Mercury spill cleanup in Martinez could take days

MARTINEZ, Calif. - The ongoing mercury spill discovered days ago in the Martinez Amtrak parking lot continued to disrupt surrounding areas Wednesday as crews worked to remove every spec of the toxic chemical.

Mercury is one of the basic building blocks of chemistry and if uncontained, can cause sickness and in some cases death.

The mercury spill, which is now on its third day, has expanded into a full-blown hazmat emergency, closing some streets. Though the chemical is widely used in electrical switches, paints, and soaps, it is highly toxic on the loose.

A garbage truck inadvertently spread the hazardous waste, Contra Costa County health officials said Tuesday night. Some neighbors and bus and train riders said the widened scope of contamination is unnerving.

"I don't know if it travels or whatever. You know, I don't know if you have to touch it or the wind blows it because this is very close to me," said resident Lorraine White.

Earlier Wednesday, White said she boarded a bus from the very location now cordoned off and being treated for mercury contamination, one of the most highly toxic, non-radioactive elements.

"I walked across in through there and no one told me what was going," she said.

Dr. Jane Hightower, a San Francisco physician and author of Diagnosis Mercury: Money, Politics, and Poison said weighed in.

"Metallic mercury has a lot of potential for being toxic to people. It's mostly respiratory," said Hightower.

Hazmat crews covered spill areas with sulfur powder to keep the mercury from evaporating into an airborne toxic gas.

"You don't want to be around mercury inhaled because it can cause damage. Inhaled mercury isn't quite as bad as organic mercury," said Hightower.

Organic mercury that gets into storm drains and waterways is more dangerous.

"Just a few drops of mercury can greatly affect localized areas," said Hightower.

One three-hundredth of an ounce of mercury, the amount usually found in all thermometers, is enough to contaminate a 20-acre lake.

"That organic mercury can penetrate every cell in the body and cause many more types of problems including full-on poison," said Hightower.

Every organ in the body can be damaged, which is why removing as much as possible is critical. The cleanup could take two or three days.