NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Two children were hospitalized Tuesday evening after possible mercury poisoning in a New Britain home, the mayor said.
The State Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said a home on Hatch Street in New Britain has been condemned by the City's Health Department after officials found around 600 times the permissible limit for human exposure to mercury inside the home on Tuesday.
"It’s a metal, there’s only a handful of metals you can get liquid," said Robert Hansen, Assistant Chemistry Professor at Quinnipiac University.
According to DEEP, one child found a jar of a silver-colored liquid and started playing with it. The other child scooped it up to throw it away.
"It can vaporize and the vapor is what causes the health impacts," said Hansen.
He said mercury was common back in the 50s and 60s in electrical devices like thermometers and switches, but having a jar full of the shiny, silver liquid is rare.
"It's hazardous and that’s why mercury has been phased out in a lot of these devices," said Hansen.
New Britain Mayor, Erin Stewart made a statement Tuesday about the incident in a Facebook post:
"Today departments were busy responding to an unfortunate and very rare mercury poisoning incident at a private home on Hatch Street. The City's Health Department is fully aware of the situation and doing everything they can to support the CT Department of Environmental Protection, who is overseeing this situation. The mercury is contained to the one home, there is no threat to any other residents."
She ended the statement by sending out prayers to the family affected.
Officials did not say how old the victims were or where the liquid came from.
State officials said the next steps for the Hatch Street home are still unclear, but the incident serves as a reminder that mercury poisoning is serious and could be fatal.
Mercury is a silver-white, shiny metal liquid, when at room temperature, and is sometimes found in thermometers and electrical switches.
Symptoms of Mercury poisoning include tiredness, difficulty breathing, and difficulty feeling hands, feet, and mouth.
Hansen said if someone comes across what could be mercury, get help right away.
"If you see something that looks like a metal and is liquid it’s probably mercury and you need to contact a professional and get that disposed of," said Hansen.
FOX61 reached out to DEEP for more information but are still waiting to hear back. They did say there is no threat to the public.
Jareliz Diaz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jdiaz@fox61.com
Lindsey Kane is a reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at Lkane@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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