ARMSTRONG, Iowa (KTIV) -
Crews from the EPA say it's going to take longer than they thought to clean up those mercury spills in Armstrong, Iowa. Officials estimate more than 12 people were exposed to the toxic chemical, including three children.
It all happen over the weekend. The mercury came from a glass container that had been sitting in the basement of a home on 2nd Avenue, for years.
Armstrong Police say, Friday, a painter was getting the house ready for some renters when he found the mercury. He brought it to local bar, Dale's Recreation, to show off. But, it was dropped, spilling mercury on the floor.
The bar's owner tried to clean it with a mop and shop-vac, which only spread it around.
Police say the painter scooped up as much of the mercury as he could, into another bottle, then brought it back to the home. That's where the renters found it.
While moving in from Dunnell, Minnesota on Sunday, mother of four Jessica Verschelde, says she first saw the mercury sitting in the sandbox.
"I'd seen a jar sitting there, so I picked it up and I moved it. The landlady was there and said that it was mercury, and she was going to dispose of it," said Verschelde.
Verschelde set the mercury aside and left for another load, figuring the chemical would be disposed of by the time she got back with three of her kids. But it wasn't.
"My seven-year-old son came up to me and that they had found a jar, opened it up, and were playing with it in the sandbox," said Verschelde.
Verschelde's son also said her autistic 5-year-old may have ingested some. Verschelde washed her kids and called poison control. They're currently being observed for signs of mercury poisoning.
For officials it's time to clean-up. EPA crews from Kansas City have started with the most contaminated site, the downtown bar.
Inside, officials are dressed head to toe in protective suits with respirators. Crews will be here for days cleaning the bar and house, using vacuums that capture the chemical, instead of spewing it into the air. They'll also either wash or toss anything that came in contact with the spills. Officials say the goal is to get mercury vapors to safe levels.
"We continue to monitor vapors at the business. We didn't find any elevated levels in the house. However, we did find visible mercury beads in a sandbox," said EPA Spokesman for Region Seven Kris Lancaster.
While crews work. Verschelde waits, sick with worry as she looks over her kids for signs of illness.
"It's horrible, stressful. We don't know what to do," she said.
For now, officials tell us no one has reported signs of poisoning. That includes the three kids, and the more then ten exposed at the bar.
