – and that’ll be the one we will have rea lly wanted them to bring us in on.

Okay, I’ll take your flames now.

Brad

Dr. Bradley K. Norwood

8302 Shady Ridge Lane

Mechanicsville, VA  23116

(804) 559-7212 (H)

(804) 271-5572 ext. 307 (O)

(804) 641-4641 (cell)

brad.norwood**At_Symbol_Here** aristalabs.com

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative a nd independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them what they could and sh ould do for themselves.

.....Abraham Lincoln