Fourth child may have been exposed to mercury in Camp Washington

Almost two weeks ago, children were seen playing with mercury on the sidewalk in Camp Washington.The Cincinnati Health Department says three children came in contact with it, and they think a fourth could have been exposed as well.The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Cincinnati Fire Environmental Crimes Unit are investigating what happened. The EPA said kids were playing with a jar of elemental mercury they found in a junkyard.But there are still questions of why it was there.There’s some reassurance from the Director of Cincinnati’s Drug and Poison Center about the risks of touching mercury. “It does what we call, volatilize, it’ll eventually evaporate, but it evaporates very slowly. And so, if you’re just kind of playing with it outside, it’s probably you’re not in very much danger at all,” Medical Director Dr. Shan Yin said. The Cincinnati Health Department says the three known children are doing well. They say they will not release ages or if the children are boys or girls. Health officials say they go to Cincinnati Public Schools and are communicating with the district.The EPA said the jar the mercury was in is still missing, and they think there’s mercury inside it.Yin said if mercury is indoors and uncovered, it’ll slowly evaporate and become dangerous.”If you were in an enclosed room, then you would be getting what we would call a sub-acute or chronic exposure, and that could be dangerous,” he said.Chronic exposure could mean neurological symptoms, vision problems, tremors, rashes, kidney problems and high blood pressure.”Certainly, if parents were worried about any health effects, they can call the poison center 24 hours a day,” Yin said.The families of the three known children have been cleared to return home after the EPA made sure it was safe.Investigators are still working to figure out why the mercury was in this junkyard. Officials have not said who owns the junkyard or how children were able to reach it.

link